Motivation to Grow Women Entrepreneurs' Home-Based Businesses

Abstract

Entrepreneurs play an important role in the economy's development. Compared to men, a higher number of women are becoming entrepreneurs. There is a commensurate interest in examining who these women are, what motivates them to become business owners, and what influences their economic success. This paper explores the motivational factors faced by female entrepreneurs as they grow their home-based business (HBB). The research has been conducted via interviews with women entrepreneurs that are involved in HBB, which is located in the Klang Valley area in Malaysia. Results show that women owning and managing HBBs are motivated to grow their business through intrinsic motivations, including a need for independence and a need for achievement. They are also motivated by extrinsic motivations, which are financial issues, fame, and positive feedback from others. The result of this study will help all women entrepreneurs in HBB to always grow and to educate every family, society, and institutions to always support them. This paper also adds to the theory of what motivates people to start their own businesses and to research on what motivates people to grow.