Expertise
The right process begins with the right diagnosis.
Formal insolvency processes are tools, not outcomes. The first task is to understand the position, the available time and what each stakeholder is trying to achieve.
Small business restructuring
When it may be relevant
A formal, lower-cost restructuring process for an eligible small business that is viable but cannot meet its debts as they fall due.
What an early discussion clarifies
Eligibility, tax and employee obligations, funding, creditor position and whether the proposed plan can be delivered.
Practical example
A group of franchised hospitality businesses faced substantial ATO arrears but had viable sites. The work involved testing forecasts, employee entitlements and plan funding so creditors could assess a formal restructuring proposal while the businesses continued trading.
This example is anonymised and identifying details have been omitted or changed. It illustrates an approach, not a guaranteed outcome.
Voluntary administration
When it may be relevant
Where a company needs immediate protection and an independent assessment of whether a deed, sale or other outcome may serve creditors better than liquidation.
What an early discussion clarifies
Urgency, available funding, trading, security, sale options, director objectives and the evidence needed for a credible proposal.
Practical example
An online supplier held valuable stock, customer relationships and intellectual property but needed immediate protection. The administration strategy focused on a short, competitive sale campaign for the business and stock in situ, while negotiating the time needed to preserve value.
This example is anonymised and identifying details have been omitted or changed. It illustrates an approach, not a guaranteed outcome.
Liquidation
When it may be relevant
Where a company is insolvent and an orderly wind-up, investigation and distribution process is required.
What an early discussion clarifies
Appointment route, assets, employees, secured creditors, director exposure, records and immediate preservation issues.
Practical example
A transport and civil-services group entered liquidation with significant tax debt, employees, plant and competing creditor interests. The early work centred on securing records and assets, dealing with employees and secured creditors, and investigating how value had moved before appointment.
This example is anonymised and identifying details have been omitted or changed. It illustrates an approach, not a guaranteed outcome.
Bankruptcy & personal insolvency
When it may be relevant
Where personal liabilities, guarantees or business failure require assessment by a registered bankruptcy trustee.
What an early discussion clarifies
Assets, income, creditors, guarantees, antecedent transactions and how personal and corporate issues connect.
Practical example
A business owner faced tax debt and personal guarantees after the company could no longer trade. The assessment compared bankruptcy with a Part X proposal, including asset, income and creditor consequences, so the personal fallout could be addressed alongside the corporate position.
This example is anonymised and identifying details have been omitted or changed. It illustrates an approach, not a guaranteed outcome.
Independent appointments
When it may be relevant
Where creditors or stakeholders require an experienced independent practitioner to preserve value, investigate or oversee an agreed process.
What an early discussion clarifies
Authority, objective, information access, control, funding, reporting and the duties attached to the proposed role.
Practical example
In a co-trustee appointment over commercial property interests, the work involved maintaining occupancy and income, coordinating agents and stakeholders, and carrying out an orderly sale process designed to preserve value.
This example is anonymised and identifying details have been omitted or changed. It illustrates an approach, not a guaranteed outcome.
The first conversation
You do not need a complete file to ask the first useful question.
A broad outline is enough: the entity or person involved, the immediate issue, who is advising, and any deadline or enforcement action. Do not send confidential records or sensitive documents until the appropriate engagement and secure channel are confirmed.
- What has changed?
- What must happen next?
- Who is affected?
- Which deadline is real?