Buying Essential Businesses

Helping boomers exit their profitable, cash flow generating business

Silver Oyster Investments Ltd is a HoldCo firm solely focused on strategic acquisitions within the Irish & UK SME market. Silver Oyster Investments actively identify, evaluate, and qualify acquisition opportunities among Ireland’s profitable small businesses, particularly those impacted by the ‘Silver Tsunami’—where owners nearing retirement lack a defined succession or exit plan. Our focus is on essential, resilient, and evergreen industries, targeting businesses with robust, pressure-tested financials. Each selected acquisition features a clear leadership succession plan and a well-supported roadmap for generating sustainable, continuous cashflow.

IRELAND: THE ‘SILVER TSUNAMI’ OPPORTUNITY

The structure, fragmentation, and dynamics of the Irish SME market are driving a sharp increase in retirement-driven sales and, in many cases, closures of profitable, essential, and evergreen businesses. Many owners find themselves seeking last-minute exit solutions; however, the majority of these sales do not succeed. One buyout firm estimates that 80% of SMEs fail to secure a buyer, leaving owners with a difficult choice: either close the business to retire or continue working beyond their planned exit

278k

Irish SMEs

18k

6% have 10-49
employees

33%

Nearing Retirement
(Owner age 55+)

80%+

Have no clear
succession plan

~5,000

Businesses

CLEAR INVESTMENT CRITERIA AND AMBITION

Drawing on our extensive experience in acquisitions, integrations, growth, and business management, we take a highly selective approach, advancing only those deals that meet our rigorous investment criteria. A key requirement for each acquisition is the identification and placement of a suitable business operator before completion—often the seller, who is incentivized to facilitate a structured, multi-year transition.

DISTRIBUTED, VARIED OPPORTUNITIES

STANDARD INVESTMENT PROCESS

Revenue

€1m to €10m

EBITDA

Min €300k; Min 10% EBITDA Margin

Operator

Existing MD / Team promotion / External hire

Longevity / Tenure

Min 10 years in business; longer preferred

Exit reason preferred

Retirement

Enterprise Value

2x to 4x

Transaction structure

50-70% up-front, remainder earned over 2-3 years

INterested in Selling your business?
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