Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Janet Booker

Abstract

In the United States, many small businesses fail within the first 5 years due to poor implementation of long term financial strategies. Researchers and business practitioners indicated that women small business owners face challenges in financing their small businesses beyond 5 years due to a lack of long-term financial strategies. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore long term financial strategies women use to sustain their small businesses beyond 5 years. The general theory of entrepreneurship was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 11 women small business owners in Cleveland County, North Carolina, who had been in business beyond 5 years and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data. The 3 themes discovered were methods of funding small businesses, challenges for women as small business owners, and entrepreneurial spirit. The implications for positive social change include the potential to affect the long term success of women entrepreneurs by providing knowledge on financial strategies. The success of women small business owners strengthens local economies by stimulating economic growth, increasing the employment rate, and improving the standard of living of the area.

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