<p>Integrating theories of liminality and intersectionality, this study examines the experiences of socially disadvantaged individuals during the pre-liminal period of their entrepreneurial transition driven by a compound national crisis. Applying a qualitative, interpretivist approach, we trace the trajectories of Lebanese women in their fifties from low socioeconomic backgrounds as they navigate the pre-liminal period, from its inception through its unfolding to its culmination. Our findings demonstrate how financial hardships and a sense of ethical responsibility for their families’ survival push the women toward creating informal ventures, while intersectional structures of oppression, patriarchy, and ingrained gendered expectations pose internal and external barriers for venture creation. We show how women entrepreneurs exercise their agency by challenging male dominance, reconfiguring their social disadvantages as resources, and strategically employing verbal accounts to overcome their families’ objections to their decision to start a business.</p>