278 CONSULTING LTD
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. 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.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £14.6k | — |
| Current assets | £14.8k | — |
| Net assets | £14.6k | — |
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 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-01-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-01-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-01-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-11-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-01➕COLBOURN, Samantha Janine appointeddirector
- 2021-04-01📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2010-01-06🏢Company incorporatedAs 278 CONSULTING LTD
- 2010-01-06➕COLBOURN, Simon Antony appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 16 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 62. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Simon Antony Colbourn Individual · British · DOB 05/1964 · age 62 | 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.
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6 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 (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.