The Principal Podcast

GHA Marketing
  • 5.0 (18)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 11h ago

    How to Grow a Firm Through Relationships That Compound With Adam Connors

    xLook 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 professional services firms, relationships are often at the center of growth. Clients buy based on trust, referrals can open doors that cold outreach cannot, and the right relationships can continue creating opportunities years after they begin. Adam R. Connors has built his business around understanding how those relationships are created and maintained. Through NetWorkWise, More Than Just A Lunch, and the Executive Unlock Mastermind, he helps executives, founders, and business leaders build stronger networks based on trust, generosity, and consistency. In this episode, we get into Adam’s idea of “Return on Relationships,” how he has turned relationship building into a business, and what founders and leaders of professional services firms can learn from his approach to winning opportunities, staying connected, and building a network that compounds over time. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve worked across finance, investing, and entrepreneurship before building NetWorkWise. What led you to build a business specifically around relationships and networking? 2. What specific problem are you helping executives, founders, and organizations solve through NetWorkWise, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and when a company brings NetWorkWise in, who usually holds the decision to hire you? 4. Your business is built around relationships, so how do clients typically find you today, and what has worked best for consistently generating new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral Sub Question: Given how relationship-driven professional services are, what do you think about podcasting as a marketing and relationship-building tool for firm leaders? 5. You talk about building relationships before you need them. When someone does become a potential client, how do you move from having a strong relationship to a commercial conversation and ultimately winning the business? 6. Once someone becomes a client, what do you do to make sure they continue getting value, keep coming back, and develop into a long-term relationship rather than a one-off engagement? 7. With NetWorkWise, More Than Just A Lunch, and the Executive Unlock Mastermind, where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a founder, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for NetWorkWise and relationship-based professional development over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Adam Connors Website Link: https://networkwise.com/ Connect with Adam Connors on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greatpeopleknowgreatpeople Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Grow a Firm Through Relationships That Compound With Adam Connors

  2. 1d ago

    How to Scale a Firm Through Deep Specialization With Chris Dreyer

    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 ********************************************************************** Chris Dreyer founded Rankings.io in 2013 around a specific insight: personal injury law firms were operating in an unusually competitive market but were often being served by generalist marketing agencies. Instead of broadening his market, Chris went the other direction and built a firm dedicated to one industry. That specialization has helped Rankings.io grow to serve 200+ firms, build a team of more than 160 legal marketing specialists, and earn a place on the Inc. 5000 for nine consecutive years. Chris has also built Personal Injury Mastermind, a 400+ episode podcast that gives him another way to build relationships, authority, and trust within the market his firm serves. Now, Chris is taking what he has learned advising firms and applying it from the operator’s seat. In 2026, he became an approved non-attorney owner of Law Bear, an Arizona personal injury firm. His journey offers professional services leaders a useful case study in what happens when specialization, thought leadership, client retention, and operational scale all reinforce each other. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What got you into the agency business in the first place, and what eventually convinced you to go all-in on personal injury law as your niche? 2. What specific problem are you helping personal injury firms solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients at Rankings.io today, and who usually holds the decision to bring you in and hire you? 4. Rankings.io operates in a very defined market. How do clients typically find you today, and what has worked best for consistently winning new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: You’ve built Personal Injury Mastermind to more than 400 episodes. What role has the podcast played in building authority and generating business, and what can other professional services firms learn from that? 5. Once an ideal firm is interested in Rankings.io, how do you approach the sales process and build enough trust for them to make a significant investment with you? 6. You’ve said your existing clients are the foundation of everything you build. How do you make sure clients keep seeing value, keep coming back, and ultimately build long-term relationships with Rankings.io? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as you scale Rankings.io and continue making that transition from founder to CEO, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Chris Dreyer Website Link: http://www.rankings.io Connect with Chris Dreyer on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdreyerco/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Scale a Firm Through Deep Specialization With Chris Dreyer

  3. 1d ago

    How to Scale a Professional Services Firm Through Better Systems With Jan Rippingale

