Economic resilience, as one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development in an era marked by economic volatility, is considered a key indicator for assessing firms’ capacity to withstand, recover from, and adapt to external shocks. Given the recurrent fluctuations in Iran’s economy and the high vulnerability of small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs), the present study aims to develop a comprehensive model of economic resilience for these firms. This applied research adopts an exploratory mixed‑methods approach and was conducted in two phases. In the qualitative phase, using the meta‑synthesis method and a systematic review of 17 reputable domestic and international studies published between 2019 and 2025, the core themes and theoretical relationships were extracted, and the initial resilience model was developed. The validity of the themes was confirmed using Holsti’s reliability coefficient (0.95) and Cohen’s kappa (0.822). In the quantitative phase, data collected from questionnaires completed by 130 SME managers in Markazi Province were analyzed, and the validity of the model was assessed through structural equation modeling using SmartPLS. The findings indicate that the economic resilience of SMEs is influenced by seven key components, with organizational and strategic capabilities exerting the strongest effect. Ultimately, the proposed comprehensive model of economic resilience can serve as a foundation for policymaking and for designing strategies to enhance the agility and economic security of Iranian firms in times of crisis.