Date of Award
Spring 6-12-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Business
Organizational Unit
Daniels College of Business
First Advisor
Melissa Akaka
Second Advisor
John Sebesta
Third Advisor
Martin Key
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Entrepreneurs, Lifestyle entrepreneurs, Growth, Marketing
Abstract
This paper investigates how lifestyle entrepreneurs think about growth in light of their lifestyle motivation and how their marketing practices bring this growth orientation to life. While mainstream entrepreneurship literature assumes a normative commitment to expansion, profitability, and scale, lifestyle entrepreneurs prioritize personal fulfillment, autonomy, and engagement in meaningful activities or locations. This divergence creates a fundamental tension: ventures must generate sufficient revenue to survive, yet their founders often resist growth trajectories that threaten desired ways of living. Addressing this tension, the study asks: (1) How do lifestyle entrepreneurs think about growth in light of their lifestyle goals? and (2) How is their growth orientation enacted through their marketing practices?
Prior research on growth among lifestyle entrepreneurs has yielded mixed results, with some suggesting low or ambivalent growth orientation and others indicating a desire for growth, particularly among artisan entrepreneurs. To explore these dynamics, this study employs a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews and a structured sensemaking approach. Guided by paradox theory, the analysis shifts the inquiry from discussions of low and high growth orientation to the underlying growth paradox experienced by lifestyle entrepreneurs.
This research contributes to theory in four primary ways. First, it identifies the paradox of passion and profit within lifestyle entrepreneurship. Second, it introduces a growth tension typology that showcases the insufficiency of existing literature to address the realities of growth within lifestyle entrepreneurship. Third, it explores the marketing practices of lifestyle entrepreneurs and the way that paradox resolution strategies may combat negative marketing perceptions. The research also offers guidance for lifestyle entrepreneurs and organizations seeking to support them by offering practical insights on 1) The importance of both/and thinking; 2) Marketing practices leveraged by other lifestyle entrepreneurs; and 3) Guidance on paradox resolution techniques that can be leveraged alongside marketing practices to assist as they navigate the paradox of passion and profit.
Copyright Date
6-2026
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Allison Phillips Clark
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
157 pgs
File Size
1.6 MB
Recommended Citation
Clark, Allison Phillips, "Profit Isn’t the Point: How Marketing Practices Sustain Growth Orientation in Lifestyle-Driven Ventures" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2702.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2702