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Khris Brown started her own voice-production business eight years ago with just $100 and now takes in about $100,000 in annual revenue. Her work — casting and directing voices for films and video games — has been featured in high-profile movies like "Minority Report" and "Star Wars." She could add more clients if she wished.

But Brown is happy keeping the business small, with just a couple of occasional contract employees. "I'd rather have time to breathe and do my best work than a high income that demands I'm spread too thinly," said Brown, 35, whose firm is KBA Voice Production in San Francisco.

Is Brown a small-business success story? Or is she an example of what's wrong with America's female business owners?

Women's business advocates recently joined with companies such as American Express in a national campaign to encourage more women to expand their businesses to the million-dollar sales mark.

They point to the fact that women today are starting businesses at a higher rate than men. But women remain underrepresented when it comes to ownership of midsize and large companies.

For instance, U.S. Census data show that fewer than 4 percent of female-owned businesses have revenue of $500,000 or more per year, compared with 11 percent of businesses owned by men.

And 46 percent of female-owned businesses are tiny enterprises with revenue of less than $10,000 per year, compared with 30 percent of male-owned businesses.

Leaders of the Make Mine a Business campaign say that both society and individuals will benefit if more women manage to build large businesses.

The campaign's sponsors include American Express, Cisco Systems, QVC, the National Association of Women Business Owners and Count Me In, a nonprofit group that makes micro loans to female entrepreneurs.

"If we get a million women-owned businesses at the million-dollar level, that will mean 4 million new jobs and $700 billion added to the economy," said Nell Merlino, CEO of Count Me In, who previously created Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

Some observers wonder whether there is a need to single out women business owners for help.

"The world is an oyster for women right now," said Sally Pipes, president of the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market think tank. "The opportunities are there, whether they want them or not. … We should focus on removing barriers that keep both men and women from starting their own businesses, such as regulations and the tax burden."

But others say the million-dollar campaign is shining a welcome spotlight on a neglected slice of the business world — enterprises that have moved beyond "start your own business" workshops but still lack capital and other tools for growth.

"In the 1990s, there was a government focus on welfare-to-work, with a lot of attention to micro-financing," said Darlene Crane of PCI Crane Consulting, who is studying the needs of businesses in the $50,000-to-$10 million range. "Then, once you get above $10 million, you're considered investment-quality. There is a 'forgotten middle' of companies with five to 10 employees and a passion to grow but not a lot of money to pay for resources."

While there is no question that relatively few women own large businesses, there is considerable debate and speculation about the reasons. Some reasons suggested by experts are external, such as discrimination. But more of the commonly cited reasons are internal, such as women's skills, goals, fears and priorities. "A lot of this is a mind-set," Merlino said.

Among the possible explanations for women's under-representation in owning bigger businesses:

● Women's recent entry into business ownership. As late as 1974, women were not allowed to hold credit in their own names in some states.

"Men have been in business longer, and part of what helps you get to a larger size is just time," said Sharon Hadary, executive director of the Center for Women's Business Research in Washington.

● Lingering discrimination. Banks and other business organizations have opened their doors to women, and many actively court female business owners as a market. But some women still say they have trouble penetrating "old boy networks" of potential customers and clients.

● Lack of financial skills. "To grow your business, you really need to understand the numbers," Merlino said. "Often women get very enamored with the product or service they're providing, and they aren't as enamored with the numbers."

● Fear of taking on debt. A study by the Center for Women's Business Research showed that women were less likely to use or seek credit than men, even when running comparably sized businesses. "A lot of women are so proud of themselves and say, 'I've never borrowed any money,' " Merlino said. "But to grow, you've got to reach out to other people" for capital.

● Different goals. While both men and women go into business for reasons like independence and flexibility, women typically bear more household and parenting responsibilities. Many women choose a small or part-time business as a way to accommodate their family commitments.

Barbara Moser is one. Moser left a big San Francisco law firm and started a two-lawyer practice in 1995 to have a flexible schedule for raising her children. Her firm, Kaye Moser, has grown to three attorneys and $900,000 in revenue. But Moser doesn't want to see it get much bigger.