This article elucidates a study of businesswomen as they move from owning and managing informal
businesses into the formal economy. The study indicates that business success for rural women in
Botswana is specific to the socio-cultural context. By examining prevalent concepts of patriarchy
and community in our study, we start to see that cultural values frame successful business
strategies. For Botswana women engaged in small business, non-competitive networks, collective
management strategies, and informal cross-border trade are the pillars of sustainable business success.