Entrepreneurship as a viable career choice for Nigerian youth.

This thesis investigates the career experiences of forty entrepreneurs who all started businesses under the age of 35. It contributes to knowledge by generating a conceptual model for the entrepreneurial career, opportunity identification and development process. This inductive study based upon narratives generates affective, behavioural, cognitive and discursive understanding to assert that entrepreneurship is an experience, an employment choice and a viable career option for the young. This research learns what facilitates entrepreneurship can be explained in three main concepts the trigger, precondition and core-processes. The trigger theory demonstrates that entrepreneurial alertness is bilateral; the career triggers are intentions, motivation, anchors and employment drivers, while opportunity triggers include the origins and nature of opportunity gaps. The preconditions theory shows enterprise is supported by antecedent circumstantial factors of genetics and nurture, including personality characteristics, social networks, and knowledge. The core process theory elucidates that career development occurs through identity legitimacy, managing failure, dilemmas, results and psychological satisfaction. Furthermore, opportunity development occurs through making judgmental and heuristic decisions, learning and having an operational strategy whilst responding to milieu changes. These three stages represent the entrepreneurial career and opportunity lifecycle. This thesis provides an original perspective into functional entrepreneurship, and gives voice to the career advances and sustainable opportunities of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs. The conceptual model explains the lived dimensions of entrepreneurial triggers, preconditions and core processes in practice and provides implications for young entrepreneurs, practice, policy and further research.