Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Annie H. Brown
Abstract
Small businesses are the foundation of an economy and spawn innovation, but small business owners fail at an alarming rate because they lack strategies to sustain business operations. Since 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years, small business sustainability research is critical to support small business owners. Grounded in entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies information technology (IT) small business owners use to sustain operation beyond the first 5 years. The participants included four IT small business owners in the Southwestern United States who sustained operations beyond the first 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company documents, and artifacts. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in three themes: judicious management of financial capital, customer satisfaction, and industry education and experience. A key recommendation is for entrepreneurs to sustain financial capital by managing expenses efficiently to keep costs low during the first 5 years of operation. The implications for positive social change include the potential for improved IT small business sustainability, leading to an increase in job creation, lower poverty rates, and an improved standard of living for the surrounding communities.
Recommended Citation
Rodarte, Edward Alan, "Strategies for Information Technology Small Business Owners to Sustain Beyond the First 5 Years" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13721.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13721
Included in
Databases and Information Systems Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons
