HelmPlan launches Summer 2026 — Join the waitlist and take our free readiness quiz
Business Continuity & Succession Planning

Most small businesses struggle to survive without their owner.
HelmPlan changes that

If you couldn't run your business tomorrow, the people who depend on you — your family, your staff, your clients — shouldn't have to figure it out alone. HelmPlan gives you the peace of mind that someone can always take the helm.

Most businesses protect their assets, their staff, and their data. HelmPlan protects something most overlook — the ability to actually run the business if the owner isn't there.

Find out how prepared you are — free quiz Takes 2 minutes · No sign-up required · Get your readiness score instantly
🚀 Launching Summer 2026

Find out how prepared your business is — free

Take our 2-minute Succession Readiness Quiz and get an instant score across 8 key risk areas. You'll receive a free business continuity guide tailored to your results.

What you get: Instant readiness score · Free business continuity guide · No sign-up required
3.1M
UK sole traders with no formal succession plan
72hrs
How quickly a business can fail when the owner cannot be reached
£0
Cost to take the readiness quiz and find out where you stand

The risks most business owners
don't know they are carrying

When something happens to the person running a small business — illness, accident, death — the consequences unfold fast. Most owners have no idea how exposed they are until it is too late.

Your bank account freezes immediately

If you are a sole trader using a personal account for business banking, it freezes on death. Client payments bounce. Direct debits fail. Your business cannot send or receive money within 24 hours.

Nobody can access your systems

Two-factor authentication on your personal phone. Email accounts that close. Passwords nobody knows. The digital infrastructure of most small businesses is completely inaccessible to anyone but the owner.

HMRC does not pause

VAT returns, Self Assessment, PAYE obligations — they all continue regardless of what has happened. Penalties accumulate. Deadlines pass. The taxman has no sympathy clause for a business in crisis.

Your family has no legal authority

Without a Lasting Power of Attorney, your spouse or family cannot make decisions about your business. They cannot pay staff, authorise invoices, or communicate with clients on your behalf.

A structured plan that protects everything you have built

HelmPlan guides you through organising every document, access credential, and piece of critical information your business needs to survive without you.

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15 structured vault sections

Covering every area of your business — legal, financial, digital access, staff, clients, suppliers, and succession planning.

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Monthly readiness score

Your Business Continuity Score updates every month, showing exactly where your gaps are and what to do about them.

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Intelligent alerts

Document expiry reminders, regulatory change alerts, and staleness warnings keep your plan current automatically.

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Built for professional advisors

Your accountant or solicitor can view your vault, identify gaps, and help you close them — HelmPlan fits into the advice you are already getting.

When something unexpected happens, the people around you — your family, your staff, your clients — should not have to figure out your business while they are already under pressure. HelmPlan means someone can always take the helm, even if it is not you.

Every HelmPlan membership includes a ready-to-use Handover Guide — so that if something happens, someone can step in immediately without having to search for anything.

Example score
67
Your Business Continuity Score
Legal & Structure85%


Banking & Finance60%


Digital Access40%


Clients & Contracts70%


Succession Plan45%


Built for the businesses that need it most

Who is HelmPlan for?

HelmPlan is designed for business owners who have something that would break if they weren't there.

You're in the right place if:

  • ✓  You have staff who depend on you for direction, payroll, or day-to-day decisions
  • ✓  You have ongoing client relationships that would be at risk if you were suddenly absent
  • ✓  Your business has contracts, suppliers, or financial commitments that would need managing without you
  • ✓  Your family would be affected financially if the business couldn't continue
  • ✓  You want your business to be ready to sell — properly documented, professionally presented, and not dependent on you personally to function
  • ✓  You're the person who knows where everything is — and you've realised that's a problem

HelmPlan probably isn't right for you if your business is a hobby or very early-stage with no staff or clients yet — or if nothing would break if you disappeared for a month.

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Sole Traders

You are your business. If you can't be there, everything stops — the income, the clients, the momentum you've spent years building. HelmPlan makes sure the people who depend on you aren't left without a plan.

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Partnerships & LLPs

Most partnerships don't survive the loss of a partner — not because the business failed, but because no one planned for it. HelmPlan helps you protect what you've built together, and the people who helped you build it.

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Small Limited Companies

Your company has obligations that don't pause — staff, clients, HMRC, suppliers. HelmPlan makes sure whoever steps in has everything they need to keep those commitments, and protect everything you've worked for.

Do your clients have a plan?

Accountants, solicitors, and IFAs use HelmPlan to help clients organise their business continuity planning between appointments — so when they come to you, the groundwork is already done. With the client's express permission, our Professional Partner programme gives you a portal to view the vault sections they choose to share, spot gaps, and generate structured advisory work.

Download the Partner Guide

Your vault, your rules

Your information is private by default. You decide who sees what — and you can change that at any time.

🔒 Private by default

Only you can see your vault. No other HelmPlan member can access your information.

🤝 Share with who you choose

You can grant access to trusted staff, family members, or professional advisors — only the sections you choose, only with your express permission, and revocable at any time. (Coming soon)

🏢 Enterprise-grade infrastructure

Your data is stored by Airtable — our data storage provider — running on AWS, the same infrastructure trusted by businesses worldwide.

✓ SOC 2 Type II certified

Airtable — our data storage provider — holds SOC 2 Type II certification, an independently audited security standard used by financial and legal organisations.

