http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/15642/ECO_2011_01.pdf?sequence=1

“We collect information on prenatal testosterone in a large sample of entrepreneurs by measuring the length of their 2nd to 4th fingers in face to face interviews.

Entrepreneurs with higher exposure to prenatal testosterone (lower second to fourth digit ratio) manage larger firms, are matched with larger firms when acquire control and experience faster average growth over the years they manage the firm.

We also find that prenatal testosterone is correlated with elicited measures of entrepreneurial skills such as ability to stand work, and the latter are correlated with firm size.

However, firms run by high-testosterone entrepreneurs have lower profitability as measured by return on assets. We offer evidence that this is because the same biological factor that enhances entrepreneurial skills also induces empire building preferences, which leads high-testosterone entrepreneurs to target a firm size that exceeds the profit maximizing value.”

In this rant, I didn’t step into my other pet theory, values. I do think there is a greater tendency among women to value the self-applied sticky label of “artist” (caveats abound). Culturally, it meshes with the over riding perception of women’s abstract softer edges. It’s a label that’s rewarded socially.

I think the core conflict is cognitive dissonance and resultant defensiveness. If a woman sews as many entrepreneurs in this field do, the woman is -by definition- one with mechanical aptitude. However, the cognitive dissonance develops because she chooses to interpret her skills and aptitude to be a soft as her medium (”artist”). It is not possible to be good at sewing if you lack mechanical aptitude. Lacking such, you’re not even drawn to the endeavor. I think women need to recognize their inherent concrete orderliness to validate and embrace it. Embracing their natural abilities should not threaten their identity as nurturers and care givers. It is rare that women are either or.

At the same time, men are more often socialized to value linear concrete thinking so it only makes sense these practices are more common amongst them. The cognitive dissonance that arises among men are those who consider mechanical aptitude a birth right but should never be permitted to handle so much as a screwdriver (if that) without adult supervision.

May I offer my own theory? Could it be that some right-brained women are conceptualizing the business concepts? Somewhere along the way, left-brained men are running the companies.

I don’t think all women are right-brained and I don’t think all men are left. But I’m wondering if that’s how it is shaking out in this business? (And I’m not in the business – I’m not even sure how I started following your writing Kathleen – I just know that you fascinate me and I enjoy reading your work very much.)

Someone who didn’t fit this mold is Sara Blakely – the creator and owner of Spanx. She was a Georgia Tech student when she came up with the idea of footless hose and Georgia Tech is most definitely a left-brained institute!

Great topic and interesting comments. Actually, when I first read (in your book) your definition of a successful product and how not every design will succeed, I breathed a sigh of relief because I always thought I would never design again if I ever went to market and my products didn’t succeed. Your assurance, Kathleen, that this is the nature of the beast was invaluable. I take criticism of my designs very differently now.

My daughter received compliments on a bag I sewed using the leftover fabric from my son’s cut-off pants. I had only intended it as a shopping bag for grocieries but she thought it was a great fashion item. You never know.

Coming from a long background in sweaters and knits–I learned, at the end of the day, it’s just a garment. This attitude sounds shoddy, but It taught me to edit large collections easily, to work with (and not fight) salespeople and shop owners, and to get the help I need. And, it’s paid off.

–The women I meet in my field (management consulting) seem to want to create jobs for themselves rather than create companies. This is the difference between settling for $60,000/yr of annual service income vs. leveraging expertise to create a company with $6 million in annual sales of both products and services. They tend to think in terms of what they can do personally rather than how they can increase their capacity to go beyond what they can deliver on their own.

–Work/life balance issues do seem to play a role since it takes a lot more work to build a company than it does to just create a job. It’s not something easily done with small children underfoot.

–Women entrepreneurs whose spouses work will usually also assume complete responsibility for the household “since their schedules are more flexible.” This is a trap I fell into myself until my business coach asked how much time I spent on it per week. In reality, the entrepreneur of either gender is the one who should get the lighter load since the financial future of the marriage is at stake.

–There are also real issues about access to the capital needed to grow a company from $60K to $6mil – less so in the consulting world but much more in an industry like fashion. Women seem to have more difficulties asking – and they face a more discouraging climate when they do ask – which sets up a vicious circle that seriously impacts women entrepreneurs.

–I also agree that men are more likely to abandon unpromising projects even if they feel passionately about them. I’ve seen a lot of women “entrepreneurs” (in quotes because they barely make a living for themselves) who continue in a business that’s not working long after it’s time to turn out the lights. I don’t see that as often with men. The antidote to this is a clear line in the sand about what the return on investment needs to be to continue.

I don’t think passion or attachment to “babies” is really the problem. I’ve seen many a male entrepreneur get attached to his ideas, with disastrous results. Both men and women need both driving passion and the ability to receive objective feedback. As a man is more likely to bring in outside expertise, he is more likely to receive this feedback and be comfortable with it. He knows it’s not personal – it’s just business.