Everything you need to step out on your own.
Without the risk, the drag, or the isolation of going it alone.
You own your firm, your brand, your autonomy and your client relationships. We provide the structure underneath and hold a stake aligned to what we build together: a clear set of tools, introductions and processes that turn a strong biller into an entrepreneur.
A codified sales playbook
Retained search methodology, business development, objection handling and assignment management.
Senior advisory access
Access to three founders with deep expertise in executive search, scaling businesses internationally, and ultra-high-net-worth wealth management.
Full operational infrastructure
Company setup, legal, banking, bookkeeping, office space, brand identity, website.
A technology edge
AI-powered market intelligence, business development tools, reporting, candidate management.
International expansion support
US/UK market entry, entity setup, immigration, benefits guidance.
In-house wealth advisory
Helping you manage and compound what you earn.
How Cortland differs
Model
Traditional agency
Going solo
Recruitment franchise
Commoditised platform
/The limitation
Income ceiling, no ownership, politics, and no wealth creation.
Upfront costs, time lost to admin, no infrastructure, no playbook, no peer group, all the risk.
Upfront fees, rigid model, standardised brand, no equity.
Standardised infrastructure built to serve the platform, not you. Volume over quality. No capital injection.
/The Cortland difference
Equity, autonomy, wealth creation, and an entrepreneurial team alongside you.
Support from day one, not just on becoming a better headhunter but on how to scale your business and create wealth. Our system lets you focus on what you do best.
No upfront cost, with our capital at work. Your own brand that reflects your beliefs, and real ownership.
Built around the recruiter. You keep the economics and the equity, with quality chosen over volume.
Model
Traditional agency
/The limitation
Income ceiling, no ownership, politics, and no wealth creation.
/The Cortland difference
Equity, autonomy, wealth creation, and an entrepreneurial team alongside you.
Model
Going solo
/The limitation
Upfront costs, time lost to admin, no infrastructure, no playbook, no peer group, all the risk.
/The Cortland difference
Support from day one, not just on becoming a better headhunter but on how to scale your business and create wealth. Our system lets you focus on what you do best.
Model
Recruitment franchise
/The limitation
Upfront fees, rigid model, standardised brand, no equity.
/The Cortland difference
No upfront cost, with our capital at work. Your own brand that reflects your beliefs, and real ownership.
Model
Commoditised platform
/The limitation
Standardised infrastructure built to serve the platform, not you. Volume over quality. No capital injection.
/The Cortland difference
Built around the recruiter. You keep the economics and the equity, with quality chosen over volume.
Opportunity isn’t confined to one geography. Neither are we.
The best recruiters want to build internationally. Bigger fees, more active markets, deeper pools of talent and capital.
The appetite is there. A realistic way to act on it usually isn’t.
We’ve built and operated across markets, so the experience isn’t theoretical. Crossing borders the wrong way is expensive and slow. We carry the entity, the structure, the relationships and the timing.
Portugal
Austria
Bulgaria
Czechia
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Poland
Romania
Portugal
Austria
Bulgaria
Czechia
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Poland
Romania
United States
Middle East
Europe
United Kingdom
United States
Middle East
Europe
United States
Middle East
Europe
United Kingdom
United States
Middle East
Europe
Slovakia
Spain
Slovenia
Sweden
Italy
Denmark
Belgium
Croatia
Malta
Slovakia
Spain
Slovenia
Sweden
Italy
Denmark
Belgium
Croatia
Malta
A global network
Once you’ve proved your ability, introductions to clients, candidates and operators, so you don’t arrive cold.
Set-up on the ground
The entity, the structure and the practicalities of establishing in a new market, the US first among them, handled from day one.
Immigration support
Real, hands-on experience with visas.
Benefits and medical
Guidance through healthcare, insurance and cost structures that take account of jurisdictional nuances allowing global scale.
Market understanding
A clear read on how an international market behaves and where the opportunities sit, before the challenges find you.
Operational support
The same back-office, finance and infrastructure that takes admin off your plate at home, extended across the globe.
The point is simple. Crossing borders alone is where most people lose time and a lot of money. With Cortland, you land already set up to bill, supported by people who have done it before.
The full arc runs in a straight line: get exceptional at retained search, scale internationally, buildgenuine enterprise value, and then deploy the wealth that follows.
Questions about the model
01
Why wouldn’t I just do this myself?
You could. Going solo means upfront costs, time lost to admin, no infrastructure, no playbook and no peer group, with all the risk sitting on you. With Cortland the structure is already built, so your first months go into billing rather than setup.
02
Is this a franchise?
No. A franchise charges you upfront, hands you a rigid model and a standardised brand, and leaves you without equity. We put our own capital to work, you build under your own name, and you hold real ownership.
03
Will I have my own brand?
Yes. It is your firm, your name and your brand identity, and we help you build it. Company setup, legal, banking, office space and website all sit with us; the brand and the client relationships stay yours.
04
Will I lose autonomy?
No. You own your firm, your brand, your autonomy and your client relationships. We provide the structure underneath and hold a stake aligned to what we build together.
05
How involved is the Cortland team?
As involved as you want us to be. You get access to three founders with deep expertise in executive search, scaling internationally and wealth management, a codified playbook and full operational support. The business is still run by you.