🔐 Encrypted & GDPR compliant

All connections use HTTPS encryption. HelmPlan is registered with the ICO and operates in full compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We'll never ask for your password. We won't access your vault contents without your explicit written permission, except where required by law or valid legal process.

You're not paying for software

You're deciding whether your business can continue without you. That's worth more than any software subscription.

Founding Member — Limited Places
£39/month

Standard membership will be £79/month — founding members lock in at £39 for life.

In return for your occasional honest feedback as we grow.

  • ✓  Full vault — all 15 sections, from day one
  • ✓  All templates, handover guides and resources included
  • ✓  Early access to new capabilities before wider release
  • ✓  Ability to influence how HelmPlan evolves
  • ✓  30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked
Apply for Founding Member access

Less than £3 a day. Cancel any time.

🛡️  30-day money-back guarantee — email hello@helmplan.com within 30 days, no questions asked.

How prepared is your business right now?

Our free 2-minute Succession Readiness Quiz assesses your business across 8 key risk areas and gives you an instant score — plus a free business continuity guide delivered to your inbox.

Take the free quiz — get your score in 2 minutes No sign-up required · Completely free · Results delivered instantly

Everything you need to know

Answers to the questions we hear most often. If yours isn't here, email us at hello@helmplan.com.

What is HelmPlan? +
HelmPlan is the way for small business owners to make sure the business they've built — and the people depending on it — are protected if something unexpected happens. It gives you a secure vault to organise everything your business needs to keep running: the documents, the contacts, the access details, the plans. So your family isn't left untangling chaos. Your staff aren't left without guidance. Your clients aren't left without communication. And your legacy isn't left to chance.
Who is HelmPlan for? +
HelmPlan is for UK sole traders, partnerships, LLPs, and small limited companies — anyone whose business depends on them being there. If your business would struggle without you, HelmPlan was built for you.
How much does it cost? +
HelmPlan is available at two membership levels. Founding Member is £39 per month for life — limited places available, rate locked permanently. Full Member is £79 per month with no feedback required. Both include full vault access and all templates and guides.
What do I get with a HelmPlan membership? +
You get a secure vault with 15 structured sections, downloadable templates for each section, a Handover Guide, Emergency Handover Guide, Letter to Whoever Takes the Helm, a Who Needs to Know awareness pack, a Getting Started Guide, and email support. All future updates are included.
Is my information secure? +
Yes. Your vault is private and only accessible to you. Your data is stored on the same secure cloud infrastructure used by thousands of businesses worldwide, with bank-level encryption on all connections. HelmPlan complies with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We will never ask for your password.
Can anyone else see my vault? +
Your vault is private and only accessible to you under normal use. As with any cloud-based platform, administrative access may exist for technical support and legal compliance purposes. We do not routinely access member vault contents.
How is HelmPlan different from just using Dropbox or Google Drive? +
HelmPlan is purpose-built for business continuity. It guides you through what to document, tells you why each piece of information matters, and gives you ready-made templates and handover guides. Generic cloud storage just holds files — HelmPlan makes sure the right information is organised and findable in a crisis.
How long does it take to set up? +
Most members complete their most critical sections in their first 2 to 3 sessions. A fully comprehensive vault typically takes longer — but you can start protecting your business from day one.
Do I need to be technical to use HelmPlan? +
No. If you can send an email, you can use HelmPlan. It is designed to be straightforward for business owners, not technical specialists.
Can I cancel at any time? +
Yes. There is no long-term commitment. You can cancel your subscription at any time and your access continues until the end of the current billing period.
What happens to my data if I cancel? +
Your data remains accessible until the end of your billing period. After cancellation you can request an export of your data within 30 days. We will not delete your data without giving you the opportunity to retrieve it first.
Does HelmPlan provide legal advice? +
No. HelmPlan is a document storage and planning platform. Nothing on the platform constitutes legal, financial, or professional advice. We always recommend speaking to a qualified solicitor and accountant for advice specific to your situation.
What is the Handover Guide? +
The Handover Guide is a fillable document you complete to tell whoever is covering for you exactly what to do and where to find things. It covers key contacts, first priorities, day-to-day running, and access to systems. It works for planned absences and emergencies alike.
What is the Emergency Handover Guide? +
The Emergency Handover Guide is pre-written and requires no input from you. It is designed for whoever finds themselves needing to manage your business in an unexpected crisis — it tells them what to do first, where to find everything in your vault, and who to contact.
I am interested but not ready to sign up yet — what can I do? +
Take our free 2-minute Succession Readiness Quiz at helmplan.com. You will get an instant score across 8 key risk areas and a free business continuity guide tailored to your results. No sign-up required.
What if I have more than one business? +
Additional business vaults are available at a significantly reduced rate for multi-business owners. Contact us at hello@helmplan.com and we will set this up for you.
Is HelmPlan available outside the UK? +
HelmPlan is currently designed for UK businesses and UK legal and regulatory requirements. If you are based outside the UK, some content may not be directly applicable to your situation.
I am a solicitor or accountant — is there a professional partner programme? +
Yes. HelmPlan has a Professional Partner programme for solicitors, accountants, and IFAs. Download our Partner Guide from helmplan.com or email hello@helmplan.com to find out more.
Can I speak to someone before signing up? +
Of course. Email us at hello@helmplan.com and we will get back to you within one business day. We are happy to answer any questions before you commit.

Have a question?

We would love to hear from you. Email us at hello@helmplan.com and we will get back to you within one business day.