Growth, what growth? It is not on the menu: subsistence entrepreneurship among Zimbabwean entrepreneurs - a country perspective

摘要

Entrepreneurship is an important activity for the entrepreneur, country and employee, as it creates employment for the employee and wealth for both entrepreneur and state. But governments benefit little from informal and small companies that do not pay taxes. Hence, the huge desires for governments like Zimbabwe to see informal and small enterprises grow to the level where they pay taxes. On the other hand, entrepreneurs start entrepreneurial ventures for different reasons including creating a job for one's relatives and self, to supplement one's income, having a desire to achieve bigger things, as a last resort in terms of survival, or as a way to while away time whilst waiting for secure salaried employment. As a result of these differences, entrepreneurs have differing approaches to the future of their enterprises. Whilst some would be committed to their enterprises' current operations and future growth, for others growth is not on the menu, as they are happy to operate on a subsistence level for the entire life of the enterprise.