Effectuation Logic within Family Entrepreneurship: Investigating Internationalization Route of Family-Based Start-Up

This article aims to contribute to the literature on effectuation theory, particularly from the perspective of the internationalization process of a family-based start-up. Qualitative in nature, the study involved the use of a single case study, based on an interview with a co-founder. An explorative case study was prepared to demonstrate the use of effectuation logic in the internationalization route of family entrepreneurship. The study shows the decision-making of a family-based start-up on entering foreign markets, while the effect of being a family on internationalization was investigated. During the interview, it was revealed that the founders of the start-up in the early stages of internationalization continued making decisions based on effectual logic. However, as the firm’s experiences increased in the internationalization process, the founders adopted causal logic. There are few studies that have explored effectuation theory from the perspective of family businesses. Moreover, considering internationalization, the originality of the research contributes to the development of effectuation theory.