How Do Information and Experience Play a Role in the Discovery of Entrepreneurial Opportunities? The Case of Latin-American Immigrants in Barcelona

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study contributes to expand the knowledge available on immigrant entrepreneurship. Consistent with the notion of entrepreneurship as a process, a qualitative exploration of information and experiences acquired by immigrants in the catering sector was performed to ascertain their role in discovering entrepreneurial opportunities. Our sample consisted of four cases of Latin American immigrants. The findings showed that the discovery process is based on the interrelation established between information per se and the experiences acquired throughout the migration periods. The knowledge acquired in their home country constituted the bases for our study, while that acquired in the host country is supplementary as it fine-tunes, expands, and influences the discovery process. Furthermore, findings revealed that immigrants trust information coming from their social environment and consider it sufficient to take a decision to set up a business. Finally, this study suggests further lines of inquiry.