Women entrepreneurs in Brazil reached the highest level ever recorded on this Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, according to a survey by Sebrae. The study shows that more than 10.4 million Brazilian women are business owners, an accumulated growth of around 42% between 2012 and 2024.
The progress occurs in an environment still marked by challenges, but with signs of strengthening female participation in the economy. More recent data indicate that entrepreneurs work mainly in the services sector, which brings together 56.8% of businesses led by women, followed by commerce, with 25.1%. Diversity also draws attention: 50.4% of these entrepreneurs are black women and 48.2% are white women.
The trajectory of Débora Mendonça from Maranhão illustrates this rise. She took over the family business in 2018.
“I usually say that I started entrepreneurship when I was 6 years old, when I sold beads, brigadeiros, keychains and everything I could transform into small opportunities. I wanted to have my own money, but I also demonstrated a very strong entrepreneurial instinct”, he says.
Débora says that, before taking over the company, she took a professional training course.
“It was the first time I formally learned what it was like to be an entrepreneur. The “learning by doing” methodology taught me to focus on results, to solve problems with an entrepreneurial attitude and to work with goals and organization”, he details.
Several institutions offer free entrepreneurial, financial and job market preparation programs. Among them Junior Achievement, where Débora studied, which has the support of around 207 thousand volunteers.
“We believe in entrepreneurial education as a pillar for social transformation. The growth of companies like Débora’s happens thanks to the quality of the products and the wisdom in the way of conducting business. Our mission is to exchange knowledge so that success stories like this become increasingly common”, says Saulo Nunes, executive director of JA Maranhão.
With recent advances and the expansion of female protagonism in different sectors, entrepreneurship led by women continues to expand and is consolidating itself as one of the main forces of social and economic transformation in the country.
Support institutions, innovation in entrepreneurial education and greater representation have been boosting a generation that, according to experts, should continue to play a central role in the country’s economic growth in the coming years. The movement also reinforces the discussion about public policies and more inclusive business environments.
