Which mechanisms are used by teenagers to create functioning ventures despite their presumed lack of experience and resources?

Abstract: There is a rising phenomenon of teenagers starting ventures, some starting as early as ten years old. These entrepreneurial profiles seemingly lack experience and resources but still manage to create viable businesses, which shake the well-established assumptions about entrepreneurs. Despite this, teenagers are distanced from current research. This thesis aims to unpack the mechanisms that allow teenage entrepreneurs to create functioning ventures. The study uses an abductive approach, gathering empirical data through semi-structured interviews with six participants who all ran viable businesses between age 10 and 19. 1) Our findings indicate that teenagers enculturate their nuclear family's entrepreneurial knowledge and experiences. 2) We discovered that teenagers benefit from having more freedom in their actions due to their status. 3) We found that teenage entrepreneurs can overcome their resource reliance by being agile. Prior research has focused chiefly on the precursors to teenage entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intent during adolescence. As we explore the hidden mechanisms of teenage entrepreneurship, our studies contribute to the research field of study by discovering teenage entrepreneurs' actions followed by their entrepreneurial intent. In addition, we give a perspective on how teenagers' entrepreneurial actions differ in comparison to adults.