Entrepreneurial Households represent one of the most dynamic yet under-understood segments within India’s economic landscape. Operating at the intersection of household finance and small business activity, these households navigate complex financial realities shaped by fluctuating incomes, informal networks, business reinvestment needs, and evolving aspirations. Yet, despite their economic significance, their financial behaviour remains largely invisible within conventional financial and household datasets.
To help address this gap, EPIC World Foundation partnered with 1Lattice on EH360, a large-scale, insight-led research initiative designed to better understand how Entrepreneurial Households earn, save, borrow, manage risk, and engage with formal and informal financial systems across India.
As the research execution partner for the engagement, 1Lattice led the end-to-end delivery of the study, covering research design, field execution, quality assurance, analytics, and insight generation. The engagement reached 5,000+ Entrepreneurial Households across 18 states and 135 districts, complemented by 31 in-depth interviews and 8 focus group discussions. The study was supported by technology-enabled monitoring systems, multilingual deployment capabilities, and structured data validation frameworks.
Understanding a Complex and Fragmented Financial Ecosystem
Unlike traditional salaried households, Entrepreneurial Households often operate through intertwined household and business cash flows, multiple income sources, informal borrowing channels, and highly contextual financial decision-making structures. Capturing these realities required a research approach capable of balancing methodological rigour with on-ground adaptability across diverse socio-economic and regional contexts.
1Lattice developed a detailed research architecture covering respondent definitions, sampling design, survey instrumentation, field protocols, and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure nationally consistent and decision-grade insights. The study explored critical dimensions including household income structures, savings and borrowing behaviour, financial resilience, business-household cash flow linkages, usage of formal and informal financial services, and women’s participation in financial decision-making.
Delivering Large-Scale, Insight-Led Research at Scale
The EH360 engagement reflects the scale and complexity involved in researching fragmented and underrepresented economic segments across India. Beyond large-scale field deployment, the study required real-time monitoring systems, robust quality control frameworks, and adaptable research processes to capture nuanced financial behaviour across diverse respondent environments.
By combining large-scale field execution with structured analytics and insight synthesis, the initiative generated a deeper understanding of how Entrepreneurial Households navigate financial systems, manage economic uncertainty, and make long-term financial decisions.
Why does this matter?
The EH360 initiative demonstrates how large-scale, insight-led research can help institutions move beyond conventional assumptions to design more inclusive financial products, strengthen access frameworks, and build solutions grounded in the lived realities of entrepreneurial families.
To explore the EH360 platform and research findings in detail, visit: https://ehdata.org/eh360