A Fife finance company set up by a 20-year-old entrepreneur has been liquidated after a former office manager successfully sued for unpaid wages.
Simply Solutions Group was founded during the pandemic by Louis King.
Former office manager Alison Tait took Mr King and Simply Solutions to an employment tribunal over claims she had been dismissed in breach of contract.
Ms Tait alleged she had not been paid her notice of one month’s salary, her holiday entitlement and other wages.
The full amount of unpaid monies totalled £5,220.
Employment judge Amanda Jones ruled in favour of Ms Tait, after neither Mr King or Simply Solutions Group responded to the claim.
Scott Bastick of Middlebrooks Business Recovery Advice was appointed as liquidator for the group in November.
A resolution for the winding up process is also under way.
Simply Solutions employment tribunal
In her written ruling, Judge Jones noted Mr King had not responded to the tribunal proceedings, which were initiated earlier this year.
She said: “The claimant was dismissed in breach of contract in respect of notice and the respondent is ordered to pay damages to the claimant in the gross sum of £2,083.33 (one month’s pay).
“The respondent has failed to pay the claimant in lieu of her holiday entitlement and
is ordered to pay the claimant the net sum of £532.80 (six days at £88.80 per day).
“The respondent has made an unauthorised deduction from the claimant’s wages
and is ordered to pay the claimant the gross sum of £2,604.08 in respect of wages
for the period ending May 8 2024.”
Company liquidated
Mr King had previously claimed his firm would “revolutionise” card payment processes for small businesses after launching from Kirkcaldy in 2020.
Simply Solutions was involved with businesses across retail, hospitality and health and beauty sectors, Mr King said.
He claimed to have hit sales of more than £2 million in 2023.
His own journey saw him leave school at 15 before studying at Fife College.
He then took jobs in retail, which saw him become “fascinated” by card payments, he told The Courier.
Louis said “age is no barrier” when, at 23 he had founded and was director of a number of businesses in the Kingdom.
When the firm moved offices to Lochgelly in 2022, Mr King said he planned on employing 15 staff.
Most recent published accounts for the firm show the company employed three members of staff at the end of December 2023.
Mr King and Simply Solutions Group did not respond to a request for comment when approached by The Courier.
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