10 Oct We got you, Babe!

Some studies have shown that male-owned firms outperform their female counterparts in areas ranging form annual sales to venture survival. A new study funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy indicates that differing expectations, motivations, opportunities sought, and types of businesses opened are what account for performance variables – not chromosomes. In other words, put entrepreneurs with the same expectations and motivations in the same business and – male or female – they’ll perform equally well.

So gender doesn’t matter? Not quite. Male and female business owners still lean toward certain patterns These underlying tendencies account for the differing outcomes in venture performance. Examples of differences include:

• Women are more likely to buy a franchise and men to buy an independent business.
• Men hold significantly higher expectations for their new businesses than female entrepreneurs.
• Women are more likely to enter into low-risk/low-return ventures.
• Male entrepreneurs are more likely than female entrepreneurs to believe that starting a busines is more important than spending time with family.

To read the full findings, visit http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs309tot.pdf