Abstract
While migration relocates the body, it does not always relocate the soul. Many migrants continue to identify strongly with their country-of-origin decades after relocation, while others never fully embrace their host society. Although previous research often assumes the benefits of dual rootedness (particularly for transnational business contexts), the research seldom examines how migrants subjectively identify with home and host contexts—or how these orientations shape business performance. Drawing on role transition theory and survey data from 364 migrant entrepreneurs across four major destinations in Western Europe, we argue and find that migrants’ self-identification influences their entrepreneurial success, and that this relationship is shaped by the extent to which they feel socially included in the host society. Specifically, we find that home-country attachment enhances performance under high inclusion, while being less beneficial, and, potentially, detrimental under perceived exclusion. These results reveal the contextual nature of identity’s impact on entrepreneurship. The implications are discussed.