AHEAD4 LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04048409 · ltd · incorporated 2000-08-07
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2025
Net worth
£196.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Information technology consultancy activities
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 62090Other information technology service activities
- 63110Data processing, hosting and related activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 10.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
80 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £196,560
Net assets shrinking
Down £19,996 YoY
Cash YoY
-28%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£53k
↓ 28% YoY
Net Worth
£197k
↓ 9.2% YoY
Current Assets
£325k
↑ 6.4% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £263.5k | £273.9k |
| Current assets | £325.4k | £305.7k |
| Cash | £53.1k | £73.3k |
| Debtors | £216.1k | £183.0k |
| Net assets | £196.6k | £216.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-11-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-03-11📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2021-03-11📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2021-03-11📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2020-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-04-17🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2018-05-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2003-04-05➖BRYAN, James Ernest resigneddirector
- 2001-07-02➕BRYAN, James Ernest appointeddirector
- 2001-06-30➖DOUGLAS, Carol Ann resigneddirector
- 2001-05-31➖MCCALL, Barry resigneddirector
- 2000-08-22➕MCCALL, Barry appointeddirector
- 2000-08-21➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-08-21➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2000-08-07🏢Company incorporatedAs AHEAD4 LIMITED
- 2000-08-07➕ALMOND, Carol Ann appointedsecretary
- 2000-08-07➕LEE-DOUGLAS, Richard John appointeddirector
- 2000-08-07➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-08-07➕DOUGLAS, Carol Ann appointeddirector
- 2000-08-07➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Richard Lee- Douglas Individual · British · DOB 06/1980 · age 46 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Technology · CM postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A J SMITH CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 07624884 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| A J SMITH DEFENCE BUREAU CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 16381170 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADS ON AIR LTD→ 16421377 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADSUL LIMITED→ 09368299 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ADTEC IT LIMITED→ 10586688 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AEGEAN IT SOLUTIONS LTD→ 11073237 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AFFAINIE ENTERPRISE LIMITED→ 12637315 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AGANTIS LIMITED→ 13025160 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AGRIBAY LIMITED→ 10284260 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AGS GLOBAL LTD.→ 04029352 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| AHIMANU LTD→ 11182721 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AHL HEALTHCARE LTD→ 14030766 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
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 →🔒Advanced scoring suite
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
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2000-08-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62020 — Information technology consultancy activities
Registered office
117 Hullbridge Road South Woodham Ferrers
Chelmsford
Essex
CM3 5LL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last: 2026-04-16
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
LEE-DOUGLAS, Richard John→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2000-08-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-08-07 · resigned 2000-08-21
BRYAN, James Ernest→
Resigneddirector · ~51y · appointed 2001-07-02 · resigned 2003-04-05
DOUGLAS, Carol Ann→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 2000-08-07 · resigned 2001-06-30
MCCALL, Barry→
Resigneddirector · ~49y · appointed 2000-08-22 · resigned 2001-05-31
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-08-07 · resigned 2000-08-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 17/04/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 20/06/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (80 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-01-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-11-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-04-08