GENDER BASED DIFFERENCES IN SMALL BUSINESS START-UPS

This study examines the differences between men and women with regard to the establishment of ultra-small businesses and their methods of obtaining capital at various stages of the business life cycle. The study utilized data gathered from a structured interview in an urban southwestern city. Women were less likely to borrow start-up capital from a bank, but were more likely to borrow expansion funds. Writing a business plan did not appear to help in correctly estimating start-up capital. Men and women are motivated by similar driving factors, but women are more affected by the “glass ceiling ” effect in Corporate America