Learning from Sports Entrepreneurs. Development of a Conceptual Framework for Entrepreneurial Risk-handling

Master's Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Business economics - Company formation, Business Plans, grade: 1,8, Lund University, language: English, abstract: This thesis aims to answer the question of how prior experience as a top athlete influences the risk handling strategies as a sports entrepreneur. In this way, the purpose of the study is to fill the gap in the field of entrepreneurial risk research by developing the first conceptual framework for entrepreneurial risk handling. This framework can be used as a guideline for aspiring entrepreneurs that face high-risk environments as well as for future studies in this field. To answer the research question, the research adopts a multiple case study approach to emerge different risk handling strategies that have been developed among the athlete's sports careers and being applied nowadays in the career as a sports entrepreneur. By conducting semi-structured interviews and applying inductive qualitative research, the sample of the study consists of ten sports entrepreneurs with different experienced risk types. The research will progress as by the following: The next section presents the theoretical framework that covers the existing literature about the interplay between sports entrepreneurship, prior experience, success and risk-taking. Then, the main empirical results and analyses are presented in relation to the theoretical framework. Besides, the paper concludes by providing further meaning and context for the main findings. Finally, future theoretical and practical implications are suggested, as well as limitations of the study are outlined. The study ends by providing implications for practice and future researchers and closes with conclusions.