10 Real Questions About Buying & Selling an Irish Business

Every week I get some version of the same handful of questions — from owners wondering what their business is worth, and from buyers wondering where the good ones are hiding. Most of those conversations happen one-to-one and never go further than that.

Starting this month, the best ones go here instead. Ten below — names and details changed, but every question is one we hear on repeat. Got one of your own? There’s a form at the bottom. Yours could be next month’s.

Sarah, Cork“How much is my business actually worth?”

Not your turnover, and not what you privately think it should be worth after years of graft. Buyers value owner’s earnings — your profit plus your own wage added back — and multiply it by somewhere between 2x and 4x, depending on the sector, how recurring the revenue is, and how much of the business would survive you leaving.

A café doing €60k of owner’s earnings might land €150k–€220k all-in. A service business with recurring contracts and no owner-dependency can push toward the top of that range or beyond. The honest answer is “it depends” — but the number it depends on is owner’s earnings, not turnover.

David, Galway“How long does it actually take to sell a business?”

Realistically, 6–12 months from a real first conversation to money landing in your account. Not the 6–8 weeks people assume from reading about a business that got “snapped up” — that one was usually quietly prepped for a year before it ever went to market. If your timeline is “I want to be out by summer” and it’s already spring, that’s worth a call now, not in May.

Aoife, Dublin“Will my staff or customers find out before I’m ready to tell them?”

Not if the process is run properly. Listings go out anonymised — sector and region, no business name — and anyone interested signs an NDA before they see anything that could identify you. Only a short, vetted list of serious buyers ever gets the real detail. A leak before you’re ready can spook staff, customers and suppliers all at once, so confidentiality isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the first thing we lock down.

Michael, Limerick · buyer“How many people are actually looking to buy a business in Ireland right now?”

More than you’d think — and more than there are businesses for them to buy. Bizmark currently has over 1,000 registered buyers against a live listing book you could count on two hands. If you’re a serious buyer, the shortage isn’t demand, it’s supply. If you’re a seller wondering whether your business would actually sell, that ratio is the most useful number I can give you.

Niamh, Athlone“What do I actually walk away with after fees and tax?”

Less than the headline price — and it catches almost every first-time seller out. Off the top: Bizmark’s success fee (usually around 10%), then anything still owed on the lease or loans tied to the business, then CGT on the gain, which is calculated on gain, not sale price, so your original cost matters too. A €500k sale can land €350k–€380k once all three are accounted for. Not a reason to be discouraged — a reason to ask “what do I walk away with” before you ask “what’s it worth.”

Not tax advice — talk to your accountant about your own numbers.

Tom, Kilkenny · buyer“Can I get a loan to buy a business, or does it have to be cash?”

Most buyers finance it. Current bank appetite for an unsecured or leasehold deal is a 4-year term against 25–30% of your own equity in, with stock treated separately as a 12–18 month bullet loan rather than folded into the main facility. It’s not the 10-year mortgage-style lending people expect from a house purchase, so the cash you need upfront is usually more than buyers first assume — worth modelling before you fall for a listing.

Emer, Waterford“Is my business too small to bother selling?”

No — and this is the one I correct most often. Bizmark exists for exactly this end of the market: cafés, trades businesses, online shops, side projects that turn a real profit but are too small for a corporate finance house to touch. The valuation method doesn’t change because the number is smaller. If it’s making money without you working 60 hours a week to force it, someone will want it.

Paul, Sligo“What makes buyers walk away during due diligence?”

Three things, on repeat: the business is really just you with a company wrapped around it, and nothing survives you leaving. Pricing, supplier terms and processes exist only in your head, not written down anywhere. Or the lease isn’t assignable and the landlord won’t budge. None of these are fatal if you catch them two years out. Most are close to fatal if you’re trying to sell in six months.

Claire, Wexford · buyer“How do you vet listings so I’m not wasting time on a bad one?”

Every business on Bizmark has had its numbers reviewed before it’s listed — not just taken at the seller’s word. That’s the difference between a marketplace and a filtered shortlist. It won’t catch everything (that’s what your own due diligence is for), but it means you’re not starting from zero, wading through owners who haven’t looked at their own accounts properly in years.

Brendan, Mayo“I’m 64 — does my age affect how I should time a sale?”

It can, more than people expect. Retirement Relief gives full relief on a sale to your child without limit if you’re under 66; after that, a cap kicks in. Sell to a third party and it’s capped at €750k under 66, dropping to €500k from 66 on. The difference between selling at 65 and 67 can run to hundreds of thousands in tax, on the same business, for the same money. If you’re in your early-to-mid 60s and even loosely thinking about it, the date matters.

Not tax advice — talk to a qualified advisor about your own situation before you decide anything.

Names and identifying details above are illustrative and anonymised — the questions themselves are the ones we hear, on repeat, from real Irish owners and buyers. Thinking about buying or selling? Get an indicative valuation or browse current listings.