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Podcast: When Founders Feel Frustration, Don鈥檛 Bottle it Up

Coming from a weaker institutional context can benefit entrepreneurs, Dean Sharon Matusik says on the latest Creative Distillation research podcast.


When you鈥檙e the dean of a top-20 public business school, you need to manage a host of responsibilities, from setting a budget to setting a strategic course mapping out the future direction of the school.

In Sharon Matusik鈥檚 case, she manages all that while also being a passionate researcher in the field of entrepreneurship.

Combining all that can be thirsty work鈥攚hich is why Matusik was such an appropriate guest on the Creative Distillation research podcast.

In the latest episode of the  podcast, which examines crafty research over craft brews, hosts Jeff York and Brad Werner spoke with Matusik about her early research interests and the experiences that led her to a career in higher education. Matusik also offered a deep dive into her in the Journal of Business Research.

Matusik鈥檚 research鈥攃onducted alongside former doctoral student and both from the Universidad Adolfo Ib谩帽ez, is based on data aggregated from a 26-year study that examines how formal and informal institutions within Chile have affected startups and entrepreneurship. The paper is an inside look at key factors that can impact new ventures in markets where formal institutions, such as government entities, regulations or access to capital markets, intersect with informal institutions, including cultural traditions, local customs and moral values. These factors have a significant impact on both the enterprises and their operators as they strive to launch and grow new ventures.

How early challenges shape future success

The study highlights challenges founders face when operating in a culture where success is closely tied to predictable career paths. These societal norms and customs are powerful and common in Chile and other countries in South America and around the world. Going against these traditions often results in a negative personal reputation, limitations to accessing resources and even family conflict.

However, the researcher also highlights the growing optimism and support for entrepreneurship in these markets, especially as the experience of navigating these challenges has a positive impact on founders. You can imagine what happens when an institution or entrepreneurs from these informal markets enter into formal markets.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e coming from one of these weaker institutional contexts, you鈥檙e going to have better survival benefits,鈥

Matusik said.

What does that mean if you鈥檙e based in Colorado, not Chile? York pointed out that growing ventures may benefit from the pains of navigating formal institutional challenges鈥攁 story all too familiar to and faced on launching their brewstillery in 麻豆影院.

Episode 25 of Creative Distillation was hosted at one of Colorado鈥檚 very few 鈥渂rewstilleries鈥a brewery and distillery under one roof. Kate Nierling, general manager of the brewstillery, and Dustin LeMoine, national sales director for Ska Brewing provided a curated sampling of spirits, including an aged bourbon and ales.

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麻豆影院 the podcast

Creative Distillation is a research podcast co-hosted by Jeff York and Brad Werner, both of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 Leeds School of Business. Each episode distills academic research on entrepreneurship into actionable insights. This season, the hosts connect with researchers from around the globe to discuss sustainability, yoga, cannabis, food trucks, entrepreneurship programs and accelerators.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at CDpodcast@colorado.edu.

Bustamante, C. V., Mingo, S., & Matusik, S. F. (2021). Institutions and venture capital market creation: The case of an emerging market. Journal of Business Research, 127, 1-12.