FORWARD BUSINESS ENTERPRISES LTD
💤Zombieactive
07206967 · ltd · incorporated 2010-03-29
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£171.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Credit granting by non-deposit taking finance houses and other specialist consumer credit grantors
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (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).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
47 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £171,465
Net assets shrinking
Down £25,664 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£171k
↓ 13% YoY
Current Assets
£211k
↓ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £205.5k | £233.7k |
| Current assets | £210.8k | £247.6k |
| Cash | — | £25.4k |
| Debtors | — | £222.2k |
| Net assets | £171.5k | £197.1k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-12-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-11-23📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2023-11-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-11-17📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-11-01📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2023-10-13➖LANCEMAN, Malcolm Morris resigneddirector
- 2023-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-05-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-01-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-21📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2010-03-29🏢Company incorporatedAs FORWARD BUSINESS ENTERPRISES LTD
- 2010-03-29➕LANCEMAN, Elliot appointeddirector
- 2010-03-29➕LANCEMAN, Malcolm Morris appointeddirector
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 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Elliot Lanceman Individual · British · DOB 12/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Elliot Lancemanceased 03/12/2024· 25-50% shares
- Mr Malcolm Morris Lancemanceased 13/10/2023· 50-75% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Financial services · AL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BERKELEY PRIVATE FINANCE LIMITED→ 04102267 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| CATAPULT MONEY LTD→ 16248521 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHASE CAPITAL COMMERCIAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 10746608 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| COOMBES & WRIGHT MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 08885203 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| COPEDENE LIMITED→ 08773809 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ENGENERA PROJECT 2 LIMITED→ 12344660 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| EVERSLEIGH ACCOUNTING SERVICES LIMITED→ 09917212 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| FIRST PROPERTY HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 04495639 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| FIVE RIVERS VENTURES LIMITED→ 13436700 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| FLO PAYMENT SERVICES LTD→ 16947958 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FORLEO TRADING LTD→ 14676125 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| FOSTER RISK CONSULTING LIMITED→ 16726934 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2010-03-29
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64921 — Credit granting by non-deposit taking finance houses and other specialist consumer credit grantors
Registered office
Arquen House
4-6 Spicer Street
St Albans
AL3 4PQ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-01
Last: 2025-11-17
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
LANCEMAN, Elliot→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2010-03-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LANCEMAN, Malcolm Morris→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2010-03-29 · resigned 2023-10-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (47 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-12-03
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-03
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2023-11-23
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-11-17
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2023-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-18
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-05-03