Ian jointly heads up the business client division at our Ely office, where he is a resident partner. He helps clients start, run and exit their SME businesses, advising them how to create and protect value. As a self-confessed 'techie', he has developed a particular interest in acting for TechCo's.
Outside of work, now that his rugby playing days are behind him, he likes to spend his spare time on sunny days exploring the Fen waterways in a kayak.
If you operate a trade through a limited company, and your ‘numbers’ are big enough, then there are some scenarios where it is often best advice to insert a parent company above this trading company, to create a simple group structure: As a risk management measure, to enable valuable assets (eg business premises, investment property,…
For some businesses having a strong credit rating is fundamental to their future success. It can affect availability of supplier credit, the ability to borrow and eligibility to be on customer/prospect tender lists as an approved supplier. For many other businesses, however, this credit rating is totally irrelevant. Experian is one of the major rating…
Those businesses with comprehensive commercial insurance cover will possibly be covered for ‘business interruption’. This cover will typically include losses arising from events that close or severely disrupt operations. The COVID pandemic has already led to many claims under this. The insurance industry (as you might expect?) has warned that few policies are likely to…
Whitings helped the owners of a leisure business sell up and move on to their next venture. This client had purchased the business as a going concern 15 years ago. They had spent the time since working in, improving and growing the business. When an unexpected offer arose from a national chain trying to establish…
The government is to increase the earliest age pension savers can access their pension pots from 55 to 57, wef 6 April 2028. Members of the firefighters, police and armed forces public service schemes will not be affected by this increase.
As we are hopefully now at the start of the end for Covid related business activity disruption. The accounts of local SME’s are now starting to show part of the damage they have experienced through the lock-downs and associated restrictive measures. The overall effect upon turnover for the year-ends of 2020 has not been as…
From 1 October 2021, to be eligible to apply for public sector contracts over £5m pa, suppliers must have Net Zero Carbon Reduction Plans in place. These will be required to demonstrate a commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 in the UK: Taking Account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the Procurement of Major Government…
Whitings, The Corporate Finance Network’s representative firm in Cambridgeshire, has enabled the owner of a specialist construction business to sell-up and retire early. The Whitings team, through one of their regular catch-ups with the business owner (early 50’s), sensed that he was ready for early retirement. With the business sale market currently so fertile, and…
As 1-Jan-21 draws ever nearer what changes should your SME business prepare to adopt ready for Brexit: Exporting Goods to the EU Despatches are renamed exports. Apply for an EORI number (which will look something like: GB123456789123). Check whether what you sell is a restricted good that requires an export licence. Check whether there are…
Business owners who have built up a valuable private investment company (holding cash, private or quoted equity and/or property), accumulated either from scratch or after the sale of a trading company subsidiary, will be all too aware that the lack of entitlement to Business Property Relief (BPR) creates a problematic inheritance tax (IHT) exposure –…
