A study released this month by the SBA is called “Are Male and Female Entrepreneurs Really That Different?” and poses some very interesting points.

According to the study, gender does not affect new venture performance. That’s refreshing to hear and about what I would have expected. What caught me off guard is that it appears the differences in women entrepreneurs’ preferences, motivation, and expectations accounted for the discrepancy in what they deemed business success. The good news is if a woman decides she wants to start and grow her business and is willing to do what it takes to get there, there is no reason she can’t. The bad news is (and I am not sure that this is necessarily bad) women don’t seem to go into business with high expectations.

One of the other interesting factors brought out in the report is the different reasons men and women start businesses. The study found that men are more likely to list making money as one of their top reasons for starting a business while flexibility was among tops for women. From what I have seen, that does not mean that women are not interested in making money. Rather, we see our business as perhaps more holistic than just a financial opportunity. In many cases, I have observed that many women are also lacking the confidence or the tools they need to build a business, which is what drove my targeting The ParentPreneur Edge at women entrepreneurs.

I find it interesting, too, that the SBA survey seemed to focus on venture size among other things as an indicator of success. I have issue with that – is high growth and more zeroes the only measure of accomplishment? It isn’t all about size. Most women business owners I work with view their businesses much broader than that. For them, it is about building something bigger than them as well as providing a positive impact on customers, employees, and the community. Making a decent living is certainly in there as well, but it isn’t usually ego-driven big for big’s sake. Perhaps it is time to broaden our perspective and look at a more universal definition of business success.

Ultimately what I took away from this report is that women can do it if they so choose. We can go out there and build high-growth businesses, get funded, and reach what others might deem success. But is that what we want to do? If so, then according to this study women have the same chances to be successful as men, though I suspect some women would argue that they still see barriers. According to the research, however, success by traditional and strictly financial definitions may not be what all women want.

Take a look at the full report and let me know what you think!