This PhD thesis examines the health and well-being of marginalised entrepreneurs, such as
Black women, in the digital economy, using an explanatory sequential transformative mixedmethods
approach and intersectionality as a theoretical lens. Hence, the study aims to determine
the role that intersectionality plays in the health and well-being of entrepreneurs. The study is
underpinned with critical realist philosophy particularly the focus on ontology. Building on
existing work on perceived discrimination and health, this research examines a magnitude of
constructs specific to marginalised individuals. The existing literature shows both positive and
negative aspects of entrepreneurship, yet not much investigation has been done through
qualitative inquiries. Based on a review of the literature on entrepreneurship, well-being and
inequality, an online survey was distributed to entrepreneurs (N=126); this was followed by
semi-structured interviews (N=20), encompassing a qualitative priority and resulting in the
identification of five key broad themes: physical health, mental health, digital well-being,
perception and the side hustle. Subsequently, these consisted of sub-themes including microaggressions,
whitewashing, cyberbullying, stereotyping and stigma within the sample set.
Thus, this thesis explores not only the mental health aspects of entrepreneurship but also the
physical and physiological effects of stress, framed by using a biopsychosocial model for the
marginalised entrepreneurs in the sample. Analysis of the responses demonstrates that
overworking, perfectionism, social media dependency and comparison are associated with
lower well-being. Additionally, anxiety, burnout, hypertension and sleep disturbances were
identified as adverse health outcomes of entrepreneurship, accentuated by the digital economy
and low self-esteem. Furthermore, the analysis shows that there is a strong correlation between
entrepreneurship and stress, and investigation of the qualitative data helps to explain these
findings. The overall results indicate that entrepreneurship has a negative effect on the mental
and physical health of intersectional entrepreneurs due to perceived discrimination. On this
basis, it is recommended that future research continue to include diverse sample sets in order
to contribute to positive change and support for these groups consistent with transformative
frameworks. Lastly, the findings in this thesis will help in shaping policy; recommendations
are offered for strategies that entrepreneurs can adopt to improve their well-being. The thesis
has contributed to the literature in the field of entrepreneurship and well-being, with
considerations of intersectionality, namely race, gender, age and class, taken into account.
