Automotive business as a model of adaptive entrepreneurship: practices of starting businesses from scratch in new institutional conditions

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to identify effective models of entrepreneurial adaptation under conditions of economic instability, institutional environment transformation, and growing demand for flexible business structures in the automotive services sector. It has been established that new entrepreneurial initiatives in this area act not only as economic agents but also as carriers of innovative approaches to overcoming market and regulatory constraints.The purpose of the article is to analyze the characteristics of the formation and development of the automotive business as a model of adaptive entrepreneurship under the changing institutional environment, with a focus on the practices of starting businesses from scratch and the mechanisms ensuring their resilience to external challenges. The methodological basis of the study includes a structural-functional approach to analyzing adaptive entrepreneurship strategies, a systemic analysis of institutional barriers, and a comparative method to identify differences between models of automotive business development in Ukraine and the United States. Results. The study has revealed the main problems complicating the launch and scaling of automotive businesses, such as limited access to financing, workforce shortages, legal instability, and institutional barriers related to taxation, licensing, and interaction with state structures. It has been investigated that overcoming these barriers is possible through the development of specialized support programs for adaptive business models, simplification of registration procedures for mobile services, stimulation of multichannel operational formats, and activation of local ecosystem roles. The scientific novelty of the research lies in establishing the interconnection between operational flexibility, multichannel sales strategies, and service diversification as key factors of sustainability for newly created automotive businesses under crisis conditions. It has been proven that the adaptive entrepreneurial model in this sector is characterized by the systematic integration of local resources, digital technologies, and informal interaction channels. Conclusions. It has been established that the resilience of newly created automotive businesses is ensured by operational flexibility, multichannel sales, and service diversification under conditions of institutional instability. The necessity of improving state support mechanisms to overcome barriers to the launch and development of such businesses has been proven. The prospects for further research include the development of a comprehensive adaptive model for the advancement of the automotive business under conditions of prolonged economic uncertainty, taking into account the interaction between state support instruments, development institutions, and local entrepreneurial ecosystems.