Women entrepreneurs in a Botswana context: drivers for success

In this study, an exploration of how successful women entrepreneurs in Botswana navigate the entrepreneurship experience was undertaken, as it often involves barriers and challenges that stifle women entrepreneurs participating successfully in the economic environment. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic aggravated the conditions even further for women entrepreneurs. A qualitative framework was adopted for the research, grounded in Theory of Motivation and the mindset of the Anti-Fragility Theory. An interview method was employed for the study, underpinned by phenomenology and social constructionism, with a sample of fifteen women entrepreneurs based in Botswana and South Africa. NVivo Software was used for coding and data analysis. The enablers, including resilience and agility, which contribute to the success of women entrepreneurs, while they navigate the complex world in which they operate, were also interrogated in the study. A literature review of women entrepreneurship was undertaken, and theories of entrepreneurship were revisited. The causal link between women entrepreneurship, the growth mindset, agility and economic growth was investigated as well as the means to identify the removal of challenges and barriers to entry, concluding with recommendations based on the outcome and findings of the field research. The main findings of the research were that successful women adopt an entrepreneurial mindset associated with a positive mindset and use agility/anti-fragility to survive adverse economic conditions. In addition, access to finance remains the biggest challenge that women entrepreneurs face in Botswana. Spirituality and religion were also found to be a motivating factor to establish a business venture. Entrepreneurial spirituality is drawing increasing attention from researchers of entrepreneurship. The key pitfall that women entrepreneurs encounter remains access to capital, although in different forms for the two countries used in the study.