Unraveling the Familial Sub-Narrative in Entrepreneurship Research
This research is based on a longitudinal study of a technology-based start-up. It describes two narratives: a dominant "entrepreneur as solo actor" meta-narrative and a "familial" sub-narrative. Although not typically described as a family firm, embedded in the story of its founding are many references to the role of family, family ties, and the resources they provided. There are four main contributions of this research. First, it raises the important issue of the meta-narrative used in entrepreneurship research and the need to explore more subtle voices and sub-narratives. Second, it clarifies the substantial role familial ties play in the entrepreneurial process. Third, it provides useful information about the origins of new firms. Finally, it represents an attempt to establish a broader conceptual model of entrepreneurship.