How Family Support Fuels Women Entrepreneurs’ Drive in Hostile Markets

What is it about?

Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study proposes a model explaining how external adversity fosters entrepreneurial success among women entrepreneurs. Market hostility—marked by competition and uncertainty—enhances entrepreneurial orientation (EO), serving as the pathway linking adversity to stronger firm outcomes. When resources are threatened, women respond with greater innovation, proactivity, and decisiveness. The model also highlights family business support—emotional, advisory, and practical—as a key resource reinforcing this adaptation. Empirical evidence from Irish women entrepreneurs supports this framework. Findings reveal that market hostility boosts entrepreneurial orientation (EO), which in turn enhances firm performance, confirming EO’s mediating role. Family business support further strengthens this positive chain by helping women sustain proactive behaviors under pressure. With encouragement, advice, and tangible help from family, entrepreneurs convert competition into initiative, maintaining energy, confidence, and resilience in challenging markets. By connecting external adversity, internal drive, and relational support, this study shows that market hostility does not inevitably hinder entrepreneurial success. Instead, with sufficient family resources, it can enhance women’s initiative and resilience. These findings underscore that family involvement functions as a vital strategic resource—transforming external threats into motivation for innovation and performance improvement.

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Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in demonstrating how market hostility enhances entrepreneurial orientation, which in turn improves firm performance, and how family business support strengthens this energizing process. It advances COR theory by revealing that resource scarcity in the environment can trigger proactive resource creation within entrepreneurs, especially when supported by close relational networks. The research reframes adversity as a potential growth stimulus rather than merely a constraint on women’s entrepreneurship. It is also timely, as women entrepreneurs increasingly operate in competitive, unstable markets where external resources are limited. Conducted in Ireland, the study highlights how family-based support can transform environmental strain into entrepreneurial energy and long-term business success. Its findings emphasize the importance of fostering both resilience and family involvement to help women-led ventures thrive amid uncertainty.