The sum of its parts

Under the radar/micksgarage.ie:Twins Ciarán and Michael Crean are motoring along nicely after setting up Ireland's only online car accessories and parts supplier

The NCT may be the bane of many a motorist's life, but the need to fix broken bumpers and taped-up tail lights to get through the test has proved to be a boon for Dublin- based internet business, micksgarage.ie.

Established in 2004 by twin brothers Ciarán and Michael Crean, micksgarage.ie is Ireland's only online car accessories and parts supplier.

"If you want a head light bulb or a wiper blade for your car, you jump on our website and you can select the make, model, year and you're left with the exact part that will specifically fit your car," says Ciarán.

The company is targeting the cost-conscious car owner who shops around for value and is also starting to attract business from trade customers who are increasingly switching to the internet to order parts.

But why not just go back to the dealer to fix that dodgy head light?

"If you go to any of your brand name dealers you will pay a lot more for the parts we provide," says Michael. "But it's not just about price, it's about convenience. People are so busy. They don't have time to go to their local dealer. In that case, they just order a headlamp, get it delivered directly to their workplace and they can decide to fit it themselves or go to a local mechanic on a Saturday."

Bypassing the dealer channels, the company sources products from the automotive parts suppliers, allowing them to undercut dealers' prices, according to Ciarán

Before starting micksgarage.ie, Michael worked in the auto industry and later moved into IT, where he worked for the likes of Fineos and Pfizer. Ciarán's background was in IT, working for companies such as Accenture, Eircom and Reuters.

Timing can be everything in business; the increasing number of cars on the road, together with the NCT requirement to keep cars in good condition, has been a considerable boost to the company's business - yet it was poor timing that provided the spur to develop the business.

As the aftermath of the dotcom collapse began to hit hard, Michael took time out to travel to Australia for a few months in 2002.

"It was exactly the wrong time to go and exactly the wrong time to come back. There wasn't an IT job in sight so I was sitting in Mayo unemployed for five months."

He used that time to develop a business for selling car parts over the internet.

Ultimately, says Ciarán, they were fortunate in how things turned out. "We originally came up with this idea in 2001, and if we had launched then we would be dead and buried."

Although Michael later returned to work, the nuts and bolts of the business were in place. The company made its first sale in February 2004, and business took off.

"By the summer of 2004 it had picked up such momentum it was actually interfering with our jobs," says Ciarán.

He had heard of the Hothouse year-long programme run by DIT and the Bolton Trust that provides knowledge-intensive start-ups with the expertise, networks and tools they need to develop their businesses.

"When we pitched the business, in reality did we expect to get accepted? I'm not too sure," he says. "But when you get the offer in the door, right there and then you've to make a decision on it. I gave my notice there and then. It was nervy."

The company started with 3,000 products. Within a year this had risen to 12,000 and by August 2006 it had 35,000 products on its site covering everything from roof racks to spark plugs.

Michael continued to work part-time before coming on board fully in August 2006.

The company is now in expansion mode, and recently hired former PR executive Mark Leech as marketing director.

Turnover this year is expected to top €1 million and the brothers are forecasting this to rise to €2.5-€3 million next year when the company plans to launch in Britain.

It recently launched www.mickcars.ie which allows dealerships and consumers to post their second-hand cars for free, an initiative that is generating a lot of cross-business for the company.

"There is a recognised awareness of the maturity of e-commerce," says Ciarán.

"The maturity of the internet shopper certainly allowed us to grow."

On The Record

Name:Ciarán Crean.

Age:32.

Family:single but is due to get married this summer.

Background:Originally from Mayo, he studied IT in Kevin Street in Dublin and worked as an IT consultant for companies such as Accenture, Eircom and Reuters.

Ambition:To develop micksgarage.ie to be the number one supplier of car parts.

Most admired person:My dad, Paddy Crean. He raised six kids and worked two jobs, about 65- 70 hours a week, and he always did it with a smile on his face.

Likes to: fly fish and play football.

Name:Michael Crean

Age:32

Family:single

Background:The Mayo-man studied transport engineering at DIT Bolton Street and worked in the automotive sector for a number of years before he went into IT as a developer.

Ambition:To get to the point to be able to take normal, regular holidays. I haven't had three days off in total in the past two years.

Most admired person:Likes Michael O'Leary for what he has done for aviation but isn't a fan of his customer service model.

Likes to:Go touring on his new motorbike and chill out in coffee shops.