Forum of Private Business

What Forum of Private Business does

Forum of Private Business is a not-for-profit business support organisation founded in 1977 and operating as a trading division of rradar Limited, an SRA-authorised and regulated licensed body based in the United Kingdom. Its core offering is a tiered annual membership (priced from £180+VAT for sole traders up to £540+VAT for medium-sized businesses, with custom pricing for 250+ employee accounts) targeted at privately-owned UK small and medium businesses. Members receive access to a Business and Legal Helpline with full legal privilege, a 24-hour crisis line, monthly newsletters, webinars, advocacy representation to government, and a partner network offering discounts across finance, insurance, legal services, purchasing, healthcare, marketing, PR, health & safety, payments, technology, and pensions.

The product stack combines human advisory with two proprietary digital assets: rradarstation, an online library of over 400 articles and templates, and rradargrace, an intelligent legal assistant available online and via a mobile app. In 2020 the organisation introduced a Risk Dashboard intended to shift delivery from reactive helpline support toward proactive, tailored compliance and risk advice based on the specific risks each member business faces. Members access benefits either via self-serve online sign-up or through an inside-sales motion where membership advisors phone new members to walk them through the offering.

The go-to-market is sales-led and domestic, distributed via the fpb.org website, a phone helpline (01565 626 001), and email, with annual subscriptions auto-renewing subject to 30 days' cancellation notice. The organisation is headquartered in Hull with operational addresses in Knutsford and Bramhall (the latter serving as the data controller for GDPR purposes), and operates exclusively in the United Kingdom excluding Southern Ireland. No revenue, member count, or headcount is disclosed; the parent rradar Limited is the SRA-regulated entity through which all legal services are delivered.

Name

Forum of Private Business

Legal name

rradar Limited

Website

https://fpb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forum of Private Business is a UK not-for-profit business support organisation (founded 1977) offering tiered annual memberships to privately-owned SMBs that bundle a legal-privileged helpline, risk dashboard, online resource library (rradarstation), intelligent legal assistant (rradargrace), webinars, and a discounted partner network, delivered as a trading division of rradar Limited.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knutsford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to business and legal helplines, online resources (rradarstation, rradargrace), templates, partner discounts, and webinars. Pricing tiers based on business size from sole traders to large enterprises. Subscriptions auto-renew annually unless cancelled with 30 days notice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Forum of Private Business sells annual membership subscriptions to UK small and medium businesses (0–250+ employees), granting access to a Business and Legal Helpline, 24-hour crisis line, Risk Dashboard, and proprietary tools rradarstation (online resource library of 400+ articles/templates) and rradargrace (intelligent legal assistant). Membership is tier-priced from £180+VAT (sole trader) to £540+VAT (medium business), with bespoke pricing for 250+ employees and group/custom contracts.

Product overview

Forum of Private Business is a not-for-profit business support organization (founded 1977) offering a membership-based platform providing UK small businesses (0-250+ employees) with compliance, legal, and advisory services. The core offering is the Forum Membership, which bundles access to the Business and Legal Helpline, a Risk Dashboard, and 24-hour crisis support. Members also gain access to two digital resource tools: rradarstation (an online library of 400+ articles and templates) and rradargrace (an intelligent legal assistant available online and via mobile app). Additional benefits include webinars, partner network discounts across finance, insurance, legal services, technology, and other areas, plus advocacy representation. The organization is a trading division of rradar Limited, an SRA-authorized and regulated licensed body.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• rradarstation: An online library with practical, jargon-free knowledge and advice, featuring over 400 articles and templates for business risk management.
• rradargrace

Products and services

• Forum Membership Tiered annual membership (Sole Trader £180+VAT, Micro 1–4 employees £240+VAT, Small 5–49 employees £360+VAT, Medium 50–250 employees £540+VAT, Large 250+ on application) for UK privately-owned businesses, bundling helpline access, Risk Dashboard, partner discounts, webinars, newsletter and advocacy services.
• Business and Legal Helpline Helpline service with full legal privilege available by call or email ([email protected], 01565 626001) Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, giving members access to in-house advisors for business, legal, employment, tax and HR queries.
• Risk Dashboard Proactive risk monitoring tool that delivers tailored advice based on the specific risks each member business faces, helping ensure compliance and reduce the risk of negative issues.
• rradarstation Online library containing over 400 articles and templates providing practical, jargon-free knowledge and advice to help members answer business queries and educate themselves on specific risks to their business and sector.
• rradargrace Intelligent legal assistant for business, available online or as a mobile app, giving members access to hundreds of articles, templates and guides to answer queries and understand business risks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members avoid financial costs and time/stress involved in dealing with issues by getting proactive preventative advice

