Products & Services/Phase 1 · Discovery/Crisis Business Assessment

Phase 1 · Discovery · Clarity Begins Here

Crisis Business Assessment

The first thing a business in crisis needs is not a solution. It is an honest picture of the situation — because most decisions made in a crisis are made without one.

Crisis business assessment is the rapid, structured evaluation of a business in distress — examining the cash position, the trading performance, the creditor exposure, the operational viability, and the options available — to produce a clear, honest picture of where the business stands and what decisions must be made in what order to stabilise it. We provide the assessment that replaces the fog of crisis with the clarity that makes better decisions possible.

The Pain We Solve

You may recognise yourself in one of these.

Three audience scenarios · because the same service produces a different transformation depending on where you are in the business journey.

Scenario 1

The business owner who knows the business is in trouble but cannot see clearly what the actual position is

The bank account is falling. Creditors are calling. The team is unsettled. And the business owner has not yet been able to get a clear view of the full picture — what is owed, what is outstanding, what the next thirty days look like — because the crisis has consumed all the time that analysis would require.

Scenario 2

The director who needs to understand their personal legal position before making decisions about the business

The business is in trouble. The director is uncertain about their personal liability, their duties under insolvency law, and the actions that could constitute wrongful trading. The decisions being made right now have legal consequences that require understanding before they are made.

Scenario 3

The family member, investor, or creditor trying to understand whether the business can be saved and what it would take

A significant amount of money, time, or credit is at stake. The question — whether the business is viable if the right support is provided — has not been answered with evidence. The assessment produces the answer that informs whether further investment of any kind is justified.

The Impact It Creates

The Moment You Will Feel the Difference.

1

Honest, evidence-based picture of the business's position — cash, trading, creditors, and options

2

Decision-making improved by replacing crisis-driven reaction with structured assessment

3

Director obligations under insolvency law understood and respected

4

Viable recovery options identified and non-viable ones set aside

What You Receive

The Specific Deliverables.

Tangible outputs · documented, dated, and yours to keep.

  • Cash position analysis — runway, creditor exposure, and immediate obligations
  • Trading viability assessment — can the business generate enough cash to survive?
  • Creditor mapping and prioritisation
  • Director duties and legal position briefing
  • Recovery options analysis — restructuring, sale, administration, or wind-down
  • Immediate action plan — what must happen in the next 14 days

The Outcome

Where You Will Be on the Other Side.

The business owner has a clear, honest picture of the position and a structured view of the options — enabling informed decisions rather than reactive ones, and a recovery pathway that begins from an accurate understanding of the starting point.

Primary Focus

Providing a rapid, structured assessment of a business in crisis to clarify the position and identify the viable recovery options.

KPI Measurement

  • Assessment to action plan timeline
  • Accuracy of cash position assessment vs actuals
  • Options identified vs options eventually pursued
  • Director legal risk identified and managed
  • Decisions quality score post-assessment vs pre-assessment

Investment & ROI

Pricing Engineered Around the Value You Create.

Every engagement is sized against the value we believe we can create with you · the fee is always a fraction of the outcome. Four tiers · so the investment matches your stage of business.

Tier 1

Foundations

£5,000 – £15,000

Right for

Pre-startup, startup, and micro-business founders ready to build on evidence rather than instinct.

Typical Value Created

£50K – £500K avoided in misdirected launches and bad bets

Engagement

4 – 8 weeks

Target Return

5 – 10× ROI

within 12 – 18 months

Tier 2

Acceleration

£15,000 – £50,000

Right for

Growing SMEs and established small businesses ready to scale a working model into the next revenue band.

Typical Value Created

£250K – £2M of better-informed launch decisions and faster market traction

Engagement

8 – 16 weeks

Target Return

5 – 10× ROI

within 12 – 18 months

Tier 3

Transformation

£50,000 – £250,000

Right for

Medium enterprises and scale-stage businesses ready to commit to a multi-quarter, organisation-wide shift.

Typical Value Created

£1M – £25M in strategic pivots de-risked and new categories validated

Engagement

3 – 9 months

Target Return

5 – 10× ROI

within 12 – 18 months

Tier 4

Enterprise

£250,000 – £2M+

Right for

Large enterprises, global operators, and complex organisations ready for a multi-year strategic partnership.

Typical Value Created

£5M – £100M+ in optimised market entry, M&A diligence, and category positioning

Engagement

12 months and onward

Target Return

5 – 10× ROI

within 12 – 18 months

Why We Price This Way

Every engagement is sized around the value we believe we can create with you. The fee is always a fraction of the outcome · typically 10 – 20% of the expected first-year return.

This is how we make sure pricing aligns with results. The conversation is never “what does this cost?” · it is always “what is this worth to your business?” We answer that together in the first call, transparently, and decide the right tier from there.

If we cannot articulate a credible 5–10× return for your specific situation, we will tell you in the first call. That honesty is part of why our clients trust us with the work that matters most.

Why This Conversation Matters

The worst decisions in a business crisis are the ones made without clear information — the ones driven by fear, exhaustion, or hope that the problem is smaller than it is. The assessment is the antidote to all three. We provide the picture — because every good decision starts there.

A 90-minute structured strategy session · produces a usable roadmap whether you engage further or not.

More in Phase 1

Other services in Discovery

Back to Phase 1
Market ResearchCompetitor AnalysisCustomer DiscoveryIndustry InsightsFeasibility AnalysisGap AnalysisSWOT AnalysisPricing ResearchAudience ProfilingPre-Seed & Bootstrapping StrategyGrant & Non-Dilutive Funding StrategyCap Table & Equity Structure AdvisoryFeasibility StudySWOT & Gap AnalysisFirst-Time Founder AcceleratorYoung Entrepreneur Development ProgrammeSupplier Accreditation & Certification SupportSupplier Diversity Registration & CertificationFramework Agreement Registration SupportBuyer Needs Assessment & StrategyPre-Qualification & Due Diligence SupportMarket Engagement & Supplier Day EventsInnovation Sourcing & Co-CreationBusiness Insight WorkshopsVision CreationIdea ValidationStartup Launch SupportBusiness IncubationBusiness Idea ValidationBusiness Model DesignMarket Sizing & Opportunity AssessmentIP Identification & Early ProtectionLegal Entity Setup & StructurePre-Revenue Financial PlanningFirst Customer StrategyBrand Naming & Identity FoundationsSide-Hustle to Full-Time TransitionPersonal Readiness AssessmentCo-Founder Search & MatchingPre-Startup Feasibility StudyMinimum Viable Product StrategyPre-Startup Funding StrategyBusiness Plan DevelopmentAI Readiness AssessmentCash Flow Stabilisation ProgrammeCreditor Negotiation & RestructuringEmergency Cost Reduction ProgrammeLeadership Stabilisation in CrisisClient & Stakeholder Crisis CommunicationsInsolvency-Adjacent AdvisoryDistressed Asset OptimisationTeam Retention During TurnaroundOperational Triage & Priority ResetTechnology Scouting & Horizon ScanningTarget Identification & ScreeningBuy-Side Due Diligence ManagementSocial Enterprise Setup & StructureMission-Aligned Governance DesignFranchise Feasibility Assessment