An Inner Compass to Guide the Journey: A Preliminary Framework of Sustainable and Inner Development Key Competencies for Rural Indigenous Social Entrepreneurship

This instrumental case study of Indigenous social entrepreneurs in a Rukai community in Taiwan identifies a novel combination of perceived key competencies necessary to support social entrepreneurship (SE) in Indigenous communities. While most prior Indigenous SE research examines community-based ventures, this case study uses semi-structured interviews to explore what factors individual Indigenous entrepreneurs perceive as crucial to their development as sole owners of entrepreneurial ventures, offering a unique perspective. Participants emphasized personal development as preparation for SE, suggesting a potential novel set of key competencies for rural Indigenous SE that integrates both sustainable development and SE key competencies as well as the UN Inner Development Goals. This research develops this set of Indigenous SE key competencies incorporating factors unique to rural Indigenous communities and identifies targets for improving informal SE education.