In Nov 23 I moved back to Ireland after nearly 10 years in the US.
I wanted to buy an Irish software business (or two) and struggled to find anywhere to source opportunities. Previously I had been buying one very 18 months through platforms like acquire.com.
At the same time, my Aunt asked me to help her sell her food business in Waterford – a legacy business – over 32 years of operating a family business and when planning retirement, realized there was value in their model, customer list, recipes and brand IP.
And so the idea for Bizmark.ie was born – a platform where anyone can sell or buy a business – whether it be a codebase, a SaaS startup, a family manufacturing business or a shop. All in confidence and with all the tools you need to make it happen. At a fraction of the traditional cost.
Here’s why I believe the time to build this is now.
- The Silver Tsunami Is Real — and It’s Here
Tens of Thousands of Irish business owners are approaching retirement. (According to numerous sources, more than 1.5m business owners in Ireland and the UK will retire in the next five years.)
These are the people who’ve built trade businesses, software companies, cafés, gyms, clinics, shops — the heart of our towns and neighbourhoods.
But many of them have no succession plan. No family member taking over. No clear path to exit. And no obvious place to list their business for sale.
This “silver tsunami” of retirements is a slow-moving crisis. Without intervention, many of these businesses will quietly wind down. Decades of hard work — gone. Local jobs lost. Community hubs shuttered.
It’s not because these businesses are failing. It’s because there’s no system in place to pass the torch.
Traditionally, they’ve used their accountant who with the best will in the world has a very limited network.
2. The Next Generation is Locked Out of Ownership
At the same time, younger generations in Ireland are grappling with a very different problem: a lack of access to wealth-building opportunities.
Property is unaffordable. Starting a business from scratch is risky, slow, and capital-intensive. And corporate life often leaves little room for autonomy or real upside.
But there’s a better way — one that’s hiding in plain sight.
Buying a small to medium sized business with a track record, customers, cash flow, and community roots is a smarter and faster route to ownership than starting from zero.
In markets like the U.S., this is already gaining traction. Public figures like Codie A. Sanchez have championed “boring businesses” as paths to freedom and financial independence.
Ireland needs its own version of that playbook. Right now, the problem isn’t a lack of ambition — it’s lack of access.
3. A new economy – the Side-Hustle or Micro-Business
We used to think of “starting a business” as this massive, all-or-nothing leap. Quit your job. Get a loan. Hire staff. Take on risk. Go big or go home.
But things have changed, especially since Covid.
Now, starting a business can mean spinning up a Shopify store following a passion. Launching a micro SaaS after work hours. Offering a niche service on the side.
And these so-called “small” businesses? They’re turning into a serious force.
They don’t have big teams or flashy investors. What they do have is lean operations, automation, and creators who understand their customers better than most corporates ever could.
This is the new economy — built by side-hustlers, solopreneurs, and micro-operators. People running real businesses in the margins of their day jobs or between school runs.
The problem? While it’s easier than ever to start something, there’s still no real infrastructure around what happens next.
What if you want to sell your store? Or buy an already-working SaaS? Or take over someone’s service business that’s just coasting?
Right now, your options are pretty limited. Word of mouth.
This is the gap that Bizmark.ie is designed to fill.
4. There’s No Daft.ie for Businesses — And That’s a Problem
If you want to buy a house, you go to Daft. If you want to buy a car, you go to DoneDeal. But if you want to buy a business?
Good luck.
What currently exists is fragmented, opaque, and often hard to access. You might stumble onto a listing buried on a broker’s site. Maybe you’ll hear about something through your accountant’s network. Or maybe you’ll never know the opportunity was there at all.
This broken system benefits no one. Sellers can’t reach buyers. Buyers can’t see what’s available. And brokers — the ones who are trying to help — are stuck working with outdated tools and limited visibility.
The Bigger Vision: An Ownership Economy for Ireland
This isn’t just a platform. It’s a cultural shift.
We want to normalize business ownership as an achievable path — especially for younger professionals who have the drive but not the map. We want to celebrate retirements as milestones, not fade-outs. And we want to keep wealth and knowledge circulating in our communities, not disappearing with each closed shutter.
Ireland has always had a strong entrepreneurial spirit. What we’ve lacked is infrastructure — the digital, trusted systems that support legacy transitions and generational growth.
Bizmark.ie is a step in that direction. It’s not just about matching buyers and sellers. It’s about keeping the heart of Irish business beating — long after the founder steps away.
If you’re a seller, an accountant, a buyer, a broker, or just curious — this is your invitation to be part of something new.
Because the next chapter of Irish entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting from scratch.
It’s also about picking up the torch — and running with it.
