Entrepreneurial resilience, stress coping, and family support as predictors of success among rural women entrepreneurs in Malaysia

The recent global health pandemic witnessed a detrimental impact on entrepreneurial activities, jeopardizing economic and social development, particularly pertinent to the interests of marginalized populations. Women entrepreneurs generally struggle with significant work and life challenges and, therefore, are more likely to be affected greatly by unpredictable crisis-prone incidents. Thus, the study explores how women entrepreneurs in rural communities under the Federal Land Development Authorities (FELDA) in Malaysia manage to withstand and positively adapt to the challenging times with a coping strategy that is effective for their businesses to thrive. The psychological concept of entrepreneurial resilience has emerged in contemporary literature, supporting individuals to thrive despite challenging circumstances. However, little empirical research has investigated how entrepreneurial resilience nurtures successful women entrepreneurs despite adversities. Therefore, the present study developed a research framework denoting entrepreneurial resilience as an antecedent factor linking entrepreneurs’ stress and financial coping behaviour mechanisms in a serial pathway and family support as a moderating factor to lead successful rural women’s entrepreneurial outcomes. The study used a quantitative methodology involving 354 owner-manager data of FELDA women entrepreneurs derived from multistage stratified cluster sampling procedures. The data was collected based on a self-administered survey technique using questionnaires distributed to the respondents by the FELDA regional office throughout Malaysia. The hypothesized model was examined and verified based on the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique using SmartPLS4 software. Underpinned by Resilience Theory (RT) and Conversion of Resource (COR) Theory, these theories explain that resilient entrepreneurs can positively take the lead to entrepreneurial success despite experiencing loss of resources and gaining opportunities during and after a crisis. Evidence through empirical findings showed that the model explained 53.5 percent of the variance in entrepreneurial success, and all the hypothesized path coefficients were significant and supported. The finding concluded that entrepreneurial resilience is positively associated with entrepreneurial success and can be explained through the mediating effect of entrepreneurial stress and financial coping behaviour in a serial pathway. In addition, the relationship between the resilience of women entrepreneurs and the attainment of success becomes more robust when there is high support from their family members. The research implies the importance of integrating resilience-building strategies in Malaysia’s rural development policy to address women’s unique challenges and build a more tailored entrepreneurial ecosystem to sustain their participation in the economy. Additionally, government agencies monitoring women’s advancement in the country can offer programs focusing on resilience development modules, stress management training and business financial education for rural women entrepreneurs. These programs include improvements to the existing family counselling modules to increase awareness and understanding on the demands of entrepreneurial careers.

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