From a Hobby to a Business: Drifting through Paradox While the Business Accelerates

Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Rego, Arménio; Giustiniano, Luca; Clegg, Stewart

doi:10.1590/1984-92302024v31n0003EN

Miguel Pina e Cunha

Conceptualization (lead)

data curation (lead)

formal analysis (equal)

methodology (equal)

validation (lead)

visualization (equal)

writing-original draft (lead)

writing-review & editing (equal)

Miguel Pina e Cunha: Miguel Pina e Cunha received his PhD from Tilburg University. He is a professor at the Fundação Amélia de Mello at Nova SBE, NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal). He studies different dimensions of organizing and organizations, using the lens of paradox.

NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6724-2440

Arménio Rego

Conceptualization (Supporting)

formal analysis (supporting)

methodology (equal)

validation (supporting)

visualization (equal)

writing-original draft (supporting)

writing-review & editing (equal)

Arménio Rego: Arménio Rego (PhD, ISCTE) is a Professor at the Católica Porto Business School, Portugal, and member of the Business Research Unit (ISCTE-IUL, Portugal). He has published in journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Journal of Management, Organization Studies , and The Leadership Quarterly . His research covers topics such as character strengths and virtues in leaders, employees' thriving, and team performance.

University Catolica Porto Business School and University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0883-0511

Luca Giustiniano

Conceptualization (Supporting)

formal analysis (supporting)

methodology (equal)

validation (supporting)

visualization (equal)

writing-original draft (supporting)

writing-review & editing (equal)

Luca Giustiniano: Luca Giustiniano received his PhD from Luiss University. He is Professor of Organization Studies at the Luiss University (Rome, Italy). His research interests are focused on organization design. He is the co-author of the Elgar Introduction to Theories of Organizational Resilience (Elgar, 2018). His papers have appeared in the Journal of Management, Management and Organization Review, British Journal of Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Computers in Human Behavior, Management Learning, European Management Review.

Luiss University, Rome, Italy

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3044-6535

Stewart Clegg

Conceptualization (Supporting)

formal analysis (supporting)

methodology (equal)

validation (supporting)

visualization (equal)

writing-original draft (supporting)

writing-review & editing (equal)

Stewart Clegg: Stewart Clegg (PhD University of Bradiord) is a professor at the University of Sydney (Australia). He is the author of many books including Strategy: Theory and Practice (Sage, 2020), Project Management: A Value Creation Approach (Sage, 2020) and Paradoxes of Power and Leadership (Routledge, 2021). He is a prolific contributor to leading journals in the fields of Organization Studies, Political Power and Management.

University of Sidney, Sidney, Australia

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6083-4283

Associate Editor: Marcelo de Souza Bispo

Conflict of interests

The authors have stated that there is no conflict of interest.

	Moment 1	Moment 2	Moment 3
Image
	Sloter – Ferrari 312 PB	Fly – Mercedes-Benz Truck	Two models of All in One solutions (last generation)
Product concept	OEM replacement	Pre All in one	All in one
Level of complexity*	Low	Mid-High	High
Benefits	Direct original replacement. Lighter and more resistant than the corresponding OEM. Better mechanical / dynamic features. Easy assembly and without the need for additional work.	All phase 1 and ... Eliminated the need for additional parts for engine assembly, using for the first time a sketch of what turns out to be the All-in-One concept. Introduction of flexible motor support with integrated suspensions. Improved print resolution and mechanical strength of materials. Dynamic performance far superior to OEM architecture.	All phase 2 and… Total integration of all mounting components in the chassis with new flexi design in one piece, including engine support, suspensions (front and rear) and all mounting accessories. Optimization of product costs, offering more options at more competitive prices. Flexibility of assembly options that allow simple or advanced assemblies depending on the wishes of each pilot. Even easier assembly without the need for any additional work on the chassis.
Dominant stream of literature	“Hobby and passion”	“End user entrepreneurship” fueled by “hobby and passion”	“Digital entrepreneurship” as magnifier of the previous two

Name	National Racers 3D
Founded	2015; Lisbon, Portugal
Founders	Vasco C. (1967), a graduate in mechanical engineering and an entrepreneur. He works in the company he founded (Cor Expressa). Rafael C. (2001) is a university student. He worked with his father, Vasco, in NR3D.
Formal status	Independent personal project
Product	Slot car chassis and other accessories
Market	Global, via platform
Websites	www.shapeways.com/shops/nacional-racers-3d https://www.facebook.com/NationalRacers3D/

