Entrepreneurs’ Life History: Strategy And Research Method To Studying Entrepreneurial Learning

Abstract

Purpose - Propose that, based on the life history of startups founders, it should be possible to reveal learning processes that occurred during their lives, even before they got involved in entrepreneurial practices.Design/Methodology - Within a qualitative and interpretivist approach, Life History is used as a guiding strategy and method for gathering data. In addition, seeking to delineate the investigation of experiences by entrepreneurs, it was conducted semi-structured interviews focused on thematic stories. To analyze the data, two interconnected strategies were used: narrative analysis and the abductive method.Main results - The results make it possible to identify the involvement of entrepreneurs with various social practices. These practices point to the lifelong journey of these entrepreneurs as a continual process of learning, indicating fragments of learning which occur and become relevant to the current entrepreneurial practice.Theoretical/methodological contributions - This article highlights the situated nature of entrepreneurial learning as a process anchored in social practices that begins before involvement in an entrepreneurial action. In terms of methodology, this study suggests a path to contribute to the formation of a research agenda within the Brazilian context.Relevance/originality - The article highlights the Life History and the Thematic Interview as tools that will facilitate the work of future researchers interested in revealing entrepreneurs’ learning processes not just before an entrepreneurial practice but also during the beginning of the entrepreneurial process and the running of their businesses.