Most business owners think structure is an admin issue.
Something you set up at the start…
…then ignore while you focus on growth.
But in reality, structure either enables scale or silently limits it.
And by the time the problem shows up, it’s usually expensive to fix.
What “Structure” Really Means (In Practice)
Your structure isn’t just:
🔹A company name
🔹A shareholding split
🔹An accountant’s diagram
It determines:
🔹How profits are taxed
🔹How cash can be extracted
🔹Whether growth capital gets trapped
🔹Whether exits and succession work
In other words: structure decides what’s possible later.
The Common Growth Trap
Many businesses grow inside a structure designed for:
🔹A single owner
🔹Modest profits
🔹No exit plan
🔹No group activity
That works — until it doesn’t.
Typical warning signs:
🔹Cash building up with no clean way out
🔹Tax costs rising faster than profits
🔹One company doing everything
🔹No separation between trading, property, or investments
At that point, growth feels harder than it should.
Scale Needs Different Plumbing
As businesses scale, structure starts to matter more than effort.
Growth businesses usually need:
🔹Clear separation of activities
🔹Flexibility to reinvest or extract profits
🔹Protection from unnecessary tax drag
🔹Optionality for future sale or transfer
Without that, success creates friction.
You earn more — but keep less.
You grow — but lose control.
The Question Most Owners Don’t Ask
Not: “Is my structure compliant?”
But: “Was this structure built for where I’m going — or where I started?”
A structure that’s fine at €200k profit can be a problem at €1m+.
What helped early momentum can later restrict movement.
Why Fixing Structure Late Is Costly
Once value has built up:
🔹Restructuring can trigger tax
🔹Asset separation becomes complex
🔹Exit options narrow
🔹Reliefs can be lost
The earlier structure is reviewed, the more choices remain open.
This is why smart growth planning happens before pressure builds.
Structure Is a Growth Decision
Structure isn’t technical.
It’s strategic.
It decides:
🔹Whether profits fuel growth or get stuck
🔹Whether the business is investable
🔹Whether exit or succession is clean
And most importantly:
🔹Whether growth feels supported or constrained
The Planning Prompt
If your business is:
🔹Growing faster than expected
🔹Retaining profits with no clear plan
🔹Carrying multiple activities in one company
🔹Thinking about scale, sale, or succession
Then the real question is:
“Does my current structure make the next stage easier — or harder?”
Because growth doesn’t just need energy.
It needs the right structure underneath it.
Contact George Skelton, Tax Partner at RDA Accountants, to discuss your situation in detail and craft a tailored strategy:
Email: gskelton@rda.ie
Phone: +353 539170507
Website: rda.ie