Resumo

CASTILLO DE MATHEUS, María Elizabeth. Successful Entrepreneurs: How They Make Decisions . Revista Venezolana de Gerencia [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.52, pp.548-569. ISSN 1315-9984.

At the company level, businessmen who have ensured sustained growth in terms of product offerings, increase in the number of customers, expanding the geographic areas and overall business growth stand out. The key objective of this study is to interpret and understand the structure underlying the decision-making processes of successful businessmen without university studies; the special objective of this article is to determine key characteristics of this structure from the entrepreneurial context, obtained through a qualitative study based on a methodological grid whose main categories were hermeneutics, ethno-methodology and life histories. Results or conclusions were the implications that experience and learning have in shaping analytical, practical and creative skills which, associated with types of rational, systemic, creative thinking and emotional intelligence, constitute a decision-maker who, with a prospective vision, maximizes results in favor of successful organizations.

Palavras-chave : Entrepreneur; decision making; business context; work processes.