ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the importance of community in understanding entrepreneurial action, and specifically how culture and leadership within the community contribute to experienced entrepreneurial outcomes in real places. It offers a review of the literature on four frameworks that describes the contextual environment in which entrepreneurs operate: facilitating conditions, national and regional policy, entrepreneurial communities, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The book describes the research at the nexus of entrepreneurship and place—otherwise referred to as "entrepreneurial geographies," with a focus on an often hidden aspect of this contextual dimension: culture. It demonstrates the various leadership roles played by formal and informal leaders across the community, and how transformational leadership can be more effectively harnessed to support entrepreneurship. The book provides insight about engaging entrepreneurs by cultivating a deeper understanding of entrepreneurial psychology.
