Professor Jennifer L. Woolley, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, shares valuable insights from her fascinating research, “Love, Labor, and Chocolate: Why Copreneurs Thrive in Craft Businesses.”
In her research “How Life Partners Can Succeed Together in a Craft Business,” Professor Jennifer L. Woolley, along with Jo-Ellen Pozner, explores why romantic partners, known as copreneurs, often thrive in the world of craft entrepreneurship. Focusing on the U.S. bean-to-bar chocolate industry between 2005 and 2019, the study finds that nearly one-third of these businesses were started by couples, a significantly higher rate than in the broader startup ecosystem. More notably, businesses founded by life partners were about half as likely to close, suggesting a strong advantage in longevity and resilience. The research highlights how shared values, deep trust, and seamless role coordination contribute to this success. These findings underscore that when partners are aligned in both purpose and passion, their businesses are more likely to endure and flourish.
Dr. Jennifer’s research and teaching center on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the emergence of firms, industries, and technologies. Her recent work explores the dynamics between founding teams, intellectual property, public policy, and firm performance.
Professor Jennifer Woolley’s research has been featured in top academic journals like Academy of Management Discoveries, Organization Science, and Journal of Business Venturing. A frequent speaker at leading conferences such as the Academy of Management and Strategic Management Society, she also serves on the editorial board of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Her work has earned several prestigious awards, including the EGOS Best Paper Award and the Heizer Award. Prior to academia, she worked in finance and consulting roles with firms such as Ericsson Wireless and Ashley Kumar & Company.
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