Abstract Purpose This paper aims to identify if entrepreneurship as a career option is related to job satisfaction and family satisfaction by comparing entrepreneurs with non-entrepreneurs. To do so, a tool was used to measure job satisfaction, family satisfaction and the existence of interrole conflicts. Design/methodology/approach Cluster analysis and linear regression models were used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results indicate that there is a positive relationship and that entrepreneurs have higher rates of job satisfaction than non-entrepreneurs. Contrary to what the literature suggests, this study found that entrepreneurs have a higher rate of family satisfaction than non-entrepreneurs, and that there is no difference between men’s and women’s levels of satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Among the limitations of the research, the authors cite the fact that there was no randomness in the designation of the respondents and the fact that the answers were obtained by self-report. Also, the research was cross-sectional, making it impossible to compare answers between the same individuals at different points of time. Practical implications Results can help individuals decide whether to start a business and to assist development agencies in the creation of incentive policies. Originality/value As an academic implication, results contribute to the literature on this topic by relating entrepreneurship with the quality of life and not only with financial variables. Yet, it is one of the first studies on this topic in Brazil.

O empreendedorismo tem sido um tema recorrente nas análises de incubadoras de empresas. O crescimento das incubadoras no Brasil tem se mantido constante desde o final dos anos 1990, mostrando-se um fenômeno relevante para a criação de emprego e renda. Com o objetivo de avaliar o papel das incubadoras na formação empreendedora, tendo em vista a análise feita por McDougall e Alli (2003) sobre o empreendedorismo internacional, este trabalho busca compreender as perspectivas das empresas emergentes para sustentar-se no mercado global. O trabalho está estruturado em quatro seções. A primeira seção apresenta a temática do empreendedorismo e a metodologia adotada para esta análise; a segunda apresenta o referencial teórico, destacando os conceitos de empreendedorismo internacional; a terceira parte descreve o papel das incubadoras a partir de uma análise documental sobre o tema; a quarta parte aponta perspectivas para a formação empreendedora nas incubadoras de empresas.

This work resulted from a research about technology-based incubators. It aims at evaluating the role of the incubators in the entrepreneurial qualification having in mind the analysis developed by McDougall and Alli (2003) about the international entrepreneurship and the challenges faced by start-up enterprises. The work is organized in four sections. The introductory section contextualizes the object of the research and presents the methodology used; the second section introduces the theoretical frame-work, stressing the concepts of international entrepreneurship; the third section describes the role of incubators in the light of the literature available on the subject; the fourth section analyzes and presents considerations on the current study.