Entrepreneurial Growth Pattern : A Comparison Study on the Growth Pattern of Dotcoms vs. Brick-and-Mortars

Abstract: Entrepreneurship is the foundation of the economic for each country. It has an inevitable impact onmicro- and macro-economic factors such as GDP, economic growth, employment/unemploymentrate, regional development, etc. Thus, entrepreneurial practices are crucial for each country in orderto have better economic conditions.Growth is the dominant part of entrepreneurial practices from which the success of small firms canbe assessed and evaluated. Firm’s growth involves different aspects such as motives, finance andownership strategies, indicators, and growth stimulus. These factors together provide a pattern ofgrowth that is different from one company to another.Since the advent of the Internet there has been changes in the business world and the terms such asdotcom, digital entrepreneurship, e-services, e-banking, etc. made a dramatic change in the way ofdoing business. Some companies were established based on the Internet and their income andexistence relied on the Internet. Some others on the other hand, use traditional method of businessbesides using the Internet as an extra tool.This study examines the small business growth pattern in order to find out how small firms grow.Furthermore, the difference between the growth pattern of digital firms and traditional companies isexamined to find out how the pattern of growth differs from dotcoms to the brick-and-mortars.This study is based on a qualitative research method with the approach of a case study research. Thecase study is designed on one major case to go deep while having four other supporting companiesin order to get the best results with the least subjectivity. The questionnaire was designed on a semistructureand the results were coded for the pattern. The questions were designed based on theconceptual framework which was changes based on the results and optimized.The results from this study provide a framework that gives a pattern of growth for small firms. Thesuggested framework of growth pattern has some major components: growth motive, growthstrategy, growth indicator, and growth stimulus. Furthermore, the research findings define the majordifferences between the growth pattern of dotcoms and brick-and-mortars.