ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how social capital (SC), primarily formal and informal social networks enable Welsh and Turkish women entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the business, despite of the weaknesses of the respective ecosystem. Pertaining to the individual elements of the entrepreneurial eco system (EES), Welsh women perceived the availability of support systems, human capital resource and access to markets to be a strong element in their EES. Women entrepreneurs, specifically Welsh women, experienced threat from contacts in the form of replicating the product/service they offered, backstabbing and negative impact on reputation. The chapter focuses on opportunity creation which seeks to explain the actions that entrepreneurs take to create and exploit opportunities. Female entrepreneurs face considerable constraints with regards to participation in formal SC for example business associations, societies and chambers of business leaders and thus may not have the opportunity to benefit from the essential skills and expertise that members of professional networks.
