Forbes Burton

What Forbes Burton does

Forbes Burton is a UK-based business advisory and insolvency firm operating as a Private Limited Company (Forbes Burton Limited, company number 07008466) that serves small to medium-sized UK limited companies and their directors. The firm is organised around three service pillars: Business Performance & Growth (Strategic Reviews, Growth Planning, Acquisitions, Marketing/Sales Consulting, Finance Broking), Exit Strategy (Exit Planning, Business Sale Advisory, Administrative Dissolution, Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation, Interim FD), and Crisis Management & Recovery (Business Rescue, Pre-Pack Administration/Restructuring, HMRC Time to Pay, Company Voluntary Arrangements, Bounce Back Loan Help). Its offering is delivered by a senior team including Managing Director Rick Smith (M&A expert), Senior Client Manager Ben Westoby (insolvency/closure specialist), Marketing Manager Chris Leadley, Emma Blyth, and Time to Pay specialist Nicholas Troth, supported by in-house Licensed Insolvency Practitioners — a regulatory credential required to undertake formal CVLs and insolvency procedures.

The underlying technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary: the website is hosted on Hostgator, CRM runs on Zoho, marketing communications are handled via Mailchimp, and website analytics run on Google Analytics, with behavioural retargeting across Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bing and Twitter. The notable digital product surface consists of a suite of free self-service wizard tools — Dissolution Test, Company Restart Test, Time to Pay Qualification Test, and a Free Company Valuation Calculator — which function as triage and lead-capture funnels rather than AI-driven products, alongside downloadable free guides and templates (Business Recovery Toolkit, Cash Flow Forecast Template) hosted as content marketing assets.

The revenue model is project- and engagement-based professional services: fixed fees for procedures such as Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation (~£5,000+VAT, industry standard) and Administrative Dissolution (from ~£250); engagement fees for advisory work (Strategic Reviews, Growth Planning, Exit Advisory, TTP Negotiations); transaction-based fees on Business Sale Advisory engagements (turnover band £100k–£5m); and a no-fee-to-client commercial finance brokerage where revenue is implicitly earned via provider referrals. Distribution is national through five UK regional offices (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Grimsby) supplemented by freephone (0800 975 0380), email enquiries, online qualification tools, and a content-led inbound funnel, all targeting UK SME directors and franchise owners.

Name

Forbes Burton

Legal name

Forbes Burton Limited

Website

https://forbesburton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forbes Burton is a UK business advisory and Licensed Insolvency Practitioner firm serving small to medium-sized limited companies across five UK offices with services spanning growth strategy, business sale advisory, HMRC Time to Pay negotiation, CVAs, and company liquidations and dissolutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Advisory and Insolvency Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Insolvency & Turnaround Advisory (SME/Mid-Market Debtor-Side) (FSAEAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA), Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA), Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG), Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Valuation (BPAHANAJ)

Keywords

• Business advisory services
• Insolvency practitioners
• Company liquidation services
• Business exit planning
• HMRC tax negotiation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory & Consultancy Fees: Fee-based advisory engagements for Strategic Business Reviews, Business Growth Strategy & Planning, Marketing Strategy Consulting, Sales Strategy Consulting, Business Exit Planning, and Interim Financial Director services. Priced per engagement.
2. Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) Fees: Industry-standard cost around £5,000+VAT for a CVL, paid for from sale of company assets or director redundancy claims (~£9,000 average). Post-appointment fees charged when assets sold or debts collected.
3. Administrative Dissolution Fees: Fixed fees starting from around £250 for companies without creditors, considerably cheaper than formal liquidation. Used where companies have no assets/funds.
4. Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) Fees: Engagement-based fees for designing and implementing CVAs that consolidate company debt into affordable monthly payments over typically 60 months.
5. Pre-Pack Administration / Business Restructuring Fees: Fees for Pre-Pack Administration (Company Restart) used when a business model is workable but the existing company is too indebted to continue trading. Often results in phoenix company formation.
6. Business Sale Advisory Fees: Advisory fees on business sales transactions (typically £100,000 to £5m turnover), leveraging broker networks and relationships across multiple sectors.
7. HMRC Time to Pay Arrangement Negotiation Fees: Fees for specialist negotiation of HMRC Time to Pay arrangements, often securing 24-36+ month payment plans for tax arrears.
8. Small Business Loans & Finance Brokerage: Commercial financing introductions to top providers with no fee charged to client; revenue likely from provider commissions/referrals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Forbes Burton is a UK business advisory and insolvency firm delivering paid advisory and formal insolvency services to small and medium-sized limited companies and their directors. Offerings span three pillars — Business Performance & Growth (Strategic Reviews, Growth Strategy, Acquisitions, Marketing/Sales Consulting, Finance brokerage), Exit Strategy (Exit Planning, Sale Advisory, Company Closures, Liquidations, Interim FD), and Crisis Management & Recovery (Rescue, Restructuring, HMRC Time to Pay, CVAs, Bounce Back Loan Help) — delivered through licensed insolvency practitioners and senior consultants across five UK offices.

