Forbes Burton is a UK-based business advisory and strategy consultancy that works with small to medium sized limited companies facing a wide range of challenges, from poor sales performance and the need for a growth strategy, to crisis situations involving creditors, HMRC debt, and company closure.
With a senior team carrying over 60 years of combined experience, the firm positions itself as a practical, hands-on alternative to generic business consulting.
The tone throughout the company's website and client communications is deliberately non-alarmist, and that seems to be exactly what their clients respond to.
Key Takeaways
- Forbes Burton covers three distinct service areas: business performance and growth, exit strategy, and crisis management and recovery, making it a single point of contact for a broad range of SME challenges.
- The firm is led by Managing Director Rick Smith, who has worked in business insolvency for over 15 years, supported by a senior team that includes a Chartered Marketer and experienced client managers.
- Client reviews consistently cite individual case advisers by name, suggesting that personal service and direct communication are central to how Forbes Burton operates day-to-day.
What Forbes Burton Does
The company organises its services into three core areas, each with its own dedicated team. Here is a quick breakdown of what falls under each:
| Service Area | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Business Performance & Growth | Strategic reviews, growth planning, sales and marketing strategy, cash flow forecasting, and securing business finance |
| Exit Strategy | Business sale advisory, exit planning, limited company closures, and liquidations |
| Crisis Management & Recovery | Business rescue, restructuring, CVAs, HMRC Time to Pay arrangements, bounce back loan help, and company rescue plans |
That range is genuinely wide. A business owner who starts out looking for growth advice and later needs to exit or wind down can work with Forbes Burton across multiple stages without switching providers.
Whether that continuity is always available in practice depends on the individual case, but the structure is set up to support it.
Who Forbes Burton Works With
The firm is explicit about its focus: small to medium sized limited companies. The business sale advisory team, for example, works with companies whose turnover typically falls between £100,000 and £5 million.
That is not a small niche, but it is a defined one, and it keeps Forbes Burton from trying to serve everyone. Larger corporates with complex board structures or international operations are not the target market here.
This matters because a lot of advisory firms claim to serve SMEs while pitching services that only make economic sense for much larger organisations.
Forbes Burton's fee structures and the nature of the cases they take on appear to be genuinely calibrated for smaller businesses, including those that need to spread payments across several months, as mentioned in at least one client testimonial.
The Senior Team
The leadership team at Forbes Burton is small and clearly named, which is worth noting. Many firms of this type rely on anonymous "consultants" without any clear accountability. Here, the key contacts are visible:
- Rick Smith (Managing Director and Senior Consultant): Over 15 years in business insolvency, focused on rescue and recovery.
- Ben Westoby (Senior Client Manager and Consultant): Broad experience across business sectors, including IR35-related cases.
- Chris Leadley (Marketing Manager and Consultant): Chartered Marketer, member of the CIM, works with clients on marketing strategy.
- Emma Blyth (Senior Client Manager and Consultant): Oversees the case management team and handles a wide variety of client situations.
Emma Blyth is mentioned by name in more client reviews than anyone else. Several clients describe the moment they spoke to her as the point at which their anxiety around the process began to ease.
That kind of repeated, specific feedback is harder to manufacture than a generic five-star rating.
What Clients Actually Say
Forbes Burton publishes a substantial number of client testimonials on its website and also maintains a Trustpilot presence.
The pattern in the reviews is consistent enough to be credible: clients arrive stressed, often having already tried to navigate HMRC or creditor contact on their own, and describe the relief of having someone take over the communication and administration.
A few themes come up repeatedly:
- Being kept informed at every stage without having to chase for updates
- Individual case advisers being accessible and responsive
- The process feeling less complicated than expected
- Stress levels dropping noticeably after the first contact
Alan Cansick of Brandable Creative Ltd described the service as "phenomenal." Debbie Smith of Eppynt Welsh TT wrote that she had her first good night's sleep after speaking with Ben Westoby.
Juan Riaza of Blue Cloud Developments called working with Forbes Burton his best business decision. These are not boilerplate quotes; they are specific and attributed to named individuals with their company listed.
One review from a client who requested anonymity described being allowed to pay over several months due to affordability, and being charged no additional fees beyond the original agreement.
That is a practical detail that tells you something about how the firm operates with clients under financial pressure.
Services Worth Highlighting
HMRC Time to Pay Arrangements
For businesses that have fallen behind on tax payments, HMRC Time to Pay arrangements allow a structured repayment schedule rather than immediate enforcement action.
Forbes Burton's crisis team communicates directly with HMRC on behalf of clients, which can make a significant difference for a director who has never dealt with tax debt negotiations before.
The firm states that what might seem like a brick wall to a business owner is a routine conversation for their team.
Strategic Business Reviews
Separate from the crisis services, Forbes Burton offers a structured review of business performance.
This is aimed at companies that are not in distress but want an external assessment of where they are losing money, where growth opportunities exist, and what operational changes could improve profitability.
A free mini business review is also available as an entry point.
Business Sale Advisory
For owners looking to exit, the business sale team handles everything involved in preparing a company for sale and finding a buyer, including work to improve the business's value before the transaction.
The target range of £100,000 to £5 million in turnover covers a substantial portion of the UK's SME market.
Office Locations
Forbes Burton has offices across the UK, with locations in:
- London (Silverstream House)
- Birmingham
- Manchester
- Bristol
- Grimsby (home of the head office)
Having multiple locations means clients in different regions can access in-person advice without travelling to a single hub, although much of the work appears to be handled remotely, based on the communication patterns described in client testimonials.
Considerations Before Engaging
No review is complete without flagging what Forbes Burton does not clearly address on its public-facing content.
Pricing is not listed on the website, which is common for advisory firms dealing with bespoke situations, but it does mean prospective clients need to make contact before getting a sense of costs.
The free initial consultation is a low-commitment starting point, and the firm does advertise a freephone number (0800 975 0380), which removes the barrier of being charged just to make an enquiry.
The firm also operates in a space that attracts less reputable operators, particularly around insolvency and company closure.
Directors in financial difficulty are sometimes targeted by firms that charge high upfront fees and deliver little.
Forbes Burton's Trustpilot profile and the volume of named, detailed testimonials provide more reassurance than most in this sector, though due diligence before signing any engagement agreement is always advisable.
Conclusion
Forbes Burton is a well-reviewed UK advisory firm with a clearly defined focus on small to medium sized businesses, covering growth, exit, and crisis management within a single practice.
For a director feeling overwhelmed by financial pressure, HMRC contact, or the complexity of closing a company, the firm's hands-on, individually assigned case model appears to consistently deliver on what it promises.