Developing success strategies for ethnic minorities in business: Evidence from Scotland

Abstract

This article draws upon qualitative research with ethnic minority entrepreneurs in Strathclyde, involving 43 interviews with ethnic minority small firm owners and entrepreneurs from the Strathclyde region in Scotland and three more detailed case studies. We argue that, in Scotland, ethnic minority entrepreneurship has faced different issues from those that have been identified in the literature, success has been achieved through innovative developments, necessary partly due to special environmental factors in Scotland, which include a low rate of new firm formation and the peripheral nature of the market. The relevance of such development, however, provides examples and ‘cases’ of successful entrepreneurship that has relevant application to other areas of the UK and Europe. We use analysis of the recorded interviews and case studies to demonstrate that the keys to successful diversification and development rely upon the development of effective networks and marketing strategies and the use of contacts to form the bridge into mainstream development. Our recommendations concentrate on how enterprise development can be achieved successfully for ethnic minority entrepreneurs. We concentrate upon the lessons that can be learned and the results that can be applied to other areas in terms of policy and support towards ethnic minority entrepreneurs.