Why Focus on Staffing Creates the Strongest Investment Platform
At Pareto at Work, our origins lie in the M&A advisory, a house we founded to support entrepreneurs in the staffing industry. Over the years, we have guided numerous staffing companies through their most critical transitions: Why Focus on Staffing Creates the Strongest Investment Platform
At Pareto at Work, our origins lie in the M&A advisory house we founded to support entrepreneurs in the staffing industry. Over the years, we have guided numerous staffing companies through their most critical transitions: acquisitions, mergers, and sales. These experiences have given us something rare and valuable – a deep understanding of how the Dutch flex market operates from the inside out.
Through Exit in Flex, we worked closely with founders. We witnessed where their businesses thrived and where they struggled. We saw recurring patterns: companies with strong EBITDA margins and long-term contracts created lasting value, while others without clear focus or scale were forced to compete on price, losing ground in a competitive market. We also observed that most staffing companies lacked the back-office infrastructure and capital to expand beyond their niche.
This insight shaped our conviction: success in the flex market comes not from spreading resources thinly across many sectors, but from concentrating on what we know best. That conviction became Pareto at Work.
We chose to focus exclusively on staffing, brokerage, and recruitment technology. Unlike generalist private equity funds that chase multiple industries, we believe depth is more powerful than breadth. By focusing solely on staffing:
- We leverage unparalleled market knowledge and long-standing relationships.
- We identify attractive deals before they are broadly available.
- We can support entrepreneurs with highly specific expertise, not generic financial advice.
- We create synergies between acquisitions that truly add value across the group.
In a €20 billion market that remains fragmented and ripe for consolidation, this focus is not restrictive – it is an advantage. Pareto knows where value is created, where risks lie, and how to build a platform that compounds strength over time.
Our journey from Exit in Flex to Pareto at Work reflects one simple belief: focus builds trust, drives discipline, and creates exceptional returns. For investors, that focus is the foundation of a resilient and profitable investment strategy.