Human capabilities and firm growth; an investigation of women-owned established micro and small firms in Ireland

ABSTRACT Firm growth has been studied extensively, yet limited attention has been devoted specifically to growth in women-owned firms. Women entrepreneurship studies to date has focused largely on the start-up rather than the growth stage. Given the dearth of research with this focus and the recognized prime role of the entrepreneur in driving firm growth, this study focuses on the specific human capabilities driving firm growth, through a survey of 172 micro and small women-owned established firms in Ireland. Regression analysis highlights that specific human capabilities (education, managerial experiences and being team-led) strongly influence firm-financial growth. These human capabilities are leveraged to maximize financial growth, but not employment growth. Therefore, employment as a measure of growth may be a barrier to access policy supports and initiatives for this cohort of entrepreneurs. We contribute a more nuanced understanding of growth from a resource-based view, in women-owned established micro and small firms.