February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The two men, John Ryan and John Ahern, formally launched their website, www.thebusinessshop.ie, in January. The site does what its name suggests — it provides a forum for the buying and selling of Irish businesses. In less than eight months, 99 businesses have been offered for sale on the site along with many franchise opportunities. Almost 20,000 people have browsed the Business Shop’s pages, though it is not known how many actual sales have taken place.
The idea for the site emerged when Ryan and Ahern, who also run a company that facilitates corporate text messaging via cell phone, decided to seek other investment opportunities. They relied on the usual informal network of contacts — accountants, solicitors and business acquaintances — but came up with nothing. It was only then that they realized that there was no obvious way to publicly advertise businesses for sale in Ireland.
“The search for the business became the business itself,” Ahern told the Echo.
The variety of businesses on the sites is startling, as is the difference in the prices being sought. On Tuesday, for example, a tourist hostel was for sale for almost