Constituting Enterprising: Investigating the construction of lifestyle enterprise in Sweden

Adopting an open sociological perspective and using a social constructionist lens, I use grounded theory methodology to conceptualize the sociocultural phenomenon of lifestyle enterprising. Employing a multi-sited ethnographic approach, I use active open interviews and ethnographic observations to gain deep insight into the meanings attaching to enterprising in small-to-medium enterprises in various retail settings in southern Sweden. In this way, the research strives to develop theoretical conceptualisation of lifestyle enterprising, and so contribute to our understanding of enterprising in society.

Most enterprises are small, and it seems that most of these small enterprises are so-called lifestyle enterprises. But what does this really mean? This project strives to uncover the meanings that inform this lifestyle enterprising. Essentially, my research seeks insight into how people understand what it is that they are doing in ‘lifestyle enterprising’. The basic rationale is that we can gain better understanding of lifestyle enterprising by looking closely at what people do and how they describe what they do. If we can learn more about lifestyle enterprising we can learn something of the meanings of enterprising in our society.