Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs are a vital pillar of Indonesia’s economic development, with women entrepreneurs contributing significantly despite facing persistent structural, cultural, and gender-based barriers, particularly in balancing business and domestic responsibilities within the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector. However, existing studies on women’s entrepreneurship in Indonesia largely focus on general SME contexts or emphasize challenges, while qualitative research that integrates internal and external determinants of entrepreneurial success in the F&B sector remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study aims to explore the motivations, challenges, and success factors of Indonesian women entrepreneurs, providing valuable insights for academic research, entrepreneurial practice, and policy development. Guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to explain internal motivational drivers and Social Capital Theory to interpret external support systems, this study adopts a qualitative research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with purposively selected Indonesian women entrepreneurs operating F&B SMEs with a minimum of two years of business experience. The findings indicate that women’s entrepreneurial success is driven by multifaceted motivations, including economic necessity and self-fulfillment, while key challenges stem from gender norms, work–family conflict, and market competition. Internal strengths such as resilience and self-efficacy, combined with external support from family and social networks, play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges. This study contributes by integrating internal and external perspectives on women’s entrepreneurial success and by informing gender-supportive SME empowerment initiatives in emerging economies.

Authors:
Felicia Maria Novianne, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Faris Fadhlullah, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Tawanini Nikie Liu, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Yu Fang Yen, National Quemoy University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Felicia Maria Novianne is currently a master's degree student at the National Quemoy University. Ms. Felicia is currently studying and writing her dissertation for graduation with Indonesia women entrepreneuers a main interest.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark