Empowering female decision-making in start-ups: the role of entrepreneurial passion in the formal and informal sectors of the Tunisian economy

Purpose This study explores how and the extent to which entrepreneurial passion is involved in undertaking an entrepreneurial decision to advance women’s entrepreneurial careers amidst the changing socioeconomic context and challenges emerging since the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study applies a qualitative interpretive methodology. The authors conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 female entrepreneurs in Tunisia to achieve the research objectives. Findings Our study demonstrates that entrepreneurial passion plays a distinct role across different stages of a startup’s lifecycle. It plays a prominent and explicit role during the pre-startup and startup phases, fueling motivation and driving initial entrepreneurial intentions. In contrast, as the company enters the growth stage, the role of passion becomes more implicit. In this case, rational decision-making tends to dominate passion, highlighting a shift toward more reasonable and strategic approaches in sustaining business expansion. The study’s findings also highlight the remarkable transition by female entrepreneurs from the informal to the formal sector during the start-up stage. Originality/value This is the first study to empirically explore entrepreneurial passion among women and its role in driving decision-making processes in Tunisia. The originality of this study also lies in its focus on start-up development phases to explain the importance of passion in women’s decision-making. Drawing on feedback from female entrepreneurs, this study demonstrates that entrepreneurial passion matters in different ways. As such, the study also provides valuable insight into the status and position of female entrepreneurship in the cultural landscape of the Middle East.