Case Study: Sweet Meal Commodities

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to establish the phases that small businesses go through as they evolve from start up to maturity stages. The case also reveals the challenges which small business enterprises experience along the different stages of business cycle. Entrepreneurial characteristics that successful entrepreneurs display have also been demonstrated. Some of the characteristics that have been revealed in the case study include but are not limited to; resilience, tenacity, visionary, focus, discipline, consistency, hard work etc. The main research instrument used was interview guide; the protagonist and senior business managers were interviewed. The case introduces a dilemma which makes it difficult for the case protagonist to decide the best way to go in the next phase of business growth. The dilemma for in the case study is making the choice between expanding the current business and diversifying into real estate business.  The rationale of the dilemma is to demonstrate the difficulty that entrepreneurs experience when making business decisions. The case study reveals that entrepreneurs experiences different challenges at different stages of business life cycle.