After six successful years at St. George Bank, Nick had built a strong reputation writing over $100m annually, primarily thanks to a trusted network of broker referrals.
But therein lay the challenge — when he began considering a move into broking himself, he couldn't lean on that same network. Many of his referrers were brokers, and poaching those clients would not only damage long-standing relationships, it simply wasn’t ethical. That left Nick with no obvious lead sources and the daunting question: Where will my first deal come from?
His decision to leave the bank is one many high-performing banking finance managers will resonate with; after consistently hitting $100m+, there was no incentive to do more. Despite having untapped personal capacity, he’d hit a ceiling. When a promised bonus was declined, it became clear that staying would only mean more effort for diminishing returns.
It was around that time that Blue Crane Finance, a small but growing brokerage, he’d come to know and respect, invited him to join their team.
They could offer a few warm leads to get started and backoffice support to keep things moving. It gave Nick the confidence to step out, knowing he could focus on what he did best, being in front of clients and getting deals across the line.
While Nick was new to broking, he certainly wasn’t new to writing deals. What he lacked was lead generation, partnerships, and the business-building infrastructure to succeed without the bank behind him. He joined Blue Crane mid-2021 with a new-born at home and zero clients, and within three months, he brought Success & Broker on board.
Coaching gave him immediate structure and direction. With no built-in lead sources, the focus became building the systems and skills to drive his own growth — from referral partnerships to client conversations, time management, and delivery frameworks.
One of the first realizations was that Nick had no desire to build a business where he managed compliance, admin, or detail-heavy processes. That wasn’t his skill set — and importantly, he knew it. He was fast, effective, and high-trust. He needed to spend as much time as possible face-to-face with clients. For Nick, paying a split to access support and operational infrastructure from day one made perfect sense.
Of course, not every ex-banker will take the same path. Some prefer to go fully independent, build a team, and hire their own people. But Nick made a clear and early decision to double down on what he was great at — and build everything else around that.
DOUBLE DOWN ON YOUR STRENGTHS, BUILD EVERYTHING ELSE AROUND THEM.
I made a clear and early decision to double down on what I was great at, and built everything else around that.
$100m written in his first year as a broker
On track for $190m in his second year
I paid for coaching myself early on, and it was scary — I had no clients. But I knew if I wanted to be in the top %, I needed the right people around me. Ruan helped me transition from banker to broker — the mindset, the process, the structure. I wrote $100m in my first year because I had clarity and accountability from day one