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• rradar LimitedcoreTechnology or Integrationrradar Limited is the parent company and trading division of The Forum of Private Business, FPB and the Forum of British Pubs. All regulated legal services are provided by rradar Limited, an SRA authorised and regulated licensed body. The company operates the legal technology platforms rradarstation and rradargrace used by Forum members.
• Finance PartnersminorOthersAccess to funding, improving cash flow, advice on credit and debt plus a free financial health check.
• Insurance PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree review of existing cover and tailored discounted insurance solution for Forum members.
• Legal Services PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEmployment, Tax and HR advice as well as the free helpline and discounted specific legal services. 10% discount on commercial rates across all specialist areas for training, consultancy and legal representation.
• Purchasing PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides buying power and purchasing know-how with large savings for small businesses.
• My Health PA (Healthcare Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround-breaking new service working with both the NHS and Private Healthcare providers to deliver Forum members a cost-effective alternative to Private Medical Insurance.
• Marketing PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccess to marketing services built around your business with a Forum discount, including business planning, continuity, and succession planning.
• Press and PR PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR management service providing a platform to get brand name in front of journalists, commentators and interviewers.
• Health and Safety PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted, practical Health and Safety support services for small to medium-sized companies in the UK, supported by the Forum's Health and Safety guide.
• Payment Services PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMerchant services, discounted terminals, tailored contracts and online payment solutions.
• Pensions PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUp to date pension advice.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CBI (Confederation of British Industry): UK's premier business membership organisation focused primarily on larger employers but providing advisory, lobbying, and networking services. Comparable to FPB in membership-based business advocacy, though serving larger enterprise segments.

Others

• rradar Limited: Parent company and regulated legal services arm of the Forum of Private Business, providing SRA-authorised legal representation and the rradarstation/rradargrace platforms. Directly comparable because of shared infrastructure, but acts as supplier/parent rather than peer competitor.
• Simplyhealth: UK health solutions provider offering health plans, dental, and wellbeing services to individuals and businesses. Comparable as a partner-category provider (similar to My Health PA partnership) and as a complementary SMB benefits supplier.
• Bibby Line Group: Diversified financial services group offering invoice finance, insurance, and SME support. Adjacent to FPB through the partner network, particularly on finance and insurance categories, though operating with a commercial rather than membership model.
• Markel UK: UK insurer specialising in niche commercial lines including professional indemnity and liability for SMEs. Comparable to FPB via the insurance partner channel and the SMB target segment, with overlap on risk-management content.

Direct peers

• Peninsula Group: UK-based provider of HR, employment law, and health & safety services to SMBs, including 24-hour advice lines and retainer-based legal support. Highly comparable to FPB on employment-law compliance, helpline model, and SMB target segment, though commercial rather than not-for-profit.
• Institute of Directors (IoD): UK membership organisation for company directors offering legal helplines, templates, training, and policy advocacy. Comparable to FPB in tiered membership, business advisory services, and lobbying function, though with a more senior/experienced member demographic.
• British Chambers of Commerce: National network offering chamber membership to UK businesses, including legal/HR templates, networking, and policy advocacy. Comparable to FPB in horizontal SMB focus, advocacy role, and tiered membership pricing model.
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): The UK's largest membership organisation for small businesses and the self-employed, providing legal advice, helplines, tax support, and lobbying. Directly comparable to FPB in target market (UK SMBs), revenue model (annual subscriptions), and value proposition (compliance + advisory).
• Croner (formerly Croner-i): Provides HR, employment law, health & safety, and tax advice to UK businesses via subscription and retainer. Comparable to FPB on compliance advisory and SMB focus, with overlapping risk-dashboard-style content libraries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-of-private-business

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum of Private Business