Abstract
Introduction and Theoretical Framework
Fifty-four female entrepreneurs in Greater Sudbury, Canada, were surveyed in 2009 to determine the motives for self-employment, success factors, and problems they perceived. Results revealed that primary reasons for owning a business were personal satisfaction and growth, to have fun and to proving they could do it. These results show that Canadian female small business owners were driven by intrinsic factors as opposed to monetary motives. In terms of business success variables, the most important to them were the entrepreneurs’ reputation for honesty and good customer service. Serious problems faced by Canadian female entrepreneurs were the weak economy, high business taxes and the unavailability of skilled labour. Results on success factors and perceived problems were consistent with those from previous studies using similar instruments both in Canada and other countries, including Turkey; however, while intrinsic rewards characterised Canadian respondents’ motives, Turkish entrepreneurs were primarily driven by economic rewards.
Introduction and Theoretical Framework
There has been growing research interest in female entrepreneurship, coincident with the increasing contribution of female-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) to economic growth, as well as the marked increase in the numbers of small firms controlled by women. For example, in Canada, the number of self-employed females has grown fifty percent over the last fifteen years. Women entrepreneurs now represent one-third of the total population of Canadian entrepreneurs. In fact, the number of Canadian companies managed by women has been growing at an average annual rate of 3.3 percent since 1989; this growth rate is 60 percent higher than for male entrepreneurs (CIBC World Markets 2005). In 2008, there were more than 910,000 self-employed women in Canada and 46% of firms (Statistics Canada 2009) with at least one female owner. These businesses employed 570,000 people and generated combined annual revenues of $72 billion representing approximately 8% of all revenues from Canadian SMEs (Carrington 2006). Statistics Canada (2009) estimates that 16% of all businesses in the country have a female as a majority shareholder or owner.
However, despite clear evidence of an escalation in entrepreneurial activity by women, females are still only half as likely 
as men to start a business (Minniti, Arenius, and Langowitz, 2004; Reynolds, Bygrave, and Autio 2004). At the same time, firms owned by women are smaller and less likely to be oriented towards growth when compared to male-owned businesses (Minniti, Arenius, and Langowitz, 2004; Rooney et al. 2003; Anna et al. 2000; Du Rietz and Henrekson 2000; Orser, Hogarth-Scott, and Wright 1997).
as men to start a business (Minniti, Arenius, and Langowitz, 2004; Reynolds, Bygrave, and Autio 2004). At the same time, firms owned by women are smaller and less likely to be oriented towards growth when compared to male-owned businesses (Minniti, Arenius, and Langowitz, 2004; Rooney et al. 2003; Anna et al. 2000; Du Rietz and Henrekson 2000; Orser, Hogarth-Scott, and Wright 1997).