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Minding Their Own Business book
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The Decision to Do Case Studies
In order to make sense of the motivation that led these five people to start their own business I decided to find several case studies using qualitative research methodology. According to Eisenhardt (1989), this method is designed to focus on understanding the dynamics that are inherent to one site. My intent was to capture the “words, feelings, attitudes, and actions of the subjects” (Dodge & Bogdan, cited in Fin- geret, 1972, p. 67), so that I could assemble a story that explained how 8 minding their own business a person went about making the choices that led to starting a business and persevering over time. The goal was to understand each woman’s personal journey through an intimate portrait of the experience. This point of view would be informed by insights that were gathered from looking deeply into each entrepreneur’s particular experience and asking their closest friends and family members about their observa- tions of a particular woman’s journey. Using Goetz and LeCompte’s (1984) criterion-based sampling strategy that focused on the reputation of a person’s case, five women were chosen as experts in the area of expertise of starting and running their own business. In these five cases, the success of each business venture was used as the yardstick by which the female entrepreneur’s credentials were evaluated. Each of the five women described the way in which they made progress in their individual fields in the first three years that I was connected to them as a researcher, and this exposure to their lives encouraged me to pursue a deeper understanding of their journey as entrepreneurs. In 2002 I began interviewing Gina, a Black, Trinidadian business- woman who had just started her own catering business near her home in a northern state of the USA. I would continue to document her progress over the next thirteen years. Soon after this first participant was enlisted, I added Gee in 2003, a florist who is my relative living in Jamaica. The interviews and recording of her journey as a florist and businesswoman continued for another seven years. In the same coun- try as Gee, I reunited with Maria who is a public relations officer. Her interviews continued for another two years, and then we kept in touch on the phone, and by e-mail until 2017. Regular updates about Maria’s career and family were made by Gee, who was in close touch with her as a close friend. In 2005, I added Fona to my list of participants since she and her husband owned and ran their own bookstore in the neigh- borhood where I was living. Two years after we began our interview process, Fona moved away to Trinidad, but we continued to keep up with each other through our e-mail correspondence and her mother’s connection with me. Finally, in 2008, I added Nadine, a writer and pub- lisher, after she took on a publishing project for one of my books. the businesswomen from trinidad 9 These five businesswomen were chosen because they were part of my professional and personal network, they were thriving in their separate businesses, I had a relationship with each of them that had started in my country of birth, and I reunited with four of them after many years of separation due to our various moves from one country to another. I interviewed each entrepreneur once a year for three years and then kept track of them and their personal stories over the fol- lowing years through direct contact, or my personal relationships with their friends and family members. Table 1. The Five Businesswomen and Their Family Trees Name: Marital Status Business Support System No. of children Gee: Widowed Florist Best Friend: Betty Mentee/Son: Deva Business Partner: Allison Husband: Simon Two (deceased) Gina: Divorced Caterer Son: Andy Daughter: Aida Former Spouse: Daniel Two Fona: Married Bookseller Friend/Business Associate: Andy Former Employee: Frank Friend: Alyssa Husband: Marcus None Nadine: Married Author; Publisher Artist: Jona Book Editor: Denise Son: Samuel Daughter: Karen Two Maria: Married Public Relations Professional Spouse: Manley Business Associ- ate: (Tape was destroyed) Friend: Ce Ce Son: Denzel Daughter: Chanel Two Source: Author. |