Product overview

Forbes Burton is a UK-based business advisory and insolvency firm whose offering is structured as three service-line pillars (Business Performance & Growth, Exit Strategy, Crisis Management & Recovery), each containing multiple advisory and insolvency modules rather than a single SaaS product. The Business Performance & Growth pillar bundles Strategic Business Reviews, Business Growth Strategy & Planning, Business Acquisition Advisory, Marketing Strategy Consulting, Sales Strategy Consulting and Business Funding and Finance. The Exit Strategy pillar bundles Business Exit Planning, Business Sale Advisory, Limited Company Closures (Administrative Dissolution), Limited Company Liquidations (Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation) and Interim Financial Director. The Crisis Management & Recovery pillar bundles Business Rescue And Recovery, Business Restructuring (including Pre-Pack Administration / Company Restart), HMRC Time To Pay Arrangements, Company Rescue Plans, Company Voluntary Arrangements and Bounce Back Loan Help & Advice. Layered on top are cross-pillar support services (Professionals Support Services, Free Mini Business Review), free self-service resources (Free Guides & Resources such as the Business Toolkit and Cash Flow Forecast Template, Events & Webinars), the Businesses For Sale marketplace and a suite of online assessment tools (Dissolution Test, Time to Pay Test, Company Valuation Calculator, Company Restart Test) that triage clients into the relevant paid engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of clients feel 'better' or 'much better' about their situation after their initial call
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HostgatorcoreTechnology or IntegrationHostgator hosts the Forbes Burton website on its servers (US-based). Hostgator is certified compliant with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, enabling GDPR-compliant transfer of European personal data.
• ZohocoreTechnology or IntegrationZoho is used as Forbes Burton's CRM platform. Data is hosted on Zoho's US servers, which are certified under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. Zoho's privacy policy is referenced as one of the opt-out links for remarketing cookies.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationMailchimp is used for Forbes Burton's CRM and marketing communications, with data hosted on US servers certified under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework.
• Google AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Analytics is used to collect and analyse anonymous website usage statistics, with random browser IDs stored in cookies for up to two years. Supports continuous site improvement and remarketing.
• Google (Remarketing/Ads)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle remarketing cookies are used to tailor how Forbes Burton advertises its services when users visit third-party websites (behavioural advertising/retargeting).
• FacebookcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFacebook remarketing cookies are used to tailor how Forbes Burton advertises on third-party sites, and Facebook share/like buttons on the site set cookies for users.
• LinkedIncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLinkedIn remarketing cookies are used to tailor advertisements, and LinkedIn share buttons on the site set cookies for users. LinkedIn is also used as the primary professional social channel for the Forbes Burton senior team.
• Microsoft Bing AdsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBing remarketing cookies are used by Forbes Burton to display tailored advertisements on third-party websites participating in the Bing Ads behavioural advertising programme.
• TwitterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTwitter remarketing cookies are used to tailor how Forbes Burton advertises its services when users visit certain third-party websites.
• TrustpilotcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTrustpilot hosts verified customer reviews for Forbes Burton, linked from the website header and referenced as a trust signal across service pages.
• HMRC (His Majesty's Revenue & Customs)coreOthersHMRC is the UK tax authority and Forbes Burton's primary counterparty for negotiating Time to Pay arrangements. Forbes Burton claims to leverage a 'strong working relationship with HMRC' to secure longer payment plans (24-36+ months) than businesses typically achieve on their own.
• Top Commercial Finance Providers (network)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForbes Burton maintains a network of top commercial finance providers to whom clients are introduced free of charge as part of the business rescue and small business loans service.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FRP Advisory: FRP Advisory is a leading UK restructuring and business advisory firm offering corporate finance, debt advisory, restructuring and insolvency services to mid-market and SME clients — a direct competitor for CVL, CVA and turnaround mandates of the type Forbes Burton handles.
• Leonard Curtis: Leonard Curtis is a UK-wide insolvency, recovery and advisory firm serving SMEs with CVLs, administrations, CVAs, business sales and turnaround consulting — directly comparable to Forbes Burton in target client (UK SME directors) and core service lines.
• Menzies (now part of Sumer): Menzies is a UK accountancy, business advisory and insolvency firm combining restructuring and turnaround services with broader advisory — directly comparable to Forbes Burton's blend of insolvency, exit planning and SME consulting.
• Begbies Traynor Group: Begbies Traynor is one of the UK's largest listed insolvency, restructuring and recovery practices, providing CVLs, administrations, CVAs, business sales and creditor advisory to UK SMEs — directly overlapping Forbes Burton's full three-pillar offering at a larger scale.
• K3 Capital Group: K3 Capital Group is a UK multi-discipline advisory group providing corporate finance, restructuring, business sales and insolvency services — closely aligned with Forbes Burton's SME-focused M&A, exit planning and recovery offerings.
• Quantuma Advisory (now part of Kroll): Quantuma was a major UK restructuring, insolvency and advisory firm serving mid-market and SME clients across CVLs, administrations, business sales and corporate finance — directly competitive with Forbes Burton before its 2022 acquisition by Kroll.

Broad incumbents

• Alvarez & Marsal: Alvarez & Marsal is a global professional services firm with a leading restructuring and turnaround practice that competes for UK mid-market restructuring, advisory and turnaround mandates — a broader incumbent overlapping with Forbes Burton's Crisis Management & Recovery pillar.
• RSM UK: RSM is a large UK and global audit, tax and consulting firm with a dedicated restructuring and insolvency practice serving mid-market and SME clients — overlapping Forbes Burton's advisory and recovery offerings as part of a much wider professional services portfolio.
• BDO UK: BDO UK is a major global accounting and advisory network with a UK restructuring and insolvency practice serving SMEs through large corporates — a broad incumbent whose SME restructuring bench competes with Forbes Burton's crisis and exit pillars.
• Crowe UK: Crowe UK is a mid-tier audit, tax and advisory firm with corporate finance and restructuring capabilities serving UK SMEs and mid-market clients — a broader incumbent offering overlapping advisory services alongside a wider professional services menu.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForbesBurton
• Facebookfacebook.com/forbesburtonltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Forbes Burton