Becoming a (Migrant) Entrepreneur in One Day: How Social Media Transforms Migrant Entrepreneurship

Fernanda Arreola; Sabine Jentjens

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Becoming a (Migrant) Entrepreneur in One Day: How Social Media Transforms Migrant Entrepreneurship

Fernanda Arreola

ESSCA, France

Sabine Jentjens

ISC Paris, France

Volume 20: 2025, pp. 649-658; ABSTRACT

This case tells the story of Carolina Souza, a Brazilian hairdresser who began earning income within 24 hours of arriving in Paris by posting a single message in a diaspora Facebook group. Through the eyes of Maria Gómez, a Mexican business student, the case explores how digital platforms enable ‘instant entrepreneurship’, a concept that challenges traditional theories of international business entry. Maria’s curiosity about finding out how becoming an entrepreneur so fast was possible leads her to investigate multiple migrant entrepreneurs. She observes that every entrepreneur leverages social media to bypass conventional barriers such as limited networks, credential recognition requirements, and formal business registration, while simultaneously navigating tensions between informality and formalization. The case is designed for undergraduate students in their second or third year. It can also be used as an introductory or ice-breaker case in graduate classes.

Keywords: diaspora networks; liability of foreignness; social capital; informality; digital platforms; effectuation; mixed embeddedness.