Social Science Research Network’s Entrepreneurship Research & Policy Network
Babson College Professor Candida G. Brush’s paper entitled, “What do Women (and Men) Want? Entrepreneurial Expectancies of Women and Men Nascent Entrepreneurs", has been ranked on Social Science Research Network's Top Ten download list for Entrepreneurship Research & Policy Network (ERPN) Conferences.
Brush, holder of the Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurship, is division chair. She is well known for her pioneering research in women’s entrepreneurship, and conducted the first and largest study of women entrepreneurs in the early 1980s, resulting in one of the earliest books on the topic. According to the paper, co-authored with Bentley College professors Tatiana S. Manolova and Linda F. Edelman, it is known that women are the majority owners in 30% of privately held firms in the United States. These firms have $2.5 trillion in revenues and employ 19.1 million individuals. Despite the large number of women business owners, little is known about the motivations that women have for starting their own firms. “We discuss the implications of research that shows significant differences in what motivates men and women entrepreneurs,” says Brush. “Men are more often motivated by financial gains, self-realization and autonomy, whereas women find status to be a significant motivating factor.”
With four other researchers Brush founded the Diana Project, a research consortium investigating women’s access to growth capital. Their book, Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High Growth Businesses, was published in 2004. In 2006 she co-edited a book Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurs and their Businesses, A Global Research Perspective.
Professor Brush also has authored several publications on new venture strategies and international entrepreneurship. Her research is published in both management and entrepreneurship journals including Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Executive, and Strategic Management Journal. Professor Brush’s research is often featured in noted popular media including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week on Line, the Boston Globe and Inc.
A frequent adviser to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy on women’s entrepreneurship, Professor Brush also was appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. She serves on the Board of Directors of Camp Starfish, a nonprofit organization sponsoring a camp for emotionally handicapped children.
Brush received her DBA from Boston University, an MBA from Boston College and a BA from the University of Colorado.