    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 ********************************************************************** Jan Rippingale has spent her career solving complex operational problems. Today, as Founder and CEO of Blu Banyan, she helps companies improve how their businesses run through better processes, integrated data, ERP technology, and purpose-built solutions. Blu Banyan has developed particularly deep expertise in solar, construction, and manufacturing. The firm says its work has helped clients deploy 3x more projects with the same back-office team and convert projects into cash 40% faster. Its flagship SolarSuccess platform is used by more than one-third of the top 100 residential solar installers in the U.S. For professional services leaders, Jan’s story offers a useful look at what it takes to build a firm around specialized expertise while creating the systems needed to grow. We’ll explore how Blu Banyan wins trust in a technical market, sells complex engagements, develops long-term client relationships, reduces dependency on key people, and builds an organization that can scale. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You came from engineering, technology, ERP, and business operations before building Blu Banyan. What originally pushed you to start your own firm, and how has the business evolved since then? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Blu Banyan 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 Blu Banyan in and invest in the work? 4. You’ve built Blu Banyan in a very specialized and technical market. How do clients typically find you today, and what has worked best for consistently generating new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: And what do you think about podcasts as a marketing and trust-building tool for professional services firms, particularly when you’re selling specialized expertise? 5. You’re often selling significant operational change rather than a simple service. How do you take a prospect from recognizing there’s a problem to trusting Blu Banyan enough to make that investment? 6. Once you’ve delivered results for a client, how do you keep that relationship going? What have you found works best for keeping clients coming back and building genuinely long-term relationships? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as the founder and CEO of Blu Banyan, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Jan Rippingale Website Link: https://blubanyan.com/ Connect with Jan Rippingale on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janrippingale/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Scale a Professional Services Firm Through Better Systems With Jan Rippingale

  4. 1d ago

    How to Scale a Firm Through a Repeatable Sales Model With Richard Few

    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 ********************************************************************** Richard Few spent more than two decades in sales before founding Sales Geek in 2017. After holding senior sales leadership positions across the UK and Northern Europe, he left corporate employment to build a different model for bringing experienced sales leadership into SMEs. Today, Sales Geek provides fractional sales leadership, sales strategy, and training through a growing franchise network. The business has expanded across the UK, USA, India, GCC, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Singapore and has helped thousands of SMEs improve their sales performance. Richard’s journey is particularly relevant to founders and leaders of professional services firms because Sales Geek has faced many of the same growth challenges: turning individual expertise into a repeatable offering, building a brand clients trust, creating a reliable sales engine, maintaining client relationships, and scaling delivery beyond the founder. We’ll unpack what Richard has learned from that journey and where he believes the sales advisory market is heading next. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You spent more than two decades in sales before starting Sales Geek. What ultimately pushed you to build your own firm, and what did you want to do differently from the traditional sales consultancy model? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Sales Geek today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those businesses, who typically holds the decision to bring Sales Geek in? 4. How do clients typically find Sales Geek, and as you’ve grown the business, what has worked best for consistently generating new opportunities? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Podcast (guesting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts as a marketing and trust-building tool for professional services firms? 5. Given that you sell sales expertise, I imagine clients judge your own sales process pretty closely. How do you take a prospect from that first conversation through to becoming a client, particularly when you’re selling an expertise-led service? 6. Once a client starts working with Sales Geek, what do you do to keep delivering enough value that they want to stay, come back, and build a long-term relationship with the firm? 7. You’ve taken Sales Geek from an idea at the kitchen table to an international franchise business. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a founder and professional services 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 Richard Few Website Link: https://www.salesgeek.co.uk/ Connect with Richard Few on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardgfew/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Scale a Firm Through a Repeatable Sales Model With Richard Few

  5. 2d ago

    How to Build a Consulting Firm Clients Trust for the Long Haul With Chuck Mollor

    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 ********************************************************************** Chuck Mollor has spent more than 35 years advising, coaching, and consulting executives across startups, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits. In 2007, he founded MCG Partners, a professional services firm focused on leadership, culture, and talent optimization. Over nearly two decades, Chuck has built MCG around problems that sit close to the executive team: leadership effectiveness, executive coaching, team performance, succession planning, culture, talent strategy, and organizational change. He has also built his personal authority as the best-selling author of The Rise of The Agile Leader: Can You Make the Shift? and as co-founder of LEAD, an independent Greater Boston community of more than 400 CEOs. In this conversation, we’ll go behind the expertise and into the business of building MCG Partners: how Chuck finds the right clients, sells advisory work, creates long-term relationships, and continues evolving the firm in a changing professional services market. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You founded MCG Partners in 2007 after already having significant leadership and business experience. What pushed you to build your own professional services firm, and what did the early version of MCG look like? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through MCG Partners 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 you in and hire MCG Partners? 4. After nearly two decades of building MCG Partners, how do your best clients typically find you today, and what has worked best for consistently attracting new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: You’ve built your profile through a book, speaking, thought leadership, and podcast appearances. What do you think about podcasting as a marketing and trust-building tool for professional services firms? 5. Leadership, culture, and talent work can be difficult to make tangible before a client experiences it. How do you take a prospect from that first conversation to trusting MCG enough to sign the engagement? 6. Professional services firms are often built on repeat business and relationships. How do you make sure MCG clients keep coming back, and what have you learned about building client relationships that last for years rather than a single engagement? 7. After nearly two decades running MCG Partners, where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a founder and CEO, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Chuck Mollor Website Link: http://www.mcgpartners.com Connect with Chuck Mollor on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckmollor/?isSelfProfile=false Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Build a Consulting Firm Clients Trust for the Long Haul With Chuck Mollor

