Services · Business Structuring
Set up right.Built to grow.
Business structure advice for small and medium businesses.
No jargon. No obligation. No hard sell.
Is your business structure still the right fit?
Most businesses choose a structure when they start and never look at it again. Ten years later the business is a different size, with different people, different risks and different plans — but the structure hasn’t changed.
We look at two kinds of structure. Your business structure — sole trader, partnership, company or trust — and how well it suits where you are now and where you’re heading. And your organisational structure — who does what, who reports to whom, and whether your wages bill is working as hard as it should.
We work alongside your accountant and solicitor. We don’t give tax or legal advice. We help you understand your options and what each one means for how the business runs, so the conversation with your accountant is quicker, clearer and better informed.
Signs it’s time to review your structure
- You’ve taken on a partner, investor or family member
- The business has grown well beyond where it started
- You’re planning to buy, sell or hand the business on
- Wages have grown faster than income
- Roles overlap, or everything still runs through you
- Nobody is quite sure who is responsible for what
- You’re opening a new location or division
- You want the business to protect what you’ve built
If even one of these sounds familiar, it’s worth a conversation.
What our business structure review covers
Business structure
How your current set-up fits your size, risk, growth plans and exit plans — and the right questions to take to your accountant.
Organisational structure
Roles, responsibilities and reporting lines, so work doesn’t fall through the cracks — or land on your desk by default.
Wages and productivity
Salary costs as a percentage of income, and where a change to how the team is organised could lift productivity.
Restructuring a business, without the chaos
Restructuring a business doesn’t have to mean upheaval. Often the biggest improvements come from small, deliberate changes — clearer roles, a better reporting line, one system instead of three, or a manager empowered to make decisions you’re currently making yourself.
We help you plan the change in the right order, so the business keeps running while it happens and your people understand why it’s happening.
Buying or selling? Structure matters.
The right structure before and after a sale or purchase can make a real difference to what you pay, what you receive and what you’re exposed to. Get it looked at early. See Business Due Diligence and Selling Your Business.
A typical structuring scenario
Two brothers started a trade business as a partnership fifteen years ago. It now has twenty staff and two sites. Every decision still runs through one of them, wages have grown faster than income, and neither can take a holiday without the phone ringing.
We mapped who actually does what, found where roles overlapped and where work was falling through the gaps, and recommended a simpler reporting structure with a site manager at each location. We also listed the questions about their business structure for them to take to their accountant, who advised on the structural change.
Clear roles, a wages bill that works harder, and owners who can step back from the day-to-day. A typical scenario, based on the kind of businesses we work with. Details are illustrative.
Business structure: common questions
What is a business structure?
Your business structure is the legal form your business operates under — most commonly a sole trader, partnership, company or trust. It affects how the business is run, who is responsible for what, and how it can grow or be sold. Your accountant and solicitor advise on the tax and legal side; we help you understand how each option fits the way your business actually operates.
When should I review my business structure?
Whenever the business changes significantly — taking on a partner or investor, growing well beyond where you started, opening a new location, or planning to buy, sell or hand the business on. If it hasn’t been looked at in five years or more, it’s worth a review.
What does restructuring a business involve?
Restructuring can mean changing the legal structure, the organisational structure, or both. Often it’s a series of small, planned changes — clearer roles, better reporting lines, simpler systems — rather than a single big upheaval. We plan the steps in order so the business keeps running while it happens.
Do you give tax or legal advice on structure?
No. We work alongside your accountant and solicitor, who advise on tax and legal matters. Our role is the business side — how each option would work in practice — so your conversations with them are clearer and quicker.
How much does a business structure review cost?
Our fees are based on the size and turnover of your business. After a free first consultation we give you a fixed price, agreed up front. See Our Fees.
Part of the Business Review Programme
We work with your accountant or finance broker. Whatever the service, we work alongside the advisers you already trust, so our advice and theirs point in the same direction. We share what we find, with your permission, and keep everyone on the same page.
Business structuring is one of the areas we cover in the Business Review Programme, which looks at your Numbers, Systems and Marketing together. If you want the full picture, start there. If you only need help with this one area, we can do that on its own.
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