Designing a Seven-Layer Entrepreneurial Marketing Model for Startups: Development of the EMM-L7 Model Using Thematic Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and conceptualize the key components and layers of entrepreneurial marketing in startup businesses and to develop a comprehensive, dynamic, and multi-layered framework for understanding marketing behavior under conditions of uncertainty, resource constraints, and market turbulence. This applied qualitative study employed a thematic analysis approach. The research population consisted of academic and industry experts with substantial experience in entrepreneurial marketing and startup development. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis procedure with the support of MAXQDA 2020 software. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability criteria based on Lincoln and Guba’s framework. The analysis resulted in the identification of 7 main themes, 50 subthemes, and numerous initial codes. Findings revealed that entrepreneurial marketing can be explained through the EMM-L7 framework, consisting of seven interconnected layers: entrepreneurial orientation core, resource leveraging and infrastructure, market interaction and entrepreneurial marketing capabilities, entrepreneurial marketing mix, protective principles, governing principles, and monitoring, intelligence, and feedback. The results demonstrated that entrepreneurial marketing is not merely a collection of marketing tools and tactics; rather, it represents a cognitive, resource-based, interactive, ethical, learning-oriented, and self-regulating system. The layers operate through dynamic and recursive relationships, enabling continuous adaptation and strategic refinement. The EMM-L7 model provides a holistic framework for understanding and managing entrepreneurial marketing in startup environments. The model suggests that marketing success emerges from the integration of entrepreneurial orientation, creative resource utilization, market learning, adaptive marketing practices, risk management, ethical governance, and continuous feedback mechanisms. The framework contributes to the theoretical advancement of entrepreneurial marketing and offers practical guidance for startup founders, marketing managers, and innovation ecosystem actors.