The Globe & Mail recently profiled American-born entrepreneur Jennifer McNeill, vice-president and chief executive officer of Calgary-based CipherSoft Inc.

In this interview, McNeill, a “cross-border entrepreneur” who has lived and worked in both the U.S. and Canada, commented on some of the differences between American and Canadian business culture.

She said, “Canadian organizations sometimes hold themselves back because they lack the confidence of American companies.”

As she explains:

If I am working with a U.S. business person who is talking about their company, the sky is the limit for them. They are going to do whatever it takes to get wherever they need to go.

But when you are dealing with Canadians, they may say, “Well, I made $200,000 last year. I got to travel, and I’m going to the beach. In the winter months I spend two to three months in Phoenix, so I am completely happy.’

The hunger is not there – which is not necessarily a bad thing because the quality of life in Canada is much better. But when it comes to the business world, in small to medium-sized businesses especially, they limit themselves on what they can do.

McNeill was born and raised in Alabama, and at age 30, she relocated to Calgary to work for a high-tech company, Cipher Systems. She eventually rose to become Cipher Systems’ CEO, before selling the company. She subsequently co-founded CipherSoft in 2002.

With dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, she now splits her time between Calgary and Las Vegas.

Here’s a link to the complete interview: A serial entrepreneur on both sides of the border.

What do you think? Can entrepreneurial drive and good quality of life co-exist? Have you found other significant differences between the business environment in Canada and in your home country?

Photo by dherrera_96 (flickr)