PhD defence S.B. (Sarah) Dodson

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

This dissertation examines how entrepreneurs develop their ventures within the communities, cultures, and local environments that surround them. Using Virginia’s craft brewing industry as the setting, the research explores how people become entrepreneurs, how their entrepreneurial paths develop, and how communities and customers contribute to the development of new ventures.

The research shows that entrepreneurship does not always begin with a clear intention to start a business. Some people deliberately pursue entrepreneurship, while others gradually develop entrepreneurial intentions through personal experiences, experimentation, relationships, and involvement in their communities. Community support and recognition can influence how people begin to see themselves as entrepreneurs and what they believe is possible.

The research also shows that customers can contribute far more than purchases. They may act as supporters, promoters, advisors, collaborators, and advocates. Through these roles, customers help strengthen the cultural meaning, visibility, legitimacy, and resources of young ventures. Historical and institutional conditions also shape which entrepreneurial pathways become possible within a particular place.

Taken together, the studies show that entrepreneurship is not simply an individual process. Entrepreneurial pathways develop through the interaction of people with communities, customers, cultural meaning, and the environments in which they operate.