She Builds, She Sustains: A Qualitative Study on Values-Driven Enterprise Among Women Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Mainstream entrepreneurship research remains anchored in individualistic, profit-centered models that overlook the inner psychological and moral resources women draw on to sustain their ventures. This qualitative study addresses that gap by examining how character strengths and subconscious moral motivation shape sustainable entrepreneurship among 12 women founders in India, drawn from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the beauty, manufacturing, education, and wellness sectors. Using a feminist interpretive paradigm and Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, three themes emerged: an inner compass of integrity and authenticity; moral motivation rooted in intrinsic desires for social and environmental good; and quiet strengths of perseverance, humility, and emotional regulation. These findings extend feminist psychological theory and self-determination theory by showing how relational, care-based ethics and intrinsic motivation, not just structural or economic factors, sustain women-led enterprises in a patriarchal socio-cultural context. The study offers a strengths-based framework for entrepreneurship support programs seeking to affirm women's psychological resources and ethical commitments rather than impose generic, individualistic business models.