This study analyzes the absorption capacity of small businesses in Florianópolis, in their efforts to generate innovation. A way for the company to gain competitive advantage and ensure sustainability is through innovation, which in turn, lies in the capacity to absorb routines that facilitate the acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation of knowledge – dimensions proposed by Zahra and George (2002). The research methodology used was qualitative, with semi-structured interviews recorded with the entrepreneurs and collaborators of the companies. The results show that these companies are seeking knowledge in the external environment which they can then apply to their production processes, demonstrating the use of the four dimensions proposed by Zahra and George (2002), and they highlight the importance of complementary factors such as prior knowledge, triggering events, and social integration in the absorption capacity of the small businesses studied.