Selling a business for life-changing wealth is a dream, but the personal experience of exiting and then immediately starting over is rarely discussed. Colm Lyon shares his unique journey after selling Realex Payments for €115 million to Global Payments in one of the most admired exits in Irish tech history.

He details the overwhelming sense of relief that followed the deal and explains why seizing the moment to sell is often a superior strategy to waiting for a higher price.

He also explores the crucial value of attracting strategic buyers and explains the actionable steps founders must take to make their business attractive and easily integratable. Colm reveals why he immediately launched his second venture, Fire, to tackle the coming wave of API-first payments and the unexpected role AI now plays in propelling his new business.

Colm Lyon is the Founder and CEO of Fire. He is a founding figure of Irish fintech and sits on the UK Finance Payments Board in London.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Realex sold for strategic buyer value
Relief when your business exit closes
Why selling early is smart strategy
Focus on making business integratable
AI is driving payments innovation

GUEST DETAILS

Colm Lyon is the Founder and CEO of Fire. He is a founding figure of Irish fintech and currently serves as the founding chairman of the Fintech and Payments Association of Ireland. He was given the Outstanding Achievement Award at the National Fintech Awards in 2023 for his contribution to the Irish fintech ecosystem.

MORE INFORMATION

Business Answers podcast, hosted by expert broker Tommy Boyle, explores the intersection of strategic growth, finance, and exit planning for SME owners and directors. Each episode features business leaders providing actionable insights to successfully scale, increase valuation, and build a sellable, sustainable, and profitable enterprise.

This podcast is produced by DustPod.io for BusinessAnswers.ie

QUOTES

A sale is 100% contingent on the buyer wanting it, and you have to have demand for your business. – Colm Lyon

How do we build infrastructure that somebody will be almost jealous of? – Colm Lyon

Try and get your potential buyers to be customers before you enter into any process, so they get to know you. – Colm Lyon

KEYWORDS #BusinessExit #FintechFounder #SellYourBusiness #PaymentInnovation #ScaleUpStrategy