Migrant women entrepreneurs and value creation: narratives of household and community contribution in the British ethnic economy

This chapter presents the voices of migrant women entrepreneurs in the UK in relation to the impact of their ventures on creating a meaningful input beyond the economic dividend. Drawing on four in-depth biographical narratives and a selection of participants produced photographs, we provide an academic platform for migrant women entrepreneurs to express their experiences of entrepreneurship and value creation. Although migrant businesses are generally characterised by being of small size and located in what is considered ‘low value’ activities, we argue that these assumptions are based on a circumscribed conceptualisation of value creation. Narratives of our interviewees and their visual production show how becoming a businesswoman in the ethnic economy can be seen as a means of leadership in the community, solidarity with other women entrepreneurs and generating value beyond the economic dividend for both British society and countries of origin, in the realms of production and reproduction