The evidence is out there: more women in Canada now own businesses and more women in Canada are now engaged in starting businesses. The count varies according to who reports what and where.*
But what our brokerage can report firsthand is that more women today are selling businesses and buying businesses:
- The percentage of women clients selling businesses is around 20 percent, and
- The percentage of women clients buying businesses is around 30 percent.
- Other members of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) have also experienced an increasing percentage of business sales and purchases by women.
I was pointed recently to an online article in Entrepreneur on why women entrepreneurs should consider buying a business. The article was accompanied by a large infographic “Women and Acquisitions” that showed dramatically how only 3 percent of women were involved as buyers and 7.5 percent of women were involved on the buy-side or sell-side of an acquisition. And of those selling their business 50 percent were involved in female-based niches i.e. home décor, baby and mama. That the infographic was based on a three-year study of women participation in buying or selling online businesses appeared in smaller type.