Para além das adversidades: motivações e competências na construção da resiliência empreendedora

Abstract

This study investigates the interrelationships among motivations, competencies, and resilience in entrepreneurship within the food service sector in Guarulhos, São Paulo, with a specific focus on restaurants. The region is characterized by socioeconomic adversities and high business mortality rates, constituting a challenging environment for local enterprises. The research is guided by the following central question: How do motivations, competencies, and resilience interrelate along the entrepreneurial trajectories of individuals operating in adverse contexts? To address this research question, the overall objective of the study is to analyze how motivations, competencies, and resilience interrelate throughout the trajectories of entrepreneurs operating in adverse contexts. The specific objectives are to: (a) map the demographic profile of local entrepreneurs; (b) analyze the motivational factors that drive the entrepreneurial journey; (c) identify how these motivations shape the development of entrepreneurial competencies; and (d) investigate how entrepreneurial competencies, driven by motivations, contribute to the development of resilience in the face of adverse contexts. The methodology adopts a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews conducted with entrepreneurs who have at least two years of experience in the restaurant segment. Participants were selected using the snowball sampling technique, and the collected data were analyzed through thematic coding with the support of NVivo software, enabling a multidimensional understanding of adaptive processes within the local entrepreneurial context. The study resulted in the development of a framework that demonstrates how motivations drive the development of competencies across four areas technical knowledge, human relations, behavioral, and creative which, when mobilized situationally, strengthen entrepreneurial resilience in coping with adversity. As an agenda for future research, the study suggests expanding the number of respondents, including other sectors and geographical contexts, and testing the proposed framework as a basis for the development of public policies and entrepreneurial training programs.