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.
