Recent Case Studies

A stainless steel fabricator was suffering from the slowdown caused by the credit crunch of 2009. However In the first 6 months following advice provided by TFP, the business achieved a pre tax profit of £150,000 on turnover of £750,000. Crucially sales prices were reviewed and increased, without any loss of business. Even prior to the credit crunch, the business had been only marginally profitable.

Since the intervention by TFP the husband and wife team have further grown the business and have been consistently showing substantial further, year on year, profit growth, thus completing the financial transformation.

A contact centre, employing over 150 people where wages were unpaid for 6 weeks, was seriously insolvent and only marginally profitable. In the first year following input from TFP, profits before tax were in excess of £400,000 on turnover of £2.7 million.   

Since the intervention the business has earned very considerable profits and dividends paid to shareholders have been most rewarding, although the business has downsized somewhat over recent years.

A long established manufacturer had been advised by its accountants to seriously consider seeking the appointment of administrators. However TFP quickly calculated that all that was needed to rectify the position was an across the board sales price rise and after consultation and full evaluation the price rise was implemented. Positive trading and cash flow was thereby achieved, negating the need to consider any insolvency action. The business has since gone from strength to strength and more recently TFP has assisted in the sale of the factoring part of the business, enabling the focus on the more profitable manufacturing base, and the exit of one of the founder shareholders. The business has since expanded into a number of key markets overseas, fulfilling demand from these developing markets with a growing overseas manufacturing capability.

A steel fabricator faced a demand from HM Revenue & Customs for over a £100,000 of unpaid taxes. The long standing accountants had advised that the business should seriously consider placing the business into administration, yet within less than 2 months of intervention by TFP the business had collected sufficient funds due from its customers to settle the demand in full. However on precautionary grounds, an 18 month time to pay arrangement was successfully negotiated with HMRC.

Within the last few years the business has now moved to more modern premises and remains in a far stronger position after the TFP intervention.

A long established (over 100 years) print finisher had incurred losses of approximately £300,000 over 2 years, on annual sales of £1 million. Advice from The Focus Practice helped the business stem these losses and then move into profit. All employee packages were renegotiated, new funders were introduced and costs critically examined and reduced. The company's sales pricing package was highly flawed and crucially this has been revised.  Whilst adverse trading conditions within the printing sector may continue to affect the business, the business remains trading and maintaining its presence. 

A highly innovative manufacturer of recycled construction products had been funded solely and extensively by a construction group which was shortly to go into administrative receivership. Without any pre-emptive action, the loan would have been called in by the receivers, thus leaving the company in a very serious position. In order to protect the company from this, TFP led the company seamlessly to safety via the process of administration. The business is now trading satisfactorily with a substantially enhanced net asset position, and with very clear prospects for growth. Subsequent to this, TFP assisted with the introduction of fresh investors and also led the negotiations of a 7 year distribution agreement with a major PLC building products player.

The carefully constructed distribution agreement was crucially tested when some years later the business pursued a claim against the PLC for failure to properly promote its products in accordance with the distribution agreement and based upon the wording crafted by TFP and subsequent assistance with the claim a multi million pound compensation package was achieved.   

A long established property developer had seen its principal bankers appoint receivers over its key development site. The bank had also called in very substantial personal guarantees and, coupled with the pressure being applied by the developer's other bank, the developer was under immense financial pressure. Working closely with TFP, the position with both banks was brought under control such that terms were agreed with the principal bank to take the key development site back and the other bank was repaid in full through the successful sale of the associated (retail) property. The personal guarantees were negotiated and settled at a significant discount.  A stable financial base has therefore been created and the developer can now look forward, including retaining the benefit of up to £4 million worth of tax losses preserved under a Company Voluntary Arrangement.

A developer called in TFP to assist when personal guarantees totalling £1.5 million were called in by a number of banks and a key site had been taken over by administrators. TFP negotiated a settlement of less than 5 pence in the £ on the personal guarantees and led the negotiations which resulted in the purchase of the site back at a price of around 20 pence in the £ (on original cost). 

A prominent racehorse trainer had got into serious difficulties with HMRC concerning unpaid VAT and PAYE/NIC deductions, and as a result faced a demand for an unsustainable VAT bond.  In order to overcome these difficulties the business was restructured and became under the complete financial control of Graham Potter.  In the first year of these arrangements the business declared a pre tax profit of the order of £250,000 and the business was then handed back to an alternative management team.  A profit had never ever been achieved by the business, let alone of this magnitude.

The owner of a long established (over 100 years) regional advertising press representation house called in TFP to assist with financial difficulties caused by the competition faced from the internet.  The owner faced the calling in of substantial personal guarantees by the company’s bank, loss of share value and his future earnings from the business.  Working with TFP and a white knight investor, the owner disposed of his business for substantial value, negated in full any exposure to the personal guarantees and secured a long term employment package.