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Passion driving entrepreneurship and lifestyle migration: insights from the lutherie of Cremona

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Abstract

Passion is one the most observed phenomena in the entrepreneurial process. While most of the literature on this topic focuses on aspects linked to the individual emotional process, studies acknowledging the role of passion as a driver of entrepreneurship and lifestyle migration are scarce. This article aims to bridge this gap through framing lifestyle entrepreneurs who migrate due to their desire to pursue higher skills in their passion domain and to share the culture that pervades their migration destination. As a key antecedent of the lifestyle entrepreneur, passion can also create a true passion collective. Sharing passion with others is an important driver of the emergence of new cultural-social activities and networks of passionate people, today a vital resource for many entrepreneurs and businesses. Passion also provides the lifestyle entrepreneur with access to networks and the opportunity to interact with actors, resources, and activities embedded in the passion network. In this paper, we adopt a qualitative methodology using a single-case study of a lifestyle entrepreneur of a lutherie in an important Italian district. Creative districts provide an excellent setting to contribute to the field of passion, as ventures are mainly established as a result of the entrepreneurs’ passion and love for their business activities that are at the heart of their life choices.

Résumé

La passion est l’un des phénomènes les plus observés dans le processus entrepreneurial. Bien que la majorité de la littérature sur ce sujet se concentre sur les aspects liés au processus émotionnel individuel, il existe peu d’études qui reconnaissent le rôle de la passion en tant que moteur de la migration de l’entreprenauriat. Cet article se situe dans cet écart, encadrant ainsi les modes de vieentrepreneurs qui émigrent dans un contexte alimenté par leur passion et la recherche de compétences supérieures, ainsi que par une culture partageant leur développement croissant en compétences et qualifications professionnelles. En plus d’être un élément clé de la boîte à outils du mode de vie entrepreneur, la passion peut créer un véritable collectif de passion. Le partage de la passion avec les autres est. un facteur important pour l’émergence de nouvelles activités culturelles et sociales et de réseaux de passionnés, ce qui représente aujourd’hui une ressource vitale pour de nombreux entrepreneurs et entreprises. La passion donne également au mode de vie entrepreneur la possibilité d’accéder au réseau et d’interagir avec les acteurs, les ressources et les activités intégrées au réseau de la passion. Le document adopte une méthodologie qualitative suggérant une approche d’étude de cas unique à un entrepreneur axé sur le style de vie dans le contexte de la lutherie dans un important district italien. Les district créatifs constituent un excellent cadre pour contribuer au domaine de la passion, car les entreprises sont créées principalement par passion et par amour des entrepreneurs pour leurs activités commerciales, qui sont au cœur de leurs choix de vie.

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Notes

  1. Lifestyle entrepreneur is “anyone who places passion before profit, and intends to combine personal interests and talent with the ability to earn a living” (Zwilling 2012).

  2. http://www.cremonacitta.it/

  3. http://scuolemestieridarte.it/le-scuole/scuola-internazionale-di-liuteria/

  4. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-violin-craftsmanship-in-cremona-00719

  5. http://www.cremonaviolins.com

  6. The names of the business case and individuals mentioned in this article are pseudonyms respecting the privacy of the parties.

  7. The quoted sentences report personal considerations expressed by the interviewees.

  8. http://www.culturaldistrictcremona.it/

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Ben Schmidt and his collaborators for the time, commitment, and interest shown while drafting this work. The authors greatly thank the Editor of the Journal of International Entrepreneurship and three anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and valuable references that helped focus the contribution and make the paper more coherent. The authors bear sole responsibility for the contents of this paper.

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  1. Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, Via delle Pandette 9, Florence, Italy

    Simone Guercini

  2. Incubatore Universitario Fiorentino, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy

    Diego Ceccarelli

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  1. Simone Guercini
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Correspondence to Simone Guercini or Diego Ceccarelli.

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Guercini, S., Ceccarelli, D. Passion driving entrepreneurship and lifestyle migration: insights from the lutherie of Cremona. J Int Entrep 18, 373–392 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-020-00269-1

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