Purpose
The purpose of the this study is to discover the impact of practices of knowledge management, intellectual property protection and management innovation on entrepreneurial leadership, which in turn leads to sustainable growth in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected from 292 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the USA using a cross-sectional survey. To evaluate the study hypotheses and analyse the data, structural equation modelling was used. SMART-PLS software was used for both confirmatory factor analysis and structural analysis.

Findings
The work has significantly contributed in revealing that knowledge management practices, management innovation and intellectual property protection have a substantial and constructive impact on entrepreneurial leadership, which in turn leads to sustainable growth in SMEs.

Practical implications
The study findings recommend that SMEs must focus on knowledge management practices, intellectual property protection and management innovation to nurture entrepreneurial leadership, which can lead to sustainable growth. SMEs can benefit from investing in knowledge management practices, protecting their intellectual property and innovating their management practices to achieve sustainable growth. Also, the absorptive capacity of an SME can help it to aggravate the impact of the above factors and lead them to sustainable growth faster.

Originality/value
The current work studies the association between knowledge management practices, intellectual property protection, management innovation, entrepreneurial leadership and sustainable growth in SMEs, thus contributing to the literature. The study provides insights into the factors that can nurture entrepreneurial leadership and contribute to sustainable growth in SMEs, which can inform policy and practice in the field of entrepreneurship.