Source	Description	Goal
Informal interactions	Regular since the beginning of the project.	Gain familiarity with the case in a first phase, clarifications subsequently.
Kick-off open ended interview (90 m)	90 minutes with founders, January 5, 2018.	To obtain a general overview of the project. [interview #1]
Focused interviews (15 to 100 m)	23 interviews (15 to 100 minutes each). [#2 and #3 conducted in 2018; #4 to #17 in 2019; #18 to #24 in 2020]	To corroborate specific facts which required context and explanation. Vasco [founder, interviews #2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 24] Rafael [founder; interviews #5, 7 and 11, 24] Olga [Wife and mother; interview #8] Mário [Friend; interview #9] Vicente [Friend; interaction #10 and interview # 18] Filipe [Friend; interview #13] José [Slot Club; interaction #14] Mário [Father; interaction #15] Fátima [Friend; interaction #16] Ricardo [Brother; interaction #17] Regina [Friend; interview, #18] Céu [Slot Club; interaction, #19] Richard [Friend; interview, #20] José [Slot car aficionado; interaction, #21] Ana Rosa [School educator; interview, #22] Cristina [School manager; interview, #23]
Electronic messages	Regular messages were exchanged with Vasco for clarification and follow-up. Total messages: 74 Interaction interval: December 2017 – April 2020	To clarify specific aspects that required no context.
Document analysis	We consulted all the documents produced by NR3D, including commercial brochures, catalogues as well as online materials.	To gain knowledge about how the project positions itself in front of the public.
Observation	Observation of two racing events (in December 2019 [4 hours] and January 2020 [7 hours]).	To gain firsthand knowledge of the interactions in the community. Informal conversations held with the 10+ and 20 + participants in this specific event, all of them customers of NR3D.

Date	Fact
July 2015	Broken slot car chassis
August 2015	First sale through Shapeways digital platform
August-September 2015	Online shop active
December 2017	Trademark registered
December 2017	Participation in the Forslot Madrid (Spain) fair
March 2018	Commercial presence in the Evotec Shop España
April 2018	Slot Fair - Barcelona (Spain): held on the first Sunday of each month, starting from January 7, 2018
July 2018 January 2019	Collaboration with IBB Auto Racing, a major global distributor, begins Collaboration with Weerg begins
November 2019	Creation of nShapes
May 2020	Chassis certified for participation in the WES 2020 (World Endurance Series) competition (Barcelona), eventually cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Year	Percentage of work	Description of activities (in Vasco’s own words)
2015	10% (Vasco) 0% (Rafael)	NR3D in 2015 can be described as: It all starts with play which works and that continues with new play: the discovery of the world of digital 3D printing. Every time we ge t a new order it is like Christmas Day, for us it is exciting to open the box to see for the first time the outcome of our work. This is something that lasts until today every time we have new prototypes arriving.
2016	25% (Vasco) 20% (Rafael)	NR3D in 2016 can be described as: The play continues but with the increasing demand from our customers we need to dedicate more time to NR3D. In parallel we need to spend more time with online marketing work and customer support.
2017	50% (Vasco) 20 % (Rafael)	NR3D in 2017 can be described as: We continue to develop the play side that got more serious. With the bigger sales volume and the entry in offline shops in Spain, we need more commitment to NR3D, this work remaining aside from the hobby. We do participate in the first events for communicating the brand/product that also gives us a lot of satisfaction that goes beyond the work involved.
2018	60% (Vasco) 40% (Rafael)	NR3D in 2018 can be described as: The Hobby remains but now with the responsibility that the NR3D brand imposes which means more dedication. We start the first races exclusively with our products, launch the new image, more professional, and continue to search for alternatives for the production of our parts. We continue privileging attention to customer and new product launch, with significant amounts of time invested in innovative design solutions. We have launched the All-in-One concept that originated a new line of models with a new form of engine assembling, with no need to use parts from third parties.
2019	75% (Vasco) 40% (Rafael)	NR3D in 2019 can be described as: The Hobby must continue … We are about to start the year with our participation in the first event for classical models – 24 Horas Bela Vista – NationalRacers, the first resistance 24 hours race for classical models with exclusively NR3D All-in-One chassis. We keep on playing with development and model testing to use in this 24-hour race, while at the same time we conclude the process of adaptation of the brand to the new commercial demands. The necessary work in terms of logistics and online marketing increases year by year with the increase of the number of followers and customers of the brand
2020	85-90% (Vasco) 65% (Rafael)	NR3D in 2020 can be described as: Having a presence in physical shops in Europe More diversified i n terms of product The project will become more professionalized but with a creative dimension

[1] Associate Editor: Marcelo de Souza Bispo

Brasil

Brasil

From a Hobby to a Business: Drifting through Paradox While the Business Accelerates

Abstract