A LIMERICK business owner is hoping to make a positive impression when he appears on RTE programme ‘Dragons Den’ on Sunday night.
Keith McGuigan, originally from Raheen and now living in Mayorstone, will pitch his business MarketDirect.ie to the dragons as he seeks €50,000 for a 20 per cent stake in the firm.
MarketDirect.ie is an online company which sells quality produce from Irish craft workers and tradespeople, and Keith came up with the idea after identifying a market niche.
He explained: “I have two young kids and, a couple of years ago, I found that I couldn’t get to the Milk Market in town. It was hard to get time to go out and it was too busy in there on a Saturday to bring a buggy around. I thought there must be another way so I looked online and I couldn’t find anything which sold quality Irish produce.
“I have a passion for helping small Irish businesses and when I did my market research I found that most of them weren’t online, and I couldn’t find the others online because they didn’t have the time, money or expertise to set up a proper website.”
MarketDirect.ie helps Irish traders by selling their produce online with no setup fee and no risk for the craftsperson, with Keith’s company taking a 10 per cent commission on any products sold.
He had worked as a chartered accountant for 14 years prior to establishing his own business, a decision that he made with his head as well as his heart.
“I had always wanted to set up my own business and, when I was doing my research, I realised that I had a choice to make. I could continue what I was doing or I could follow my dream and take a leap of faith.
“I told myself that if I didn’t go for it, I wouldn’t be able to look my children in the eye and tell them to follow their dreams. I also looked at the financial side of it and realised that we wouldn’t end up on the street, so I’ve no regrets.”
Speaking about the Dragons Den experience, Keith said: “I’m delighted to get the opportunity. I have a lot of experience in presenting to groups of people, but this is a different ball game going to face five people and a camera. “You’ll have to watch the show to see how I get on!”
Keith will make his TV appearance on RTE One on Sunday May 4 at 9:30pm.
