Entrepreneurial storytelling: Using a consistent story to create and sustain a business: Case studies of two migrant entrepreneurs

Rana, Helen; Knox, Dan; Prabhakar, Guru

Abstract

This qualitative research uses case studies of two migrant entrepreneurs – Karan Bilimoria and Levi Roots – to explore the use of storytelling as a tool for establishing and sustaining a business. It proposes a conceptual framework which shows how storytelling is used to gain legitimacy, credibility and support. It finds that the two men use consistent themes and patterns in their stories, which are similar to each other and to conventional metanarratives around entrepreneurship, and require narrative plausibility more than objective truth. It identifies themes which both individuals repeatedly use in their business storytelling to demonstrate attributes of entrepreneurship.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 19, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jan 24, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 24, 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 25, 2024
• Journal: International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management
• Print ISSN: 1753-0806
• Electronic ISSN: 1753-0814
• Publisher: Inderscience
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJICBM.2021.10042270
• Keywords: Storytelling; Entrepreneurship; Migrant; Sense-making; Meta-narrative
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7667930
• Publisher URL: https://www.inderscience.com/offer.php?id=128482