This research project is a two-year, five country study into resilience in small firms led by entrepreneurs from under-represented groups, including women and ethnic minorities. The main aims of the research are to identify the characteristics and strategies that foster resilience, survival and growth in these firms, and to develop practical toolkits to support entrepreneurs in developing more resilient businesses.

In July 2018, following an initial phase of research, we published two literature reviews, on SME resilience and under-represented entrepreneurs. In December, we launched the preliminary findings of our London survey of 600 small firms based in average and low-income boroughs. Since then the project has continued apace. The purpose of this update is to let you know where we are now and plans for the research in the coming months.

UK qualitative fieldwork

In the UK, our focus has shifted to the qualitative element of the research, which involves depth interviews with a small number of entrepreneurs from our under-represented groups. The interviews involve a researcher listening to the entrepreneurs’ accounts of their business experiences in general, and of their experiences of crises. The purpose of these interviews is to generate a deeper understanding of the adversity experienced by these groups.

It is early days and analysis is ongoing, but emergent findings of the interviews indicate that discrimination, lack of confidence and time constraints all impact on the ways in which these entrepreneurs manage adversity. They voice a preference for practical, accessible and relevant interventions, rather than an avalanche of information, to help them navigate crises.

European quantitative and qualitative fieldwork

The survey undertaken in London last Autumn is currently being replicated by our research partner institutions in four other European cities – Paris, Milan, Frankfurt and Madrid. This fieldwork is going to schedule, with all teams managing to access the planned quotas of respondents in average and low-income areas. Alongside the surveys, qualitative interviews are being carried out.

We anticipate that the data collection will be complete in late Spring 2019. Our European partners will each work on a preliminary set of findings from their own country surveys, which will be launched in Autumn 2019. The full availability of data from all the country surveys will allow us to embark on a comparative analysis of the five markets under study. The final comparative report will be launched in early December 2019.