Five years ago this month, Cortus Advisory Group officially launched – and what a journey it has been since.
Nicky’s reflections below capture the reality of building something from the ground up: the lessons learned, the resilience required, the importance of people around you and how your “why” evolves over time.
We’re incredibly proud of what has been built over the last five years – and even more excited about what comes next.
Five Lessons from Five Years of Cortus Advisory Group
This month, it’s five years since we officially launched Cortus!
We have had great success, and I’ve been privileged to be recognised personally and supported by my peers and friends across the M&A community.
It’s been a whirlwind. On one hand it seems like only the other day that I was out on a run on a sunny Sunday afternoon and I asked myself, “if not now, then when” and “if not me, then who?”. On the other hand, it seems like a lifetime ago… one where I had fewer… ahem… fine lines (they are not wrinkles!).
The last five years have been about building, sacrificing, learning on the job, getting it wrong, getting it right, and questioning myself. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, and at times my energy reserves have run low but the growth I’ve experienced, both professionally and personally, has been worth every nagging doubt and sleepless night.
Here I share with you five things I’ve learned over the last five years, lessons that continue to shape how I lead and think about the future.
1. A Strategic Vision Only Matters If It’s Shared
In the early days, I found planning where we were going, why we existed, and what we stood to be incredibly empowering and energising. Taking all the best bits from the many companies and management teams I’d advised and observed previously, and mapping them all together. But often this planning was only going on in my own head and I wasn’t articulating my thoughts clearly or didn’t know yet how to let others in.
Having a strategic vision matters deeply, but I’ve learned that a vision held by one person is just an idea. It only becomes powerful when it’s shared, challenged, shaped, and ultimately owned by others.
We all commit more deeply to something we’ve helped build. Other people see things you can’t. They take it further than you ever could alone.
Leadership, I’ve learned, isn’t about being the sole author of the story. It’s about setting the direction and then creating the conditions for others to help write the chapters.
2. Authenticity Isn’t Optional
There’s a lot of pressure in leadership to have all the answers, to always be polished and confident. But five years in, I’ve learned that authenticity builds far more trust than chasing perfection.
Being honest about what you know, and what you don’t, makes you a real human. Being yourself gives others permission to do the same. Owning your mistakes creates a culture where its accepted that we don’t always get it right.
Authenticity doesn’t mean oversharing or abandoning boundaries. It means alignment between your values and your actions, and your words and your behaviour. People know when it’s for show and when it’s real.
3. Resilience Is Needed in Spades
No one really prepares you for how much resilience building something from scratch requires.
There are moments of such momentum, clarity, and excitement but they’re matched by periods of doubt, fatigue, and challenge. It’s taken those five years to accept that I can only control the controllable, but I can always act with integrity and be my authentic self.
To me, resilience isn’t about being relentlessly positive. It’s about continuing to move forward even when the path isn’t clear. I have found it helpful to surround myself with people who challenge and support me in equal measure, and remind me regularly why I started this journey.
4. Long‑Term Thinking is a Skill
For someone who loves actions and quick results, learning how to think long‑term hasn’t been easy. But five years in, I’ve become more accepting that you must allow some things to just take their time to emerge.
Building capability, reputation, culture, and trust doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to prioritise sustainable progress over short‑term wins.
There have been times when growth has been slower than I wanted but looking back I’ve learnt that building trust and credibility takes its time.
5. Understanding Your “Why” Evolves
When Cortus began, I had a strong sense of purpose, but I didn’t fully understand all of its dimensions. Some things only became clear through doing.
Over time, my “why” has evolved. Now, it’s more about using my voice, not to be loudest in the room and dominate the conversation, but to create a stage for others. My purpose has evolved from being a trusted M&A advisor, to being an entrepreneur, to now building environments where other people can lead, contribute, and shine in ways that are true to them.
Your purpose doesn’t always arrive fully formed. Sometimes it reveals itself gradually, through experience, reflection, and the courage to ask yourself some searching questions.
Looking Ahead
Five years on, I’m proud of what Cortus has become and even more excited about what the next five years will bring because it genuinely still feels like we are only just getting started.
So if you are building something, be it a business, a career, or a vision, my advice is this: learn to lead with clarity, share the strategic vision, stay authentic, think long term, and trust that your “why” will keep revealing itself. But most of all… keep going and keep growing!