The number of women entrepreneurs offering their businesses for sale online has quadrupled in the past 5 years. Of the 1,200 businesses currently for sale, 17% have a female owner. In 2019, it was less than 4%.
This is evident from a periodic count by Brookz, the largest acquisition platform in the Netherlands. Of the more than 1,200 businesses currently for sale on Brookz, 17% have a woman as owner. Five years ago, the number of selling women entrepreneurs was still marginal: in all of 2019, only 4% of all businesses offered for sale had a woman as owner.
Catching up
The businesses offered by women are particularly active in the E-Commerce & Webshops (food, cosmetics), Business Services (catering, childcare, beauty salon) and Retail (fashion, jewelry, health) sectors. The average revenue of these businesses is relatively small at 350,000 euros. The average revenue of all businesses combined on the Brookz platform is 875,000 euros.
According to Peter Rikhof, founder of Brookz, the increase in the number of businesses offered with a female owner is a logical consequence of a trend that has been going on for some time. 'Women are clearly catching up. In the past decade, the number of female entrepreneurs in the Netherlands has increased by 60%. One in three entrepreneurs is now a woman. We now also see this substantial influx reflected in the outflow, the number of women entrepreneurs who decide to sell their businesses.'
More advice
What is striking is that women have a greater need for help and advice than men. Rikhof: "More than two-thirds of female entrepreneurs opt for an extensive service package, including a business valuation and help in drawing up the sales profile. With men this is just the opposite: there, only one-third choose the comprehensive package.'
