[...]... at this period will be reminded of the frequent ‘bank bashing’ that occurred in the media Readers should therefore bear in mind the impact of the economic climate on the findings contained in this book I started the research with the aim of understanding and comparing the experiences of male and female owner-managers in financing their businesses During the course of the research, however, I found myself... 1994/5) Theory bases used in research on female business owners The traditional view of the financial life-cycle of the firm Business characteristics Business characteristics by sex of respondent Business owner characteristics by sex of respondent Amount of finance used to start the business Types of problems associated with undercapitalisation Sources of finance used by respondents at start-up Sources of. .. 1987) Business ownership is therefore seen as a way of providing women with the personal autonomy and self-determination needed to undermine or at least query these structures However, the role of business ownership in the Women’s Movement has been contested One of the main areas of contention is the fact that entrepreneurs tend to operate as individuals Supporters of the role of business ownership in the. .. female business owners earn one-third less than male business owners This may simply reflect the fact that businesswomen take a smaller salary from their businesses compared to men or that their businesses are smaller, younger, or less profitable However, another theory is that the same factors which contribute to women in the labour market earning onethird less than men also apply to small business. .. (Therrien et al., 1986: p 56) Similarly, in dealing with customers and suppliers, female business owners face problems convincing them of their credibility Many businesswomen are of the view that their gender is a barrier in getting new business (Carter and Cannon, 1992) Male customers, in particular, are often wary of businesses owned by women According to one of the businesswomen interviewed by Goffee... organisations are The British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, The UK Federation of Business and Professional Women and the parliamentary lobby group (Women Into Business) Recent years have witnessed the meteoric rise of businesswomen such as Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, Debbie Moore (Pineapple) and Sophie Mirmam (Sock Shop) In the latter two cases, they have also received public attention over their failure... bound into the entrepreneur’s life as a whole Understanding small business is therefore not simply about economics, it is as much to do with understanding people, their motivations, and the environment in which they live My training as a geo-grapher has therefore been invaluable in allowing me to look at the process of financing a business from the various perspectives, bringing together the relevant... throughout the research process • The Economic and Social Research Council, for its financial support during the course of my studentship • All the small business owners who agreed to be interviewed and who gave a great deal of their valuable time To them I am extremely grateful • Everyone who gave me good advice and guidance during the course of the research In particular, I am grateful to the ‘team’ from the. .. independence Nevertheless, many women do recognise or admit the importance of making money in their business For instance, one of the respondents in Hertz’s study (1987) explained that the way you get independent is to have your own money’ (p 61) Again, the desire to make money depends largely on the type of female entrepreneur and what she wants out of the business Older female business owners tend... and October 1995 It reports on the experiences of eighty business owners in the UK in raising finance to start and grow their businesses In particular it examines the complex relationship between small businesses and their banks Interviews with the businesses were conducted in 1994, during a period of recession and great uncertainty, and only one year on from the peak in small firm failures Anyone looking . Culture Colin Gray 5. The Financing of Small Business: A Comparative Study of Male and Female Business Owners Lauren Read The Financing of Small Business A comparative study of male and female business. alt="" The Financing of Small Business A detailed empirical study of how small business owners finance their enterprises, this volume compares the experiences of women with those of men. The. empirical overview and theoretical framework 26 2.1 Problems faced by women in the financing of their businesses 26 2.2 The financing of women-owned businesses: a theoretical framework 31 2.3 Explaining the problems