Event Details

This seminar explores how growth in early-stage ventures is not just an objective result but a narrated accomplishment through which entrepreneurs make sense of their ventures’ trajectories.

Overview

This research examines entrepreneurial growth not as an objective metric, but as a narrated phenomenon, a storied accomplishment through which entrepreneurs make sense of their ventures' trajectories. Taking a social constructivist lens, we explore how founders construct meaning around growth through their entrepreneurial stories.

Method

Drawing on narrative interviews, archival data, and media documents from eight early-stage firms, we analyze how growth is socially constructed and embedded in entrepreneurial narratives.

Key Findings: Three Narrative Repertoires

Our analysis reveals three distinct ways founders story their ventures' growth:

Growth as passion-driven pursuit – Growth emerges from intrinsic motivation and deep commitment to the venture's mission.

Growth as necessity – Growth is framed as an imperative response to market demands or competitive pressures.

Growth as legitimacy-building – Growth serves to establish credibility and validation in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Contribution

We theorize these narrative repertoires as strategic practices through which founders construct, communicate, and enact growth in context. Our findings reveal how entrepreneurs create coherent accounts of becoming, relating, learning, organizing, and managing as they story their ventures' development.