Understanding Barriers to Development and Growth in Women, Ethnic, and Minority Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to investigate factors contributing to the success of specific ethnic entrepreneurs over others and to identify challenges hindering the growth of businesses owned by women, ethnic groups, and minorities. Methodology: The study employed a mix of positivism and interpretivism philosophy and utilized a descriptive survey design employing a cross-sectional method to gather and analyze data. The objectives and purpose of the study influence the decision toward the selection of research design, it is necessary to select a research design that matches the problem studied. Data were collected from sample comprised 30 respondents selected randomly from three distinct groups: women entrepreneurs, ethnic entrepreneurs, and minority entrepreneurs within Dar es salaam, using simple randomly sampling technique. The study employed in-depth interview to collect information from entrepreneurs’ women entrepreneurs, ethnic entrepreneurs, and minority entrepreneurs situated in various locations in Dar-es-Salaam. Data analysis was conducted using the content analysis method, where gathered data were coded, aligned according to discernible patterns, quantified and transformed into numerical values. Findings: The study found various factors contributing to the success of confident ethnic entrepreneurs, including motivations, opportunity structure, group characteristics, predisposing factors, and customer relationships. Challenges hindering women and minority-owned businesses included social-cultural barriers, financial constraints, and market accessibility challenges. Based on the study's findings, recommendations were made, including launching a nationwide campaign to address negative mindsets about women in business, developing specialized financial schemes for small businesses, and advocating for support groups and entrepreneurship clubs to tackle market challenges collectively.