ASTUTE PLANNING LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £20.0k | £28.4k |
| Current assets | £17.9k | £27.8k |
| Net assets | £20.0k | £28.4k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-05-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ASTUTE PLANNING LIMITED
- 2012-10-16➕COLWELL, Iain Forbes appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Iain Forbes Colwell Individual · British · DOB 02/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 16/10/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
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