Experiences of women entrepreneurs in family firms

Family enterprises are often said to be the most common type of business in the world: they make a substantial contribution to virtually every economic sector. Family firms are also widely acknowledged for their role in incubating and financing new businesses and so researchers are seeking to understand entrepreneurship as practised by families in business. This chapter examines the case histories of 16 entrepreneurial women from a range of countries who occupied a range of roles inside or outside the original family business, and who were at different stages in their occupancy of them. Women leaders of family firms need to ascertain whether the firm’s current norms value informal or formal learning and how the women can acquire skills that will be acknowledged within the firm. Belongingness strategies were important for many. Belongingness strategies include Engagement, or working on projects together. The family firm community’s Boundaries and its Identity also mattered.