Effectuation and entrepreneurial bricolage in the journey of a lifestyle venture: from ideation to post-crisis reemergence

Purpose This paper aims to analyze how the logics of effectuation, entrepreneurial bricolage and causation manifest, interact and reconfigure over time in the creation, development and management of challenges and opportunities in a nautical lifestyle venture within a Latin American context. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative, interpretivist and longitudinal approach based on a single-case study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and documentary analysis and examined using thematic coding guided by the theoretical lenses of effectuation and entrepreneurial bricolage. Findings The findings indicate that entrepreneurial action is shaped by a dynamic combination of these logics, whose relative prominence varies across different stages of the venture. Effectuation predominates during the creation and post-crisis reemergence phases, while bricolage intensifies under conditions of resource scarcity and disruption, yet reveals limitations when crises demand institutional coordination and legal compliance. Functional synergies are identified between effectuation principles (bird-in-hand, crazy quilt and lemonade) and bricolage dimensions (making do and resource recombination). Practical implications The results suggest that public policies and support programs should move beyond traditional technical training, emphasizing the strengthening of entrepreneurial identity, territorial embeddedness and community networks aligned with lifestyle-based entrepreneurship. Originality/value The study offers a processual and longitudinal explanation of how these logics interact and reach their limits in lifestyle ventures in Latin American contexts, highlighting the enduring role of identity and social networks in sustaining entrepreneurial resilience.