Understanding the Financing of Very Small Enterprises by the Entrepreneur’s Family: The Role of Culture in West Cameroon

The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between the owner-manager of a VSE and the members of his family in order to detect the elements within this relationship that are necessary for an understanding of the entrepreneur’s access to financing from family sources in the West region of Cameroon. The qualitative case study approach involved semi-structured interviews with 11 VSE promoters, and the thematic content was analysed using Nvivo 10 software. From the analyses, it emerged that the reciprocity of services rendered between the entrepreneur and members of the family constitutes the main cultural lever that allows these business leaders to oxygenate their business financially through family financing. As a result, VSE managers need to combine the pursuit of economic interest with respect for this cultural value, to ensure that they have access to family sources of finance for their businesses. The value added of this study lies in the fact that it puts into perspective the role of sociocultural values, and in particular “reciprocity of services rendered”, on access to local financing by very small businesses in the Cameroonian context.