Nordicness as a narrative strategy for sustainable business growth

Purpose This article investigates how Nordic entrepreneurial actors use Nordicness as a narrative strategy for pursuing sustainable business growth – as balanced, limited growth. While sustainable growth is widely debated in policy and research, less is known about how small businesses draw on cultural resources to navigate the tension between sustainability and growth. Design/methodology/approach Building on the sociology of narrative, the study explores how entrepreneurs appropriate Nordic symbolic resources—such as trust, honesty, egalitarianism, craftsmanship, locality and humility – as part of their sensemaking and strategic storytelling. Two qualitative case studies invoking Nordicness, one from the cuisine sector in Northern Norway and one from the Danish design industry, illustrate how narratives structure strategic sensemaking. Findings The findings show that Nordicness provides entrepreneurs with a repertoire of cultural narratives that justify alternative growth logics, emphasizing authenticity, local embeddedness, artisanal quality and resistance to mainstream market conventions and growth narratives. Each case mobilizes Nordicness differently: one frames it as an ethos of design honesty and sustainability, the other as a humble, place-bound culinary identity rooted in local nature and egalitarian social norms. Across cases, Nordicness offers a performative and legitimizing resource that helps entrepreneurs navigate sustainability–growth tensions while distinguishing themselves from globalized, growth-driven industry logics. Originality/value The article contributes to research on entrepreneurial identity, place-based branding and sustainable business strategies by demonstrating how cultural narrative structures act as strategic tools for balancing innovation, identity and sustainability, offering alternative narratives about growth.