Investigating women entrepreneurs in creative industries: critical determinants for venture performance

Abstract

The importance of women’s entrepreneurial role has recently emerged in creative industries (CIs) literature because of the recognition of entrepreneurship as a significant tool for improving employability and enforcement of women artists and creatives. CIs provide a domain for women to build and sustain their economic empowerment by developing skills, finding jobs, working flexibly, achieving work-life balance, and generating income. This study seeks to disclose the predicting role of critical factors of entrepreneurship on women’s venture performance in CIs in Maryland. Drawing on the relevant literature, the study examines simultaneously the effect of a bundle of personal and social factors pertinent to women’s entrepreneurial activities in creatives industries using a survey (n = 138) and structural equation modeling as a methodological tool. The results reveal that entrepreneurial and artistic orientation, networking, and creative personality impact statistically significant women’s venture performance in CIs. Mentoring does not exert a statistically significant impact on women’s venture performance in CIs. The study contributes to entrepreneurship research, women entrepreneurs in CIs, and entrepreneurship for community and economic development. Additionally, its practical contribution is related to knowledge enrichment for community organizations, community developers, and decision-makers to support women entrepreneurs’ venture performance in CIs in their communities.

Keywords:

• Creative industries
• community and economic development
• Maryland
• SEM
• women entrepreneurs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We thank the editor and the anonymous reviewer and for this idea.

2 The term “mentor” stems from ancient Greek literature (Apospori, Nikandrou, and Panayotopoulou 2006).

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript results from the project Develop ‘solutions to reduce isolation and related stress of entrepreneurship’ for female entrepreneurs in Baltimore’s creative industries: A data-based approach that is funded by the 21st Century Cities Initiative Applied Research Seed Grant Program, Johns Hopkins University. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the project’s funding institutions. The funding institutions cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.