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Sambalpuri Bastralaya Handloom Co‐operative Society Limited (SBHCSL), or “Bastralaya”, is a rural community‐based cooperative enterprise in the Western province of state Odisha in India. Weaver‐members are self‐employed in a home‐based weaving system and use their tacit traditional knowledge and expertise. Undertaking a case study of this enterprise, the purpose of this paper is to explain traditional knowledge management process of the community.

A total of 40 respondents from among enterprise employees, members of weaving and sales branches, members of government/ non‐government agencies were interviewed/ observed. A qualitative research method called “narrative enquiry” was used to restory and interpret respondents' data and stories gathered from the field study. Analysis of documents was also a method used.

For management of knowledge processes, Bastralaya focuses on creating members' skills and knowledge, i.e. creation of contextual skills and knowledge, in addition to existing generic tacit knowledge; building members' competence and capturing new knowledge; crystallizing new knowledge for customer‐focused design and organizational learning; and finally, knowledge preservation and internalization. Community weavers inherit traditional weaving knowledge across generations and learn informally through interaction, observation, socialization, co‐operation and apprenticeships in the natural settings of the co‐operative enterprise system.

In the light of knowledge management models, this paper explains the process of knowledge preservation and dissemination in rural weaving community enterprises and can also be used to understand rural micro enterprises.

The purpose of this case study is to understand effect of Indian ethos, socio‐cultural setup, etc. on growth of family‐based business; impact of ethnicity and genetic intelligence on development of entrepreneurial traits, etc. in family business contexts in India.

The approach takes a single case study on an organized retail firm named Bothra Megabazar Private Limited in Rourkela, India to comprehend the established theories and literature on emergence and spread of business community/class in India known for its own ethos and values as a country. As a part of narrative enquiry method in qualitative research, it collects the narratives of central and peripheral characters in the respective business house through “story telling” and by “restorying” the same, understands and explains the family‐based entrepreneurial journey amidst business dynamics.

The important findings of this case study are manifold. It finds that there is inter‐connectedness of different aspects amounting for success/growth of family business entrepreneurs and enterprises. Some of these factors are deep‐seated Indian ethos and values, multiple family and social networks, joint and undivided family structure, inheritance of family business down the generations, financial backing from members of family and social networks, long standing experience in trade, genetic intelligence across generations, internal capacity building with unique style of leadership and high‐risk appetite, etc.

With its focus on one specific community like Bani(y)as or Marwaris in Indian business society, the case may not justify the understandings on genetic intelligence in case of other communities/class. However, the study elaborates scope of future studies in the same direction.

Practicing managers and research scholars can use this case for understanding of the key success/growth factors behind socio‐culturally guided family‐based business enterprises.

The paper presents a case that is original.