Ahead of Blue Monday (21^st January), dubbed as the most depressing day of the year, insolvency specialist Forbes Burton is offering free expert business advice for company owners who might be feeling the January blues. 

While January conventionally signals a time for new beginnings, the third Monday in the month has been given the name Blue Monday; it’s said to be the gloomiest day of the year thanks to post-Christmas blues, cold, dark nights and financial woes of accumulated debt along with the arrival of unpaid credit card bills.  

Rick Smith, Managing Director at Forbes Burton, said: “The partying and excesses of the festive season are well and truly over, and for most people this means going back to work. In January many business owners set New Year’s resolutions and goals they would like to achieve in the year ahead.

“However, the sudden contrast from December to January can impact businesses in many ways. Anything from managing employee morale to mitigating a lull in trade can cause stress for a lot of company directors – but we want them to know that January needn’t be all doom and gloom.

“Running a successful business is no mean feat, particularly in January when most people are strapped for cash. We’ve seen from experience that following the Christmas break, a lot of business owners can get bogged down with the pressure of failing sales and looming tax bills.

“It’s quite easy for company directors to feel melancholy following the festive season and it can be hard knowing where to turn when things get difficult. It doesn’t help when the latest headlines report a decline in sales for high street retailers, supermarket giants and department stores.”

Ahead of Blue Monday Forbes Burton will be offering free business advice to company directors in an online webinar. The webinar will take place on Thursday 17^th January from 10am to 11.30am.

During the webinar Forbes Burton will provide company directors with easy-to-understand information on HMRC arrears and which options are available to businesses struggling with VAT, PAYE and Corporation Tax.

The free online session will be led by Forbes Burton Managing Director Rick Smith and Senior Client Manager Ben Westoby. Those who sign up will be able to find out about:  

• The consequences of having tax arrears with HMRC 
• The options that are available to company directors to deal with arrears as well as VAT, PAYE and Corporation Tax
• What winding up petitions are and if HMRC is likely to force one on your company
• How Time To Pay and Company Voluntary Arrangements work to pay off the debt
• How to liquidate or close a company if the HMRC tax arrears can’t be paid back

Rick Smith is experienced in helping businesses overcome operational problems and has recently appeared on BBC and Sky News. He also contributes regularly to national magazines and newspapers with business advice. Meanwhile Ben has worked with hundreds of businesses to help them overcome financial and trading issues.  

Rick added: “We want business owners to know that professional advice is out there, and we’d urge anyone that is struggling with debt and tax-related issues to sign up to our free webinar.”

To find out more about the free webinar or to reserve your space, visit: https://www.forbesburton.com/webinar-how-to-deal-with-hmrc-tax-arrears

Forbes Burton, based in Grimsby, has over 30 years’ experience in helping companies with financial difficulties and insolvency issues. The company is committed to a rescue and recovery culture where possible and is well practised at guiding companies through financial hazards.

To find out more about Forbes Burton, visit www.forbesburton.com, or to arrange an appointment, call Forbes Burton on 01472 254914 or email advice@forbesburton.com.