Restructuring & turnaround

When financial pressure increases

A business rarely gets into serious financial difficulty overnight. The warning signs often appear earlier. Margins decline, costs rise, customers take longer to pay or the business increasingly depends on financing to meet its ongoing obligations. At some point, the pressure becomes more acute: suppliers become more cautious, the bank starts asking questions and payments need to be managed increasingly carefully.

At that stage, solving only today’s problem is not enough. You need to understand what is causing the financial pressure and how much time you have to act.

First, understand what is happening

We start with the financial position of your business. How much cash is available? Which payments are coming up? Where are shortages likely to arise? And does the business, in its current form, generate enough profit and cash to meet its obligations on a sustainable basis?

We then identify the underlying causes. Is the problem related to revenue, margins, costs, financing, the way the organisation is structured, or a combination of factors? Based on this analysis, we determine which measures are realistic and likely to be effective.

Assessing the available options

There is rarely a standard solution to a restructuring. For one business, refinancing may be enough. Another may need to reduce costs, sell part of the business, change its organisational structure or reach new agreements with creditors.

OneLane models different scenarios and shows what each option means for cash flow, financing and the overall financial position of the business. We also consider the consequences for shareholders, employees, lenders, suppliers and other parties involved.

If the debt burden prevents a sustainable recovery, a restructuring agreement with creditors may also be considered. In specific circumstances, the Dutch WHOA procedure may be an option. WHOA stands for the Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord, the Dutch Act on Court Confirmation of Extrajudicial Restructuring Plans. Under this procedure, a restructuring plan may, subject to certain conditions and court approval, also become binding on creditors that did not agree to it. WHOA proceedings are subject to specific legal requirements and applications to the court require the involvement of a lawyer.

From plan to execution

A financial recovery plan only works if it can be put into practice. That is why we also support you during implementation. We help set priorities, prepare financial forecasts, support discussions with lenders and other parties, and track whether the agreed measures are delivering the expected results.

We look beyond the next few payments. The aim is to create a business that can operate independently again and generate enough cash to meet its obligations.

Support for you as an entrepreneur

Financial problems affect more than the numbers. You may have to make difficult decisions about employees, parts of the business, family wealth or relationships that have been built over many years. At the same time, those decisions often need to be made under considerable time pressure.

OneLane helps you separate facts from assumptions and understand the options available to you. We also ask the difficult questions: which activities are still profitable, how much funding is actually needed, and at what point does further investment stop being responsible?

This helps you make decisions based on the financial facts, while also considering what those decisions mean for you and your business.