Helpers and Opponents in Entrepreneurial Identity Construction

Abstract

The objective of this article is to study the narrative construction of entrepreneurial identity. Our focus is on entrepreneurial identity work and personal growth stories in a global business context, an approach that has been largely negletted in previous studies. We present a study of narratives told by Finnish startup entrepreneurs who operate in Silicon Valley, USA, in order to reveal entrepreneurs’ identity work and personal growth stories in an international context. Using Greimas’ actantial model, semiotic square, and tests, we are able to map out the existence, influence and fluctuations of supporting and hindering factors in the entrepreneurs’ identity construction. The results show that four main narrative types are used with specific implications on entrepreneurial identity. Through identifying and revealing actants in different narrative types, we contribute a nuanced understanding of processes and forces bearing on identity construction. Greimas’ qualifying, decisive, and glorification tests allow us to include temporal aspect in the analysis and follow the identity construction as the stories move on.