Success Factors for Small Entrepreneurs in North Carolina

What does it take to be an entrepreneur? The answer to this question has been debated and discussed for centuries. Entrepreneurship programs and courses are taught throughout many secondary and post-secondary educational institutions in this nation. There are also many entrepreneur centers engaged in on-going research and activities. However, most of the information collected and published has been overly theoretical and academic in nature with limited practical application. Unlike quantitative methods of research, like a survey, which focuses on the questions of who, what, where, how much, and how many, and historical analysis, which often situates the participant in some form of historical context, case studies are the preferred strategy when how or why questions are asked. Case studies also extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. Thus, the results from a survey of entrepreneurs operating in North Carolina will be augmented and compared with selected case studies. Thus, the case studies will focus not only on how entrepreneurs survive but more specifically it address and identifies, more in-depth; the institutional, personal, social, and economic factors that can both positively or negatively impact entrepreneurs. Moreover, we can also make an assessment of how much is real and how much is perceived perception of the entrepreneurs.