INDEPENDENT SHETLAND FINANCE LTD
Opportunity 78/100 (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: 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.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
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 | £10.2k | £11.5k |
| Current assets | £26.4k | £23.8k |
| Net assets | £9.4k | £10.5k |
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-08-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-08-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-08-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-18📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2016-10-18📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2015-03-11🏢Company incorporatedAs INDEPENDENT SHETLAND FINANCE LTD
- 2015-03-11➕COLES, David Charles appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 11 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 61. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
David Charles Coles Individual · British · DOB 07/1965 · age 61 | 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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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 →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 (1 active · 0 resigned)
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