<p> While women entrepreneurs have significantly contributed to the U.S. economy, their enterprises have been depicted as being smaller, having less profits, concentrating in low-profit sectors, and generating fewer jobs than their male counterparts (Blank et al., 2010; Hughes, Jennings, Brush, Carter, &amp; Welter, 2012; Marlow, 2014; Minniti &amp; Naude, 2010; U.S. Department of Commerce Economic and Statistics Administration, 2010). Thus, the portrayal of women and their ventures as disadvantage is prevalent in the women entrepreneurship literature and there is a need for research that presents a perspective that does not perpetuate this discourse (Marlow, 2014). </p><p> The purpose of this qualitative portraiture study is to understand the essence of U.S.-based, growth-oriented women entrepreneurs&rsquo; experiences in growing their businesses by centering women&rsquo;s ways of knowing in the male normative environment of entrepreneurship. The study explores the following research question with two sub-questions: How do growth-oriented women entrepreneurs understand their experiences in growing their organizations within a male-normative environment of entrepreneurship? How do women entrepreneurs identify and use facilitators to grow their businesses? How do women entrepreneurs describe the experience of acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to grow their businesses? </p><p> An appreciative inquiry perspective, a key tenet of portraiture methodology that was selected for this study which is a blending of art and science (Lawrence-Lightfoot &amp; Davis, 1997), guided the examination of growth-oriented women entrepreneurs&rsquo; experiences in this study. Rather than looking for the deficiency in the women entrepreneurs&rsquo; experiences, this perspective allowed a search for &lsquo;the good&rsquo; (Lawrence-Lightfoot &amp; Davis, 1997; Lawrence-Lightfoot, 2008). The ontology that guided this study was social constructivism (Creswell, 2013; Crotty, 1998; Guba &amp; Lincoln, 1989) and the epistemology was based on women&rsquo;s way of knowing (Belenky, Clinchy, Golbert, &amp; Tarale, 1986). </p><p> The portraits of the three women entrepreneurs selected for this study were assembled into a gallery with their artifacts and stories organized and presented in a consistent way. My interpretation of each participant&rsquo;s story was presented in a poetic form which depicted the essence of each woman entrepreneur&rsquo;s experience in growing her businesses. </p><p> The findings of this study revealed the following six themes: women&rsquo;s entrepreneurial experiences, perception of their entrepreneurial characteristics, entrepreneurial learning, entrepreneurial reflections on gender, entrepreneurial knowing, and entrepreneurial self as knower. Conclusions are presented on the experiences of women entrepreneurs&rsquo; growth within the normative environment of entrepreneurship, facilitators that women entrepreneurs use to grow their businesses, women entrepreneurs knowing along with implications for research and practice.</p><p>

<p> Created in 2005, Etsy.com is an e-commerce site where individuals sell handmade goods whose primary users are women. Examining the experiences of ten women selling handmade items on Etsy and how they use Instagram to interact with each other and to promote their online shops, the research intends to contribute to literature of online communities, feminist, and globalization and modernization theories. Using interviews and observations of participants&rsquo; Etsy and social accounts, we gain a deeper understanding of these women&rsquo;s experiences. The women with children spend more time developing relationships with other Etsy moms than those without children. However, all participants felt that through their crafts, they were creating a more ethical and sustainable marketplace in the global economy. More research should examine online relationship building through real-world activities like crafting and the agency that small-scale businesses have to influence ideas about large-scale manufacturing practices.</p>

<p> Salt Lake City, Utah, is recognized as the most entrepreneurially oriented city in the United States, fostering and nurturing small businesses owners to achieve success. Women in Salt Lake City start more businesses than do men, yet women struggle to survive. This study first presents nine successful Salt Lake City women entrepreneurs and how they got started in and grew their unique business and sustained them for extended periods. The participants were profiled as to the motivations and circumstances that led them to begin their businesses. Second, the strategies they employed to overcome challenges and obstacles they faced in the growth phase of their businesses are presented. Finally, the researcher presents information on how these nine women entrepreneurs sustained their businesses for many years. </p><p> This qualitative, phenomenological exploration of women entrepreneurs utilized two data collection methods: personal interviews and observations of their business operations. The nine women participants were purposefully selected to represent a cross-section of industries in an effort to provide rich, stratified data. The questions were designed and validated to elicit candid, authentic recollections of their lived experiences as entrepreneurs. One-on-one, personal interviews were conducted at each participant's place of business to capture the essence of the businesses and provide context of the nature of the enterprise. </p><p> This study resulted in four conclusions. First, the circumstances and motivations for these Salt Lake City entrepreneurs mirrored the intentions of similar populations; importantly, these women expertly juggled their family considerations with the demands of their businesses. Second, this group experienced little gender bias. Notably, they relied on their personal expertise, management backgrounds, and personal financial resources to make their firms a success. Third, this group did not rely on outside mentors, advisors, or counselors to propel their firms forward. Fourth, this group of Utah women created strong, dynamic, internal processes that ensured superior customer service, the single most important factor in their collective success. In summary, this study may be helpful current and future entrepreneurs as it has examined the personal biographies as well as the contextual and regional influences of these exceptional women entrepreneurs.</p>

<p> This study explored experiences of women who left tech companies and started their own businesses or became self-employed. The study identified trends in their experiences working for tech companies, factors influencing the decision to leave, and factors influencing the decision to pursue entrepreneurship or self-employment. Fifteen women were interviewed. Working for tech companies, women enjoyed opportunities to advance but experienced limitations to that advancement. They liked their co-workers and felt proud of the work being done, but were impacted by poor leadership, being one of few women, and not having potential recognized. Women quit for primarily individual reasons. Organization dysfunction, unfair events, and the presence of better alternatives impacted the decision as well. Women chose entrepreneurship for primarily personal reasons including entrepreneurial drive and a desire for autonomy. Financial security was found to be an influence for many women in the decision to take the risk of pursuing their venture.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation seeks to examine poverty alleviation from the ground-up. First it conceptually introduces and develops the concept of livelihood entrepreneurship. I argue that livelihood entrepreneurship differs from other forms of entrepreneurship, due to the entrepreneur's goals in the context of poverty. I ask research questions using network theory and stakeholder theory explaining how livelihood entrepreneurs may find success and lift themselves out of poverty. Second, the dissertation delves into a qualitative study of female livelihood entrepreneurs associated with SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association), in the context of impoverished communities in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat in India. I look at what types of skills the entrepreneurs gain by the SEWA intervention and how the women build their networks in order to succeed and sustain their enterprises in the Indian context. Third, I propose hypotheses, set up a quantitative demonstration via social network analysis and test my model by looking at how specific social capital resources of an Indian woman entrepreneur living in poverty relate to change in her family's livelihood. </p>