Purpose Women entrepreneurs contribute to the economic well-being of their communities through income and employment generation; however, a significant share of their businesses remains unregistered with the State. This study focuses on neighborhood stores (nano stores), a type of enterprise commonly led by women, with the aim of characterizing the socioeconomic profile of owners and their businesses in marginal urban contexts. Given the absence of official administrative records, a sampling methodology for statistically invisible units is employed. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted in marginal urban areas of Piura, Peru, identified through random selection of city blocks. An adaptive cluster sampling strategy was applied to incorporate establishments identified during field sweeps. The final sample consisted of 154 women-led neighborhood stores with more than one year of operation, to which a structured survey was administered. Findings The stores operate mainly within households lacking adequate access to basic public services. Most owners are married or cohabiting, have an average of three children, and have not completed education beyond secondary school. Entrepreneurship arises primarily out of economic necessity. Eighty-one percent do not report income due to a lack of knowledge of the process or because they consider registration unnecessary. The main motivation for entrepreneurship is the economic well-being of their children. Originality/value The study provides original evidence by applying an innovative sampling strategy to analyze informal women-led neighborhood stores.
Silupú et al. (Thu,) studied this question.