PurposeThis paper aims to explore experiences of poverty in the enterprise amongst people with a disability or long-term health challenges. This paper departs somewhat from established wisdom about economic or financial drivers of enterprise by exploring why a disabled individual would start and continue to operate in a business where that business is providing income-poverty. In so doing, it subscribes to the idea that the enterprise involves reflexive engagement of an agent in context where value(s) of the enterprise other than financial may be prioritised.Design/methodology/approachThe research draws from a larger qualitative study of self-employment and poverty in which half the sample (21 individuals) identified as experiencing disability or poor health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted these participants and a thematic analysis with specific reference to Theory of Venturing, which proposes that the value of enterprise is reflexively and idiosyncratically understood and morphogenetic, was used to explore itinerant issues, experiences and challenges.FindingsIn line with the theory, findings include that disability and poor health are observed to be both prompters and shapers of an enterprise and that the value of enterprise is not always primarily associated with financial wealth for the participants in the sample. Flexibility and autonomy are attractive features of self-employment for some in the face of an inflexible and sometimes hostile labour market.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that engaging in enterprise is motivated by an agent's reflexive evaluation of value(s) and how that enables them to navigate their structural condition(s); this contribution enhances theoretical approaches to enterprise and business creation by illuminating some of its diversity. This paper also contributes some much needed data about a group who are under-represented in the enterprise literature despite being over-represented in practice. There are implications and recommendations for policy and practice in the exposure and analysis of the issues emerging.

中文翻译：

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好的选择还是唯一的选择？贫困、残疾、健康和企业

目的本文旨在探讨企业中残障人士或长期健康挑战者的贫困经历。本文在某种程度上偏离了关于企业经济或财务驱动因素的既定智慧，探讨了为什么残疾人会开始并继续在该企业提供收入贫困的企业中经营。在这样做的过程中，它赞同这样一种观点，即企业涉及代理人在可能优先考虑企业价值而非财务价值的情况下的反思性参与。设计/方法/方法该研究来自对自我就业和贫困，其中一半样本（21 人）被确定为患有残疾或健康状况不佳。对这些参与者进行了半结构化访谈，并专门参考了风险投资理论，该理论提出企业的价值是反身的、特殊的理解和形态发生的，用于探索流动的问题、经验和挑战。理论上，调查结果包括残疾和健康状况不佳被认为是企业的推动者和塑造者，企业的价值并不总是主要与样本参与者的财务财富相关。面对僵化甚至有时充满敌意的劳动力市场，灵活性和自主性对于一些人来说是自营职业的有吸引力的特征。原创性/价值本文表明，参与企业是由代理人推动的。对价值的反思性评估以及如何使他们能够驾驭其结构条件；这一贡献通过阐明其多样性来增强企业和业务创建的理论方法。本文还提供了一些急需的关于在企业文献中代表性不足的群体的数据，尽管这些群体在实践中的代表性过高。在暴露和分析新出现的问题时对政策和实践有影响和建议。本文还提供了一些急需的关于在企业文献中代表性不足的群体的数据，尽管这些群体在实践中的代表性过高。在暴露和分析新出现的问题时对政策和实践有影响和建议。本文还提供了一些急需的关于在企业文献中代表性不足的群体的数据，尽管这些群体在实践中的代表性过高。在暴露和分析新出现的问题时对政策和实践有影响和建议。