Between hustling and business logic: entrepreneurial identity as a determinant of microenterprise growth in fragile economies

Entrepreneurship research in fragile economies has mainly explained growth trajectories through structural and behavioral factors. It has paid limited attention to entrepreneurial identity as a mechanism shaping economic action. This study addresses this gap by examining how entrepreneurs’ self-perception influences microenterprise growth. Using longitudinal data collected from 284 micro-entrepreneurs in Kinshasa, the hypotheses were tested through hierarchical regression, mediation analyses using bootstrap procedures, and moderation analyses. The findings show that entrepreneurial identity, conceptualized as a continuum between a ‘hustling’ logic and a ‘business’ logic, is a significant determinant of growth. This effect is both direct and indirect. It operates through time horizon and economic risk-taking, and it varies with environmental constraints. Primarily, the study shows that entrepreneurial growth in fragile economies cannot be fully explained by resources and structural constraints alone. Entrepreneurial identity constitutes a complementary cognitive mechanism that shapes economic decisions and growth trajectories. By integrating cognition, behavior, and context, this study contributes to the literature by identifying entrepreneurial identity as a micro-foundational determinant of growth trajectories in constrained environments. It also provides implications for entrepreneurship support policies that target changes in cognitive frames.