Approach to Business

In the early stages of reading through the interview data, there were numerous comments which suggested a clear distinction between those respondents whose motivations were linked to the desire to achieve a certain lifestyle and those who were motivated mainly by the potential to generate an income. However, a more in-depth analysis of the interview data revealed that whilst there was a clear desire among a number of the respondents to maximise the earning potential of the business, their responses also indicated that lifestyle factors play a role, albeit sometimes minor, in business behaviour. As such, it is suggested that it is not possible to categorise these

‘lifestyle’ entrepreneurs under one umbrella, rather, this research proposes that entrepreneurship progresses along a continuum from partial immersion to complete immersion in the processes associated with lifestyle entrepreneurship. It is suggested that an individual’s position on the continuum may be determined by the examination of their objectives and key motivations for business, taking into account both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Further analysis of the interview data revealed five key factors which appear to influence the individual in their strategy for business and in the realisation of their objectives. These include: Freedom and Flexibility; Physical Boundaries; Continuity and Change; Social Interaction and finally, the Self.

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These factors were applicable to some degree in all cases and were therefore used to determine an individual’s place on the lifestyle continuum. Drawing from the interview data, and using the five factors listed above, respondents in this study appear to fall into one of three ideal types based on the degree to which they focus on lifestyle objectives. For the purposes of this research, the groups of respondents were labelled as follows: the Business Orientated Lifestylers; the Lifestyle Focused Business Performers and the Self Expressive Homemakers. The categories are differentiated by characteristics, motivation and behaviour and defined by their degree of focus on the lifestyle issues mentioned above. However they are broad categories and whilst there are key differences between the respondents in each category, there is also a degree of commonality. The latter two groups were the most difficult to differentiate as many of their views are similar. Figure 4.2 provides an overview of the proposed continuum of lifestyle entrepreneurship. As figure 4.2 shows, not all respondents fall neatly into one or other grouping, rather, they fall somewhere between the two extremes. A detailed account of the development and characteristics of these categories is discussed below.

Figure 4.2: A Lifestyle Continuum Approach

Business Orientated Lifestyle Focused Self Expressive Lifestylers Business Performers Homemakers

Restricted Pure

lifestyler lifestyler

6 7 9 2 1 3 17 4 11 15 5 8 24

12 19 10 13 25 21 14 16

26 22 18 20 27 23 28

29

Lifestyle attributed entrepreneurs

94 4.11 Freedom and Flexibility

The data in this study indicates that the respondents seek freedom and flexibility to varying degrees. As the examples given in table 4.13 show, the Business Orientated Lifestylers expressed the greatest desire for freedom and flexibility. They view their business as a serious business created primarily to generate an income (although it should be noted that the income generated is supplementary) and appear to recognise that B&B accommodation provision provides a greater deal of freedom than would otherwise be the case if they were working for an employer. This is echoed in the comments made by Julie (Interview 25) who comments “I only do Bed and Breakfast when I choose to be doing it”. For Julie, the freedom associated with self-employment is particularly important. Due to the fact that she operates her business from home, she feels that she can take time away from the business as and when she chooses, simply by not accepting guests for that given period of time. In an effort to maximise their personal freedom, a number of these respondents have also introduced rules which guests are expected to follow to minimise incidences of host/guest contact, and thus fulfil their desire for freedom and flexibility. For example Elizabeth (Interview 4) comments: “I ask guests to come between 4pm and 6pm so that I have my own time and don’t have guests arriving at all hours. Guests are asked to leave by 10am”. These Business Orientated Lifestylers view their business as distinct from the family home and often use physical barriers to minimise host/guest contact in order to free up time. These include a separate guest entrance and limiting guest access to certain home spaces. Physical barriers will be explored further in the following section. These respondents appear to value the control they have over their business as it enables them to structure their working arrangements and thus maximise their free time. For these respondents freedom and flexibility appears to relate to the time available to deal with issues unrelated to their business. As the quotations in table 4.13 illustrate, this was an important feature among all of the respondents in this group.

95 Table 4.13: Freedom and Flexibility Business Orientated Lifestylers

Interview 4 “I like having the freedom to close when I want and being able to use my time as I want”.

Interview 6 “We like the flexibility of being our own boss”.

Interview 11 “I like working for myself. It’s good because I can do what I want when I want to do it. B&B is good because you are finished by 12 o’clock and you have the rest of the day to yourself”.

Lifestyle Focused Business Performers

Interview 15 “I chose to do B&B as an occupation that would fit in and I had the room. I chose this instead of working for somebody else as I had children and B&B allowed me to stay at home with the children”

Interview 22 “Just that I could work the hours that I wanted and I could work the months I wanted”.

Interview 18 “This business has allowed us to live in an area that we like, to live in a house which we have designed and built and enables me to do something which I enjoy”.

Interview 20 “I liked the fact that I can work from home as at the time when I started the business, I had a young son”.

Interview 27 “The fact that I could work at home ... also because I work on the farm so it left me here”.

Self Expressive Homemakers

Interview 3 “I thought it would be a nice way to meet people”.

The Lifestyle Focused Business Performers also express a strong desire for occupational flexibility. As previously mentioned, the freedom and flexibility associated with Bed and Breakfast proprietorship, has for some, enabled them to escape from the corporate world and live in a location of their choice. For others, Bed and Breakfast accommodation provision has enabled them to stay at home with their family and to maintain the family home. Illustrations are given in table 4.13. Like the Business Orientated Lifestylers this group of respondents also view their business as distinct from the family home and as such often set physical boundaries within the home to achieve a certain degree of physical separation from their guests. However, the implementation

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of rules to minimise host/guest contact appears to be of lesser importance.

On the contrary, many of the respondents within this group actively seek host/guest interaction.

The Self Expressive Homemakers interpret freedom and flexibility rather differently. As the quotations in table 4.13 illustrate, for many of these respondents, freedom and flexibility is related to the time available to interact with others and having the freedom and flexibility to meet people in the comfort of their own home. However, surprisingly, the perception of being tied to the business is greatest among this group of respondents. This is most clearly demonstrated in the comments made by Maria (Interview 17). Maria comments: “If you work for an employer and have a wedding to go to, you can take the day off, however if you do Bed and Breakfast, then you have already committed yourself to looking after those people and I think you are more tied”. This feeling of being ‘tied’ to the business has perhaps arisen as a result of the way in which Maria views her business and her guests. Many of the respondents in this group view their guests as friends and as such feel a sense of duty towards their guests which includes fulfilling any requests for accommodation, even at times when it may be less than convenient for the host. This is in contrast to the Business Orientated Lifestylers who rarely view their guests as friends and therefore do not experience the same sense of duty towards their guests as experienced by the Self Expressive Homemakers.

All three groups of respondents would therefore appear to recognise freedom and flexibility as one of the key advantages of B&B proprietorship. However, it would seem that their interpretation of freedom and flexibility is somewhat different. The above comments demonstrate that an individual’s expectation of freedom and flexibility is affected by their perception of their business particularly the degree to which they view their business in the traditional sense as a business created for profit or simply as a home with an income.