| Widely accepted as an economic engine, entrepreneurial activity at local, national and international levels has become the focus of extensive research. This exploratory and descriptive study introduced the construct of the unexpected key event (UKE) to examine what entrepreneurs learn as they face the unpredictable dynamics of their environments. These unexpected situations offer rich learning experiences through which entrepreneurs acquire knowledge, develop skills, and access resources in the pursuit of management and growth objectives.; An analytic induction-based qualitative research strategy began with critical incident interviews to generate accounts of experiences from post-startup, growth-oriented entrepreneurs. This information was transformed into evidence through a rigorous process of describing, coding, and categorizing which lead to explanations of the UKE entrepreneurial learning experience.; All UKEs were consistent with the definition of being "key" in that entrepreneurs perceived them to be critical situations related to the effective management and growth of the venture (Schein, 1992); and, each UKE met one of the six criteria for unexpected experiences as defined in the study. UKE experiences and related learning emerged in five domains. UKEs related to Managing Human Capital were the most common. UKE experiences in Sales, Customer Relationships and Markets; Role of the CEO; and Financial Management followed. Less common were Venture Evolution and Technical Issues which highlighted the venture-level situations encountered by the entrepreneur.; When faced with UKEs in their post-startup ventures, entrepreneurs used personal, professional and public resources, along with their own experiences, to support learning. These resources came from formal, informal, social and business-related connections. The most commonly referenced resource was a personal connection to someone who had similar experience.; The five domains of UKE-related learning provide a framework through which to extend current theory on entrepreneurial learning, evaluate entrepreneurship education programs, develop entrepreneurship resources, and inform decisions related to supporting entrepreneurs as they manage and grow their ventures. |
