The Principal Podcast

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The Principal Podcast is where founders, Managing Partners, and CEOs of professional services firms share how they build, grow, and lead businesses that last. Each episode goes deep on the real strategies behind firm growth, from winning clients and building trust, to scaling teams and staying ahead in a competitive market. Hosted by a team of seasoned professionals with backgrounds across consulting, marketing, and business growth, The Principal Podcast brings diverse perspectives to every conversation. Guests come from across the professional services world: management consulting, financial services, investment banking, IT services, marketing, PR, staffing, and accounting. If you run or lead a professional services firm and you're serious about growth, this is your show.

Recent Episodes

OCT 23, 2026
How to Build a Stronger Firm Through Behavioral Intelligence With Terry Bean
Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Professional services firms are built on people. How leaders communicate, make decisions, build trust, and respond under pressure ultimately shapes the experience of both clients and teams. Terry Bean has spent more than 16 years helping leaders better understand those patterns. Today, as CEO of Behavioral Elements, he works at the intersection of behavioral intelligence, leadership development, communication, and execution, helping individuals and organizations turn greater self-awareness into better business outcomes. Terry has worked with thousands of professionals, from growing businesses to Fortune 100 executives, and has delivered more than 500 presentations. He is also an executive producer of TEDxDetroit, a published author, and former co-host of the Business Growth Time podcast. His current focus includes growing Behavioral Elements and expanding its Certified Guide ecosystem so more coaches, consultants, and business leaders can apply behavioral intelligence in their own work. For founders, Managing Partners, and CEOs of professional services firms, the conversation is ultimately about a practical question: how do you better understand the people behind the business so you can build stronger relationships, make better decisions, and create sustainable growth? Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve spent more than 16 years across coaching, speaking, training, networking, and leadership development. How did you get into this work, and what eventually led you to Behavioral Elements? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Behavioral Elements today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those organizations, who typically holds the decision to bring you in or hire you? 4. You’ve built a large professional network, delivered hundreds of presentations, produced TEDxDetroit, and created content for years. What has actually worked best for you when it comes to building trust, generating opportunities, and winning new clients for your business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Podcast (guesting), Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: You also spent more than eight years co-hosting Business Growth Time. From your experience, where does podcasting fit as a marketing and relationship-building channel for leaders of professional services firms? 5. Behavioral intelligence can sound abstract before someone experiences it. How do you take a prospect from recognizing that they have a leadership, communication, or team problem to seeing enough value in your approach to actually hire you? 6. Once you’ve won a client, how do you continue creating enough value that they keep coming back, expand the relationship, and see you as a long-term partner rather than someone they brought in for a one-off engagement? 7. As you lead the growth of Behavioral Elements and expand the Certified Guide community, where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a professional services business leader, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Terry Bean Website Link: https://www.behavioralelements.com Connect with Terry Bean on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrybean Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/
30 MIN
OCT 23, 2026
How to Scale Through M&A Without Breaking Your Business With Shelby Faubion
Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Shelby Faubion operates at the intersection of finance, operations, and strategy, where most consulting engagements either succeed or fall apart. Through Vector Advisory, he works closely with private equity firms and portfolio companies to guide them across the full M&A lifecycle, from diligence to integration and beyond. His perspective is grounded in execution, not theory. What stands out in Shelby’s approach is his focus on structure during growth. As companies scale, especially through acquisitions, complexity increases faster than most leadership teams can handle. Reporting breaks, processes lag, and decision-making slows. Shelby’s work is about restoring control by building the systems, processes, and financial discipline required to support growth. For consulting firm owners, this conversation is a reminder that real value isn’t created in strategy decks, it’s created in implementation. The firms that win are the ones that stay close to execution, align finance with operations, and help clients translate growth into measurable outcomes. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What got you into consulting, and what led you to start Vector Advisory? 2. What specific problem are you helping your clients solve, and why does solving that matter to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who typically makes the decision to bring you in? 4. How do you typically get in front of private equity firms and portfolio companies, and what’s worked best for you to build trust in that ecosystem? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Cold outreach Sub Question: What’s your take on podcasting as a marketing channel for consultants in the M&A and finance space? 5. When you’re selling into complex M&A environments with multiple stakeholders, how do you navigate the process and ultimately win the engagement? 6. How do you retain clients over time, what do you do to make sure they keep coming back and build long-term relationships with you? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as you grow Vector Advisory (if at all)? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Shelby Faubion Website Link: https://www.vector-advisory.com/ Connect with Shelby Faubion on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-faubion-9893b1/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/
26 MIN
OCT 23, 2026
How to Scale a Professional Services Firm Through People and Performance With David Aspinall
Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** David Aspinall has spent more than 25 years building, operating, and transforming businesses across professional services, enterprise technology, and telecommunications. Today, he leads ELB Learning, a strategic workforce performance partner serving 80% of the Fortune 100. David brings an unusually broad perspective on what makes a services business work. He previously served as CEO of auticon US, founded Sales Enablement Partners before its acquisition by SBI, and spent six years as an operating investor at Capstone, with a track record that includes four acquisitions and three exits. At the center of David’s approach is disciplined execution: build strong teams, create clarity and accountability, measure outcomes rather than activity, and leave the organization stronger than you found it. We’ll dig into how those principles apply to growing a professional services firm, from attracting and winning the right clients to retaining them, scaling delivery, and building a team that can execute without everything depending on the founder or CEO. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve spent 25 years across professional services, technology, private equity, and now workforce performance. How did you first get into the professional services world, and what has kept you interested in building and leading these businesses? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve at ELB today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those organizations, who usually holds the decision to bring ELB in and hire you? 4. When it comes to attracting new clients for ELB, what’s working best today, and what have you learned about building trust and generating demand that other professional services firms could apply? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts as a marketing and thought-leadership tool for professional services firms? 5. You’re selling into large organizations where there can be multiple stakeholders and long buying cycles. How do you typically take a prospective client from the first conversation to getting the deal across the line? 6. Once you’ve won a client, how do you make sure they keep coming back, and what have you learned about turning successful engagements into long-term client relationships? 7. With everything you’re building and changing at ELB right now, where do you find yourself most challenged as a CEO and operator, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about David Aspinall Website Link: http://www.elblearning.com Connect with David Aspinall on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diaspinall/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/
32 MIN
OCT 23, 2026
How to Build a Firm Through Relationships and Specialization With Christopher Gannon
Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Christopher Gannon founded Captivate Talent in 2017 with a focus on connecting high-quality revenue talent with growing technology companies. Nine years later, Captivate has developed into a specialized recruiting firm serving B2B SaaS startups and scale-ups across sales, marketing, customer success, RevOps, and executive leadership. Christopher has built the business around specialization and a deliberately human approach to recruiting. In an industry increasingly shaped by automation and AI, Captivate continues to place relationships, judgment, candidate experience, and trust at the center of how the firm operates. Christopher’s experience offers a practical look at what it takes to build a professional services firm that lasts: choosing the right market, differentiating in a crowded category, winning and retaining clients, building a team that can deliver, and knowing where technology should, and shouldn’t, replace human expertise. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What got you into recruiting in the first place, and what eventually gave you the conviction to start Captivate Talent? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Captivate today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those companies, who usually holds the decision to bring Captivate in? 4. Recruiting is a crowded and relationship-driven business. How are your best clients finding Captivate today, and what have you found works consistently when it comes to generating new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: You’ve invested in content and conversations around GTM and hiring yourself. What role do you think podcasting can play in building trust and generating business for a professional services firm? 5. When a potential client has plenty of recruiting firms they could choose from, how do you build trust, differentiate Captivate, and ultimately get the engagement over the line? 6. Once you’ve won a client, what do you do to make sure they want to keep coming back to Captivate, and how have you approached building relationships that last for years rather than a single search? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as the founder of Captivate, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Christopher Gannon Website Link: https://www.captivatetalent.com Connect with Christopher Gannon on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gannonchristopher/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/
24 MIN
OCT 23, 2026
How to Build a Predictable Sales Engine for Your Firm With Daniel Zamudio
Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** For many professional services firms, growth still depends heavily on a founder, Managing Partner, or small group of rainmakers. The challenge is turning what those people do well into a sales process the rest of the organization can actually execute. Daniel Zamudio has spent much of his career solving that problem. As Founder & CEO of Playboox, he has worked with enterprise organizations to codify how their strongest sellers approach opportunities, buyers, and complex deals. His experience includes work with organizations such as Palo Alto Networks, ServiceNow, Juniper Networks, Avaya, Cornerstone OnDemand, and Sandler. Today, Daniel is taking that work further with agentic AI, using technology to bring playbooks, coaching, research, and execution directly into individual opportunities. We’ll unpack what he has learned about winning clients, systematizing sales, building long-term relationships, and creating a growth engine that doesn't depend entirely on a few exceptional people. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve spent years leading sales teams and advising some very sophisticated organizations. What got you into consulting, and what eventually led you to build Playboox? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Playboox today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. How do clients typically find Playboox today, and what’s worked best for you when it comes to consistently attracting new business? 4. What do you think about podcasting as a marketing and trust-building tool for professional services firms? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Cold outreach Sub Question: You’re selling expertise and technology into organizations with sophisticated buyers and often complex buying processes. What does your own sales process look like, and how do you typically bring those deals home? 5. You’re selling expertise and technology into organizations with sophisticated buyers and often complex buying processes. What does your own sales process look like, and how do you typically bring those deals home? 6. Once you’ve started working with a client, how do you make sure they keep coming back and turn that initial engagement into a long-term relationship? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as the founder and CEO of Playboox, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for Playboox and your work around AI-powered sales execution over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Daniel Zamudio Website Link: http://www.playboox.com Connect with Daniel Zamudio on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielzamudio Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/
29 MIN