In the latest instalment of our digital one to one series, our Business Editor, Rory Jackson, speaks with Jan-Jaap Minnema about breaking trends and influencing people in the superyacht industry. In this 30-minute-long candid conversation, Minnema and Jackson discuss some of the salient points regarding the superyacht brokerage market in a post-lockdown world as well as the necessity for industry players to share information – a topic which is becoming increasingly popular in our digital dialogue series.

Jan-Jaap Minnema is an ex-skipper who over the years has acquired a comprehensive experience of the business and pleasure of superyachts both onboard and off. In his lucrative career, Minnema has successfully purchased, sold or built over 100 pleasure boats, including 40 large yachts (and 4 submarines) ranging from 24 metres to 89 metres in length.

After almost 20 years of buying and selling yachts, Minnema prefers to offer a straight-forward, no-nonsense approach when providing insight into his profession,

“There is no magical mathematical formula that will allow you to sell every superyacht”

Despite this, the Dutch broker urges the need for leading stakeholders to be more transparent with their data and practices. In the eyes of Minnema, it is only possible for the industry to evolve and thrive if businesses learn to be less secretive and share data with one another.

Minnema has utilised his fluency in four languages to ensure his network is one of global proportions. He has represented clients from America, Europe, Russia and the Middle East and was one of the first-ever European brokers to represent Asian clients. This resulted in the successful sale of several 50 metre and 60 metre vessels as well as a record-breaking Asian-built 89 metre new-build project.

While Minnema agrees that the emergence of an ‘age of influencers’ has brought more eyeballs to the world of superyachts, it hasn’t diluted the need for in-depth market knowledge and forthright guidance. Those two distinctions are what Minnema believes to have allowed him to buy and sell superyachts built by 17 different shipyards whilst also bringing a much sought-after specialisation in Dutch-built yachts which today account for over 60% of all his transactions.

Minnema and Jackson also discuss a crucial piece of data that in many ways defines the superyacht market; the fact that almost two-thirds of superyacht sales come from existing clients. Minnema himself has noted that 51% of his sales come from repeat clients. A testament to how well superyacht owners are looked after by the businesses in the industry, or a damning perspective of the industries inability to attract new clients?

To gain further insight and listen to the various conclusions that were reached by Jackson and Minnema on these pertinent topics, watch the video below. Alternatively, you can access the full library of our digital One to One series by clicking here.  If you would like to take part or contribute your thoughts, please contact Eleanor Shepherd.

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