This study proposes the concept of Emotional Entrepreneurship (EE), which is the junction of emotions and entrepreneurial actions. This novel concept was inspired by case studies from Bahrain and Egypt. As such, this work is notable for its contribution to the literature on entrepreneurial motivation, with a particular emphasis on the motivations that drive entrepreneurship. While passion and emotions have been proposed as essential drives, there has been a scarcity of real case studies to support these hypotheses. The article emphasizes the MENA region’s increasing entrepreneurship potential [1]. According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Bahrain has positioned itself as 67th worldwide and Cairo ranks 24th out of the 45 researched cities and 6th in the MENA region. Similarly, according to the Global Innovation Index 2024, Bahrain ranks 72nd and Egypt ranks 86th among the 133 economies featured in the GII 2024. This paper uses a qualitative methodology based on structured interviews with two business owners. The interview questions were validated through subject matter experts (academics in the field of entrepreneurship). The research was exploratory in nature and based on a judgmental purposive sampling technique of businesses known to the researchers in both Bahrain and Egypt that fit the research objectives. The interviews were then analyzed using a narrative analysis of the content. The findings support the research propositions and show that entrepreneurs in both countries were driven by emotion/passion to establish their businesses. Although both entrepreneurs were driven by different emotions – positive emotions in Egypt and negative ones in Bahrain respectively, it is those deep-rooted feelings that have led to what is called ‘entrepreneurial emotional resilience’. This has allowed them to survive several economic, social, and political obstacles over the years leading to social entrepreneurship.