ARCHIVED—Sustaining the Momentum: An Economic Forum on Women Entrepreneurs – Summary Report

March 2005

Table of Contents

• Message from the Co-chairs
• The Context: Understanding and supporting women entrepreneurs
• Summary of Research Presentations
  • Owner Differences
    • Women bring less human capital to the business start-up than do their male counterparts
    • Female business owners weigh growth decision criteria differently
    • Female business owners define success differently
  • Firm Differences
    • Traditional explanations fail to explain why women-owned businesses are less likely to export
    • Women business owners cite gender-related barriers to exporting
    • Gender differences in the capital structure of Canadian SMEs
    • While the terms of lending do not differ by gender, the length of owners' banking relationships does
  • Women and Self-Employment
    • Women's self-employment is increasingly diverse
    • Policies to support self-employed women
  • Canadian Programs and Practices
    • Micro-credit is not a panacea for accessing credit
    • The incremental impact of gender-based programs appears consistent with that of mainstream SME support initiatives
  • International Practices and Policies
    • International comparisons of women-owned firms
    • National Women's Business Council
    • Quantum Leaps, Inc.
    • A Strategic Framework for Women's Enterprise
  • Research and Evaluating Programs and Policies
    • SME research about gender and performance must consider "the firm as a whole"
• Priorities for Action
  • Research Recommendations
    • 1. Collect data on women's participation in all federal SME programs
    • 2. Data must reflect the heterogeneous nature of women's entrepreneurship
    • 3. Identify and report on studies about women business owners
    • 4. Undertake more rigorous research on women business owners
    • 5. Undertake research about gender and small business financing
    • 6. Establish a fund for research about women entrepreneurs
  • Policy and Program Recommendations
    • 1. Establish program evaluation criteria at the inception of policies and programs
    • 2. Policy makers must recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach to small business development is insufficient
    • 3. Improve the co-ordination of federal initiatives on women's entrepreneurship
    • 4. Create an Office of Women's Business Ownership
    • 5. Create an Advisory Council on Women's Entrepreneurship
    • 6. Establish Women's Enterprise Centres in Ontario
    • 7. Make delivery agencies accountable for women's participation in their programs
    • 8. Develop gender-based programs to support women business owners
    • 9. Establish more supportive family policies and benefits for self-employed women
    • 10. Establish a procurement program for women business owners
  • Communications and Partnerships
    • 1. Establish a portal or clearinghouse of information of interest for women business owners
    • 2. Disseminate research on women's entrepreneurship
    • 3. Showcase the diverse nature of women's entrepreneurship
    • 4. Facilitate communication across business women's associations