Entrepreneurial Agility and Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Food and Beverage Manufacturing Enterprises in Nairobi Metropolitan, Kenya

Purpose: The study aimed to establish the influence of entrepreneurial agility on the growth of Small and medium-sized food and beverage manufacturing enterprises in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya. The study was conducted because the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food & beverage sector within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area are experiencing limited growth. Materials and Methods: This study used a combination of descriptive and explanatory research designs. Data was collected from 139 respondents drawn from business owners in Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and simple linear regression. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis to complement the quantitative findings. Findings: The study found a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between entrepreneurial agility and growth of small and medium Food and Beverage manufacturing enterprises in Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya. Regression results revealed that entrepreneurial agility significantly predicts SMEs growth that entrepreneurial agility enhances SMEs' growth β = 0.629, t = 12.669, p = 0.000 < α=0.05, accounting for 60.5% of variation in SMEs growth, R-squared (0.605). Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study was informed by dynamic capabilities theory which argues that an organization's long-term growth and competitive advantage depend not only on the resources it possesses but also on its ability to sense opportunities and threats in the environment, seize opportunities by making timely strategic decisions and investments .To business owners, the study recommends that they should focus on transforming their resources and capabilities to respond to changing market conditions. For policy makers, the study recommends that they should amend and formulate progressive policies that promote the establishment and growth of SMEs. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Agility, Growth, Entrepreneurship, Small and Medium Enterprises