From Survival to Growth

Entrepreneurship among persons with disabilities (PWDs) is increasingly recognised as a transformative avenue for economic participation, agency, and social inclusion. This chapter explores the enterprise development journeys of differently abled Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) owners in Sri Lanka, focusing on their initial motivations for starting a business and their transition from survival-driven ventures to growth-oriented enterprises. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight entrepreneurs, the study identifies necessity, family influence rooted in Sri Lanka’s collectivist culture, and the creative use of personal know-how as the primary drivers of venture creation. The transition to growth is enabled by the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, psychological resilience in the face of social stigma and exclusion, and a strong social mission aimed at empowering others with disabilities. The study enriches the contextual understanding of inclusive entrepreneurship in developing settings and integrates Push–Pull factor theory with Effectuation to explain survival-to-growth pathways. The chapter also advances transitional entrepreneurship by showing how disability-led ventures evolve from survival to growth in developing contexts.