Knowing the cobbles – Is it better for your Insolvency practitioner to have local knowledge?Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Does being local matter? After all, insolvency is about logic and process, isn’t it?

To answer that question let’s start with a safe basic assumption. When you reach out to an insolvency practitioner it is because you need help. That means you probably have some quite general questions and some very specific ones relating to your own situation. We cover a lot of the general answers to common questions in our help for directors pages. If you are reading this, and you think you need to talk about your financial position, then that’s a good place to start. The website and downloads will help you clarify where you stand. On our help pages, there is also a button to press so you can book your free appointment. That is where we will start to discuss your specific circumstances.

When we created the site, we wanted access to the information you need to be easy, and clients tell us all the time that it really helped them understand their position. Which is fantastic. Knowing that were helping and informing when people needed it is very gratifying.

Interestingly though, many clients also say that the fact that we are local was another reason for choosing Smart Business Recovery.

So why does that matter? Logically speaking, insolvency is about making a decision on whether your business is in a position to keep trading which then results in a series of actions to rescue or liquidate as appropriate.

Only, this is not all about logic, is it?

It’s about a person, not a digital presence.

When you choose an IP, you are choosing someone who will be with you in some very difficult times. While there are online and larger corporate options available to you, they are remote and not part of your world. The last thing many directors want is a faceless, cold, approach. Your insolvency matters to you. When people say ‘local’ I think they are often really saying ‘empathetic and understanding’. It is rare to find directors that haven’t put their all into a business and that means our journey together matters to them on a personal level.

Common ground can be important.

There is a wonderful moment in one of Terry Pratchett’s books where he talks about a character knowing where they were in the city by the feel of the cobbles underfoot. That is a great analogy for the importance of local knowledge when it comes to Insolvency. We have been, and still are, part of the local business scene. We attend network groups, go to events, meet local businesspeople, and try to spend as much time as possible understanding the local area. While it is easy to say ‘insolvency is a process’ the truth is it happens in the real world. Local conditions and understanding the marketplace of our clients can sometimes be very important to those processes. We cover most of the Midlands and maintain local offices in Leicester, Northampton, Warwickshire, and Coventry. The kind of business done in Leicester can be very different from the business done in Royal Leamington Spa. When it comes to how we deal with insolvency, yes, there are processes and yes, there are legal and procedural factors we need to carefully work with, but occasionally you still need to be someone who can ‘feel the cobbles’ to fully understand the situation.

Here when you need us.

This is probably the most obvious reason to choose someone local. Face-to-face is far superior to any other method of meeting. We can visit your workplace, or you may want to come to see us in the first instance. Later we may need to meet regularly or look at different locations in your operation. In simple practical terms, it is easier if we are local. While we may not be able to drop everything and meet up instantly, we usually have more flexibility simply because we are nearby.

I suppose, if you looked at it from a purely function and process point of view, it really doesn’t matter where your Insolvency Practitioner is located. From a personal and human perspective, and in the view of many of our clients, it apparently really does.

If you need to talk about your insolvency issues, we are here to help, so please get in touch. The earlier we start looking at your situation, the better it will be for everyone.

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