I believe there are three, not necessarily mutually exclusive, entrepreneurship motivations: opportunity-

driven, mission-driven, and necessity-driven. In this short essay, I will argue that the marginalized are more
likely to start their own businesses out of necessity and that entrepreneurship empowers their community
as a whole.

The white male is arguably the most dominant group in the workforce. Other socially diverse groups such
as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, legal statuses are not equally represented in the corporate world.
It is hazardous to categorize these groups as one marginalized group since each has its unique struggles.
However, it is safe to generalize that the competitive corporate world is hostile to these marginalized groups.
For example, language barriers, untransferable education, racial prejudice, and discrimination block
immigrants from “entering the labor market of the mainstream economy” (T.Bates et al, 424). Similarly,
entrenched patriarchy, gender stereotypes discourage those who identify as females and working moms
from holding high-level positions.

Thus, the marginalized become small entrepreneurs in order to make ends meet. Entrepreneurship
celebrates creativity, and creativity is not an exclusive characteristic to any dominant group. Whoever has
great creative ideas and can commercialize them can open a business for themselves. This is not to say that
these entrepreneurs will be ensured equal access to financial resources. I will argue that discrimination is
ingrained in the economy and even high-profile individuals from minority descent are not exempt from
such racism. Having said that, pitch competitions such as Shark Tank are relatively “race-neutral: there
were no negative deferential impacts on racial/ethnic minorities” (T.Bates et al, 419)

Entrepreneurship allows owners to have agency over their products. They are not, according to what
Marxists call, “alienated” from their products. Alienation refers to the disjunct relationship between wage
workers and their products whose profits go the bourgeoise - the upper class who owns the means of
production. The bourgeoise makes decisions on what to produce and how much to produce while workers
passively follow their orders. Unlike the Marxist theory of mainstream economy, these entrepreneurship
models enable the owners to have control over their products. Depending on their schedule and purpose,
they can scale up the businesses or keep them only as sideline jobs. The marginalized group now can
multitask without worrying about their basic needs. They have more flexibility in their decisions compared
to working for a corporation.

Entrepreneurs are risk-tolerant and have the courage to venture into niche markets where traditional
companies neglect. In fact, researchers have pointed out that ethnic minority entrepreneurs have a tendency
to first operate in their co-ethnic niche market and later expand their businesses (S.Yamamura, 2222). This
pattern, I believe, is a virtuous circle and will bring benefits back to the under-represented community.
Having experienced challenges entering the normal workforce, these minority entrepreneurs have more
incentives to recruit employees from the same backgrounds. They may have more empathy more these
people and thus build a healthy workplace free of microaggressions. Sri Dasgupta, an owner of a catering
service that employs refugees, moved to the US in 1984. She is committed to alleviating poverty by
providing jobs to marginalized groups. One of her measurements of success is how financially stable her
employees are after being hired. She also pays her staff $15, much higher than the minimum wage in
Pennsylvania.

In conclusion, entrepreneurship is an evolving field with no restrictions for entries. It generates revenue and
employment for vulnerable stakeholders in the labor market.