Entrepreneurial motivations and capabilities of migrant entrepreneurs in Australia

This article presents findings on immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia. The relationship between the entrepreneurial start-up motivation, co-ethnic preferences and entrepreneurial capabilities of established immigrant businesses are explored. We analyse data collected with a self-administered survey questionnaire from 157 immigrant entrepreneurs in Melbourne's suburbs. Our findings show that immigrant entrepreneurs who report a high level of individual achievement as their start-up motivation also report high levels of entrepreneurial capabilities in terms of opportunity recognition, managerial innovativeness and proactiveness. Immigrant entrepreneurs who are highly influenced by co-ethnic preferences on staff employment and customer targeting report higher opportunity recognition than those who have a co-ethnic preference on suppliers. We provide important insights and explanations for these findings and their implications for Australian immigrant entrepreneurs and policymakers