Entrepreneurial SMEs are increasingly important for rural economies. The paper details a study of 399 Scottish rural business owners' motivations for start-up and development. One finding reveals that those motivated to firm growth comprise a minority. Inheritors of businesses have the least experience of and ambitions for growth, but positive motivations and growth ambitions are as prevalent amongst purchasers as starters. There are strong correlations between ambitions for and experience of growth, as well as a tendency towards non-local markets. Implications include a need to focus on entrepreneurial orientation in existing rural SMEs, rather than exclusively on start-ups.
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