Working Together to Support Company Directors
3E’s Foundation is built on the belief that no single organisation can support people under pressure alone. As the challenges facing company directors grow more complex, so too does the need for wider experience, sector knowledge, and practical insight. This page is an invitation to ethical businesses and professionals who want to contribute their expertise, work collaboratively, and help expand the support available to directors navigating pressure, uncertainty, and risk. By working together, we can strengthen outcomes for individuals, businesses, and the people who depend on them.
Company Failure in the UK
Company failure in the United Kingdom is widespread and persistent, affecting hundreds of thousands of businesses each year. According to the UK Insolvency Service, over 25,000 companies entered formal insolvency in 2023, representing one of the highest annual totals on record, while the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that over 600,000 businesses cease trading annually when voluntary closures are included. The majority of these failures occur within small and medium-sized enterprises, where financial resilience, access to advice, and operational buffers are weakest. Therefore, without early, ethical intervention models such as those provided by 3E’s, business failure continues to erode long-term wealth creation, destroy balance-sheet value, and destabilise local economies before support is ever accessed.
Director Suicide Risk
Company directors and business owners face a significantly elevated risk of suicide compared to the general population. Data analysed by the Office for National Statistics and referenced by Samaritans indicates that self-employed individuals and small business owners are up to 2–3 times more likely to die by suicide than salaried employees, with middle-aged men at particularly high risk. This elevated risk is closely linked to financial pressure, isolation, responsibility for staff livelihoods, and fear of reputational failure. Therefore, a model such as 3E’s — which integrates business support (Project Epsilon) with wellbeing-first intervention (Project Zeta) — directly addresses a systemic risk that traditional advisory and insolvency pathways consistently fail to mitigate.
Mental Health Among Directors and Business Owners
Mental health difficulties are disproportionately prevalent among company directors and business owners. Research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that over 80% of small business owners report symptoms of stress, anxiety, or poor mental health, with more than one in four reporting mental health deterioration directly linked to business pressures. Unlike employees, directors often lack access to occupational health support, sick pay, or confidential wellbeing services, increasing the likelihood of deterioration before help is sought. Therefore, 3E’s peer-led, person-centred model provides a critical intervention point by addressing mental health as a structural business risk rather than a private failure, reinforcing both sustainable enterprise and ethical leadership.
Late Intervention and Structural Failure of Support Systems
Most existing business support mechanisms activate only after significant damage has already occurred. Insolvency statistics show that the majority of companies entering liquidation have experienced 12–24 months of unmanaged financial distress, while mental health services typically engage only at crisis thresholds. This gap leaves directors unsupported during the most decisive period, when early intervention could preserve both business viability and personal wellbeing. Therefore, 3E’s early-access, no-fixed-pricing framework fills a critical structural void by enabling engagement based on need rather than affordability, directly supporting prevention rather than crisis response.
Impact on Employees, Families, and Communities
Business failure rarely affects only the owner. Each SME failure typically impacts 5–10 employees, their families, supply chains, and local service economies. ONS labour data shows that small business closures disproportionately affect lower-income households and regional economies, compounding inequality and community instability. When a director collapses under pressure, the ripple effects extend far beyond the balance sheet. Therefore, 3E’s wrap-around model — linking business recovery, wellbeing, housing stability, and ethical enterprise — protects not just individuals, but entire economic micro-systems that would otherwise fail silently.
Why 3e’s Is Structurally Necessary
The evidence demonstrates that business failure, director distress, and suicide risk are not isolated events but ceparate business advice from wellbeing, finance from housing, and leadership from human vulnerability, resulting in fragmented and ineffective responses. Therefore, 3E’s six support pillars form a structurally necessary framework that aligns ethical responsibility with sustainable enterprise, ensuring that support is delivered holistically, early, and without financial barriers — exactly where current systems fall short.