Breaking into Business Brokerage: How Women are Redefining a Traditionally Male-Dominated Industry

March 31, 2026 // Franchising.com // Palm Coast, Fla. – As more women pursue entrepreneurship and business ownership, some industries are seeing faster progress than others. In business brokerage, a field critical to helping entrepreneurs buy and sell businesses, women still represent just 17% of professionals, underscoring a long-standing gender gap.

At We Sell Restaurants, that dynamic is beginning to shift. A sizable share of the nation’s largest restaurant brokerage franchise territories are now owned by women or women-led partnerships. The organization supports this trend through its WOW: Women of We Sell Restaurants initiative.

“Business brokerage hasn’t always been an industry where women were well represented,” said Robin Gagnon, Co-Founder and CEO of We Sell Restaurants. “What we are seeing now is more women stepping into ownership, building multi-unit businesses, and proving that success in this field comes down to expertise and execution.”

The “WOW” network reflects a broader shift in how women are entering entrepreneurship—often through non-traditional paths with diverse professional backgrounds. The result is a growing community of women who are participating in business brokerage.

This momentum is not happening by chance; leadership by women in charge has helped shape both the brand and the franchising and business brokerage industry by building a model where performance and opportunity, rather than background, define success. Gagnon has served on the Board of Directors for the International Franchise Association where she has held roles including Chair of the Women’s Franchise Committee and was Chair of the Franchisor Forum. She is also the recipient of the Crystal Compass Award, recognizing individuals who have made a lasting impact on the industry.

Women to Watch: Turning Opportunity into Ownership

Around the We Sell Restaurants system, WOW members are translating opportunity into measurable outcomes.

• Brittney Gates has grown from an administrative role into a multi-unit owner.
• Debra and Samantha Sawyer, a mother-daughter team, have built a multi-unit ownership footprint.
• Allison Gregory, expanded to a second territory within her first year while stepping into leadership roles with the Colorado Association of Business Broker Intermediaries and speaking roles with the International Business Brokers Association.
• Andrea Szabo is involved in activities related to the brand in Maryland.

“I started behind the scenes, learning how the business worked day by day,” said Brittney Gates, Multi-unit franchise owner of We Sell Restaurants. “That experience gave me the confidence to step into ownership, and now I’m building something I never would have imagined at the start.”

According to the 2025 FDD Item 19, franchisees earned income from commissions, and a large share of franchisees brokered sales totaling substantial amounts.

*This information appears in Item 19 of our current FDD – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE We Sell Restaurants

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