PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect role of autonomy on firm performance. It also determines the role of professional experience in the relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed data collected from 124 small firms in Addis Ababa city using the ordinary least square (OLS) regression and hierarchical regression analysis.FindingsThe result of the OLS regression revealed that autonomy directly and indirectly (through entrepreneurial engagement) influences the firm's performance. Besides, professional experience moderates the relationship between autonomy and performance, as well as the relationship between autonomy and entrepreneurial engagement.Practical implicationsEntrepreneurs should tend to engage in the works that they have professional experience than involving in jobs that they have no experience.Originality/valueThis study examines the relationship between autonomy and firm performance in established firms. It is among the first studies that tested the moderation influence in the relationship. That is, determining the role of professional experience is a novel contribution of this study, which is forgotten previously.

In the years, research has revealed that there has been an increase in opportunity of jobs, due to this there has been increase in skilled manpower also. Women have grown dramatically the disparity in wealth between men and women has widened considerably. Women's progress has accelerated since the twentieth century, and in the coming years, with a decent work-life balance, they will surpass males professionally and personally. Women started sharing responsibilities equally with men at work and at home for the betterment of their families, this has been done due to the financial demand of the family, live a stress-free life, and maintain a decent work-life balance. Work-life balance has been proven to be essential for personal fulfillment. Furthermore, as more women enter the workforce, work-life balance has gotten even greater attention. This is because it is critical for women to strike a balance between their career and personal lives.

In a previous study we demonstrated that listening to a pleasant music while performing an academic test helped students to overcome stress, to devote more time to more stressful and more complicated task and the grades were higher. Music puts us in a better mood, which makes us better at studying – but it also distracts us, which makes us worse at studying. So if you want to study effectively with music, you want to reduce how distracting music can be, and increase the level to which the music keeps you in a good mood. The study also suggests that duration of music participation impacts academic achievement. Music that is relaxing also helps students with stress and anxiety, thus leading them to study more efficiently. Research has found that listening to music actually lowers your cortical levels.