Less is More. Entrepreneurship as a choice for a sustainable career

Abstract Objectives: This paper presents a research proposal that aims to answer the following research questions: RQ1) Why do some immigrant entrepreneurs decide to engage in entrepreneurship as a sustainable career and start a sustainable business? RQ2) How do these immigrant entrepreneurs build their sustainable careers in this context? RQ3) Which effects result – at the individual level – from their decision? To answer this RQ, we adopt the sustainable careers theory to analyse the experience of people who decided to leave their home country and their previous careers in private or public organisations to engage in entrepreneurship and create a sustainable business. Prior Work: The literature on immigrant entrepreneurs has mainly focused on individuals who are forced to migrate and investigated the factors that may favour or hinder their entrepreneurial identity, path and success. Some researchers call for further research on the quality of life of immigrant entrepreneurs and point out the necessity to explore whether and how the initial reasons for migration interact with aspects such as individuals’ well-being, work-life balance and satisfaction. Approach: This study adopts a qualitative approach based on an interpretive approach by using the life story interview method and narrative analysis. To date, four interviews have been conducted with an immigrant entrepreneur who founded and manages ‘a house’ for sustainable tourism, in which she also organises various activities to spread social and environmental sustainability values. Results: The analysis of the first interviews indicates that some immigrant entrepreneurs are increasingly motivated by sustainability at both personal and business levels. They may choose to change careers and relocate to align more closely with their values and aspirations for a sustainable lifestyle. This often involves leaving established, lucrative positions to pursue projects that promote personal well-being and job satisfaction while embodying their sustainability values. Implications and Value: The primary contribution of this study lies in uncovering an overlooked topic within both migrant entrepreneurship literature and sustainable careers research. We aim to advance these two areas of scholarship. Firstly, we seek to examine a new dimension of migrant entrepreneurship by proposing that pursuing a sustainable career can be a key motivator for establishing a business in a foreign country while also analysing the factors that influence decision-making career development and its outcomes. Secondly, we adopt the theory of sustainable careers, a framework typically used to study employees in organisations, into the realm of entrepreneurship.