Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Flippa.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable surge in individuals embarking on new business ventures.
More individuals are exploring opportunities in entrepreneurship, but many lack visibility into how much these new business ventures might actually earn.
To help prospective business owners better understand their earning potential, Flippa — the largest online marketplace for buying and selling businesses — analyzed its internal data of more than 25,000 profitable businesses listed on its platform over the past two years.
Financial performance of online businesses varies significantly by business type. E-commerce, service-oriented, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) businesses tend to be the top earners when compared to marketplace, mobile app, and content-based ventures.
The following is a breakdown of average monthly revenue by business age and business type. Monthly revenue for the top quartile and top 10% of businesses are also listed for context.
App, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $592
- Top quartile: $257
- Average: $129
Content, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $1,586
- Top quartile: $724
- Average: $198
E-commerce, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $70,018
- Top quartile: $29,691
- Average: $7,624
Marketplace, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $400
- Top quartile: $327
- Average: $167
SaaS, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $5,400
- Top quartile: $2,688
- Average: $885
Service, 0-1 years
- Top 10%: $499
- Top quartile: $499
- Average: $205
App, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $12,688
- Top quartile: $5,391
- Average: $1,831
Content, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $2,678
- Top quartile: $1,233
- Average: $372
E-commerce, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $78,846
- Top quartile: $37,770
- Average: $10,334
Marketplace, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $2,213
- Top quartile: $992
- Average: $313
SaaS, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $5,137
- Top quartile: $2,882
- Average: $923
Service, 1-2 years
- Top 10%: $11,786
- Top quartile: $6,142
- Average: $2,327
App, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $4,500
- Top quartile: $1,981
- Average: $637
Content, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $2,362
- Top quartile: $7,147
- Average: $338
E-commerce, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $49,447
- Top quartile: $24,464
- Average: $6,862
Marketplace, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $5,597
- Top quartile: $2,749
- Average: $856
SaaS, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $8,570
- Top quartile: $4,535
- Average: $1,699
Service, 2-3 years
- Top 10%: $19,634
- Top quartile: $9,384
- Average: $3,047
App, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $32,974
- Top quartile: $14,494
- Average: $3,855
Content, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $9,887
- Top quartile: $4,615
- Average: $1,298
E-commerce, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $155,577
- Top quartile: $78,336
- Average: $22,292
Marketplace, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $56,082
- Top quartile: $27,085
- Average: $7,436
SaaS, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $140,285
- Top quartile: $70,187
- Average: $19,389
Service, 3+ years
- Top 10%: $116,765
- Top quartile: $53,625
- Average: $14,474
Methodology
The statistics presented in this study represent profitable businesses listed on the Flippa Marketplace between January 2022 and the present. All figures listed are monthly.
