Part time Business Entrepreneurship and Firm Performance: the case Retail Enterprises in Dar es salaam, Region.

In this study, the impact of part time business entrepreneurship on the performance of the firm was assessed. The study concentrated on retail business offering services in Dar es salaam region in Kinondoni, Ilala and Temeke District. The intended respondents were 100 and ninety one percent return acceptable filled questionnaires. Both financial and non financial measures of performance were used.Most of the part time SME owners are found to be public servants with economic necessity being the main motive for starting and staying in the business. Large part of part time SME owners indicated time constraint as a major factor hindering more performance.The results indicated factors like SME owners characteristic, customer satisfaction, motivation for starting up SMEs. Employment trend, sales rend and asset extension influence the performance of the SMEs. Part time business entrepreneurship does not have negative impact on the performance of SMEs. Interestingly, three quarters of part time entrepreneurs do not plan to quit their jobs and focus on the business.Sales trends for the part time SMEs observed to increase, asset extension and employment also increased since more enterprises crossed from micro to small level of enterprising. This is indication of growth, which reflects to positive performance of the SMEs in the sample.The research concluded that there was positive performance of SMEs under part time entrepreneurship despite of dividing time and energy between business and employment. As well there is a positive relationship between the entrepreneurial influencing factors and the performance of the SMEs in the sample. Therefore employed person should be encouraged to venture into part time entrepreneurship through education systems and formulated conducive entrepreneurial policies in order to increase the number of sustainable SMEs in the country. This will enhance contribution of SMEs in the developing economy of Tanzania.