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Fortis Defined

Inspired by its Latin roots, Fortis Business Advisors exemplifies, embodies and defines our mission and values by strength, robustness, might, vigor, boldness, and courage. Much like the small businesses we serve, we strive to achieve success for our clients through perseverance and grit.​

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Fortis Business Advisors was founded with a single objective: to be the most innovative and creative small business advisory firm recognized for bold and effective solutions. We are passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners, marketers and day-to-day operators developing customized and unique strategies that meet the needs of our clients. 

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Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat

“Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat” - Fortune Favors the Bold.

It defines the motivation shared by us and the clients we serve.

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What Our Clients and Partners Say

ENTREPRENEUR & BUSINESS OWNER

We turned to Fortis and found expertise mated with excellence, all with a heart for small businesses, like ours.

VP, COMMERCIAL BANKING RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

Once engaged, Fortis took control of the process and realized a 99.9% return on the inventory cost value minimizing further loss by the bank.

ASSIGNEE & ATTORNEY AT LAW

Please consider this the highest recommendation possible for services provided by Fortis Business Advisors. I would recommend Fortis without reservation.

PARTNER, COMMERCIAL FINANCE LENDER

As a preferred partner, Fortis Business Advisors and their team helped to turn a tough situation around for one of our transportation clients.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Having performed their analysis, it was evident that we had deeper issues. Fortis developed a go-forward plan to point us in the right direction.

ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR

Fortis Business Advisors provided me with an accurate analysis and valuation that saved me from making a $450,000 mistake.

ENTREPRENEUR & BUSINESS OWNER

The opening day was the biggest day of sales volume in memory. And in days to come, we saw increases in traffic and volume that we had not seen in years.

ENTREPRENEUR & BUSINESS OWNER

The way the store was prepared created urgency leading to a buying frenzy that lead to selling old inventory for the most amount of money I could have expected.

ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR

Once our plan was put into action, Fortis adapted to handle any issues that came up and was there to see our liquidation to a successful conclusion.

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Our People

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and operating nationally, we have access to some of the world's most talented advisors. By bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to collaborate on complex challenges, our team's composition enables us to deliver impactful value to our client's initiatives in unique and imaginative ways.

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Ben Nicholson
President    

Bringing nearly 25 years of entrepreneurial, business ownership, and management experience, Ben Nicholson is a seasoned business strategist and turnaround expert with a diverse background spanning startups, operations, turnarounds, "dark" business management, and "Pop-Up" concept execution. Specializing in crafting tailored strategies and experienced-based solutions for small businesses in healthy or distressed situations, Ben has represented small businesses, financial institutions, and professional service advisors across multiple industries, including retail/e-commerce, distribution, consumer products, restaurant and food service, manufacturing, construction, and trucking industries. His expertise extends to serving as a Chief Restructuring Officer in a Subchapter V bankruptcy case and pioneering "Pop-Up" Liquidation strategies in bankruptcy proceedings.

 

Ben has been a key stakeholder and launched startups across the retail, food service, publishing, and marketing sectors, with his first business being a highly reputable Manhattan-based gourmet cheese and food store utilized as a product launch pad for some of the most successful restaurants and bakeries in New York City, including Balthazar, Petrossian, Eli's Bread, Amy's Bread, and others. More recently, Ben orchestrated and launched a multi-store apparel Pop-Up operation in 3.5 months with an annualized revenue of $3.5mm.

 

Ben holds an MBA and Bachelor of Arts degree and is a member of the Exit Planning Exchange, the Turnaround Management Association, the Secured Finance Network, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is the editor and publisher of The Fortis Advisor, and his insights have been published in the Journal of Corporate Renewal, The Secured Lender, ABL Advisor, Troubled Company Reporter, Coleman Report, Retail Dive, and Woman's World.

Our Values

Our values inform our decision-making, shape our strategies, and guide how we interact with our clients and the communities we serve. We aim to embody and exemplify these values in everything we do, using them as the foundation for our long-term strategic thinking and day-to-day operations.

ONGOING VALUE CREATION

We endeavor to build enduring relationships with our clients by collaborating with their team and delivering value that consistently helps them thrive.

OUR CLIENT'S BEST INTEREST FIRST

We are champions of small business bringing access to services normally considered too expensive for the clients and size businesses we serve. 

CREATIVE & INNOVATIVE THINKING

The diversity of our team is one of our greatest and most unique assets as we strive to foster unconventional, cross-disciplinary thinking and effective results.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Robust systems, procedures, and processes with tech-enabled efficiencies and uncompromising proactivity drive us to consistently deliver effective results.  

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Constant iteration, rigorous testing and intellectual drive pervade our organization. In relentlessly pursuing marginal gains we continuously improve in all we do.

INTEGRITY & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Holding ourselves to the highest standards of professional ethics and accountability, we strive to build partnerships based on transparency and steadfast commitment.

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