Resourceful Behavior in Informal Entrepreneurship Contexts

Abstract

Resourcefulness is central to entrepreneurship and captures both the simultaneous pursuit of opportunities and mobilization of resources regardless of the entrepreneur’s control. In this research, we explore how entrepreneurs in the post-USSR country - Kazakhstan navigate the complexity of starting and developing businesses without regard to resources they currently control. By engaging with 84 entrepreneurs in creative industries and analyzing in detail how founders of eight ventures develop their businesses in Kazakhstan, we explore how informality influences resourcefulness in emerging countries. Our analysis reveals three types of resourceful behavior leading to variance in resource mobilization purposes: community-, self-and impact-centered resourcefulness where entrepreneurs are motivated by different pursuits: developing their ventures to support community development, for their own good or for creating impact globally. We enrich the literature by developing further understanding of variations of entrepreneurial resourcefulness in the context of informality.