Pedalling towards sustainability: A problem-solving approach by ethnic-minority woman entrepreneur during crisis

The recognition of entrepreneurship as a solution to, rather than a cause of, environmental degradation and social inequality have steered to the emergence of sustainable entrepreneurship. Sustainable entrepreneurs develop financially successful businesses that promote the objectives of environmental preservation and social justice. In recent years sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) has received a great deal of interest from different research disciplines. Nonetheless, like other forms of entrepreneurship, when it comes to sustainable entrepreneurship, ethnic minorities and women are disproportionately underrepresented. This case study examines the phenomenon of sustainable entrepreneurship from the perspective of a micro-institutional agent (of change) and in doing so explores the precise context of an ethnic-minority woman responding to the global crisis. The study aims to investigate the role of sustainable entrepreneurship in combating social and environmental challenges and the approach by an ethnic-minority woman entrepreneur in the UK. The study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data are obtained through semi-structured in-depth interviews with the entrepreneur and observation of entrepreneurial activities. The findings suggest that sustainable entrepreneurs have a strong place attachment, crisis (i.e., COVID-19) provides opportunities for sustainable ventures, prior knowledge and experiences of ethnic minority female entrepreneurs (both positive and negative) work as motivating factors in the formation of sustainable ventures. This study offers valuable insights into the major entrepreneurial motivations to foster an environment of sustainable entrepreneurship in the context of ethnic-minority businesses in the UK and other developed countries.