Understanding Sustainable Student Entrepreneurship: A Qualitative Study of Career Adaptability, Family Support, and Digital Competency

Abstract

The sustainability of student entrepreneurship has become increasingly important in the digital economy, where University students are expected not only to establish new ventures but also to sustain and grow them amid dynamic business environments. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of university students in sustaining their entrepreneurial ventures by examining the roles of these three factors. A Qualitative phenomenological approach was employed. The participants consisted of university students who had continuously operated their business for at least three years. Data were collected through in-depth-semi-structured interviews, observations, document analysis, and were analyzed using thematic analysis based on the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana. The findings reveal for major themes. First, entrepreneurial intention evolves into entrepreneurial behavior through continuous learning, opportunity recognition, and entrepreneurial persistence. Second, career adaptability enables student entrepreneurs navigate early-stage business challenges through the dimensions of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Third, family support functions as both an enabling and constraining factor by providing emotional, financial and motivational resources that influence entrepreneurial sustainability. Fourth, digital competency strengthens business resilience by facilitating innovation, digital marketing, customer engagement, and adaptive decision-making in rapidly changing markets.