David Walsh, entrepreneur and new venture creator: using critical biographical methodology as insight into entrepreneurial marketing

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate how David Walsh, founder of the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania, successfully launched and developed one of the island’s most visited and culturally significant destinations. Design/methodology/approach A critical biographical methodology is used, drawing on first-person and secondary sources. Taking a longitudinal, narrative-driven approach, the study reveals how stable entrepreneurial marketing competencies can emerge from an individual’s lived experience and creative decision-making. Findings The study demonstrates that valuable insight into complex entrepreneurial contexts can be provided by a critical biographical approach. It helps clarify how identity, lived experience, and social context shape entrepreneurial marketing behaviours and decisions over time. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on a single, in-depth case, which may limit generalisability. However, the approach offers a useful framework for future research on cultural entrepreneurs and highlights the need for creative, longitudinal methodologies. Practical implications The study identifies a set of entrepreneurial marketing competencies relevant to cultural ventures. It shows how personal narrative and context can inform marketing practice, offering practical insights for arts-based entrepreneurs and policy-makers. Originality/value This research extends the limited use of biographical methods in entrepreneurial marketing by applying a critically reflective lens within the underexplored context of arts and cultural entrepreneurship.