Entrepreneurship among Tribal Communities in South Gujarat Region: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Socio-Economic Change

Historically grounded in agriculture, tribal communities are now shifting into small entrepreneurialventures. The South Gujarat’s rural economies have also shown tremendous potential of transformation.The main driver behind this socioeconomic change is tribal entrepreneurship. Despite many challenges,these enterprises are thriving to survive. The current study attempts to do reflective thematic analysis byusing an inductive approach of in-depth examination of lived experiences of 14 tribal entrepreneurs in threedistricts of South Gujarat. The data analysis was conducted using Nvivo software, which facilitates in-depthexamination of qualitative data and Microsoft Excel. The findings of the paper indicates that the sharp shifttowards micro, small and medium manufacturing and service enterprise has positively impacted the lives ofentrepreneurs and their family. There is immense economic and social upliftment can be seen in ruraleconomy due to this enterprise. Further, low education level and absence of systematic knowledge ofbusiness administration constraints towards to holistic development and scalability of these enterprise, ahandholding support to existing entrepreneurs should be incorporated by the Government agencies withvarious Non-profit organization instead of creating new entrepreneurs. Because survival and long-lastingimpact is important than having number of enterprises. As tribal entrepreneurship evolves, it is expected thatit can play a crucial role in driving sustainable economic growth and livelihood opportunities of ruralpopulations. This transformation highlights the likelihood of becoming a key contributor to reduce theeconomic disparities withing the south Gujarat region and can empower the tribal community.