MEMO FROM THE FUTURE

Date: June 30, 2030
FROM: The 2030 Report
TO: Ireland Small Business Owners

SUMMARY: Tech/Digital Hubs Thrive, Traditional Retail Declines

BEAR CASE: Traditional retail collapsed 24-28% (2025-2030). Staff costs (EUR 20-25/hour) prohibitive. Commercial rent in Dublin increased 32-38%.

BULL CASE: Digital/tech SMEs and food/beverage with delivery thrived. Professional services stable. Rural Ireland offered lower-cost operations.

SME Economics

E-commerce/digital SME (monthly):
- Revenue: EUR 30,000-60,000
- Margin: 25-35%
- Net profit: EUR 6,000-18,000/month

Food business with delivery:
- Revenue: EUR 40,000-70,000
- Margin: 32-40%
- Net profit: EUR 12,000-24,000/month

Professional services:
- Revenue: EUR 50,000-100,000
- Margin: 50-65%
- Net profit: EUR 25,000-60,000/month

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NOW (June 2030 Perspective)

1. Tech/digital SMEs thrive in Ireland's tech ecosystem.

2. Food with delivery integration viable profitable model.

3. Professional services most reliably profitable.

4. Traditional retail essentially unviable by 2030.

END MEMO

This retrospective fiction scenario is set in June 2030, imagining how Ireland's SME landscape evolved during 2025-2030.