  6. 2d ago

    How to Grow Through Trusted Relationships With Christopher Castaldo

    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 Castaldo has spent more than two decades working across cybersecurity, enterprise sales, recruiting, and advisory services. Today, he leads CCG and JTT Tech, helping technology executives navigate challenges around talent, technology strategy, vendor rationalization, cybersecurity, and cost. A major part of Christopher’s growth strategy has been building trusted executive communities. What began as a small CIO/CISO roundtable in New England has grown into a network of hundreds of technology leaders, driven largely through referrals and peer-to-peer relationships rather than traditional marketing. In this conversation, we explore how Christopher has turned trust and community into a competitive advantage, how he wins and retains executive clients, what he has learned about growing professional services businesses, and where he sees the biggest opportunities ahead. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve spent more than two decades across cybersecurity, sales, recruiting, and advisory work. What led you to start building your own professional services businesses? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve today through CCG and JTT Tech, 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 you in and hire you? 4. You’ve grown your CIO/CISO community from around 25 people to hundreds of executives, largely through referrals. How has that community helped you grow the business, and what have you learned about building trust as a way to win clients? Current Acquisition Channels: Cold outreach Sub Question: Given how much of your growth has come through trusted conversations and peer-to-peer relationships, what do you think about podcasts as a marketing tool for professional services firms? 5. You’ve said that many senior technology buyers won’t respond to vendors unless there’s trust or a warm introduction. How does that shape the way you sell your own services and turn relationships into clients? 6. Once you’ve brought a client in, what do you do to keep delivering enough value that they come back and you can build a long-term relationship? 7. With CCG, JTT Tech, and the executive communities you’re building, where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a professional services firm leader, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for CCG and JTT Tech over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Christopher Castaldo Website Link: www.cyberconsultinggroup.net Connect with Christopher Castaldo on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-castaldo-566aa56/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Grow Through Trusted Relationships With Christopher Castaldo

  7. 2d ago

    How to Win and Keep Clients Through Trust With Andrew Sykes

    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 ********************************************************************** Andrew Sykes has spent his career studying the connection between habits, trust, and business performance. After starting his professional career as an actuary and going on to build several businesses, he founded Habits at Work, where he helps leaders and sales teams develop the behaviors that make them more trusted and effective. Alongside leading Habits at Work, Andrew teaches through Kellogg Executive Education and has worked with organizations including Google, Pinterest, eBay, YouTube, Autodesk, and Subaru. His work challenges the idea that trust is something businesses simply earn over time. Instead, he focuses on the specific habits and behaviors that allow people and organizations to build trust intentionally. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You started your career as an actuary before becoming an entrepreneur, professor, speaker, and building Habits at Work. What led you into professional services, and how did Habits at Work become the business it is today? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Habits at Work, and why does solving that problem around trust matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those organizations, who typically holds the decision to bring Habits at Work in and hire you? 4. You’ve built your visibility through speaking, teaching, research, LinkedIn, and The Trust Advantage newsletter. How do clients typically find you today, and what has worked best for consistently generating new business for Habits at Work? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: You’re also launching a podcast around closing the knowing-doing-having gap. How do you see podcasting as a tool for building trust and generating business in professional services? 5. Trust is at the center of what you teach, but you also have to sell that expertise yourself. When you’re pursuing a significant engagement, how do you personally take a prospect from initial interest to enough trust and buy-in to hire Habits at Work? 6. Once you’ve delivered for a client, how do you make sure they keep coming back? What have you learned about turning an initial speaking, training, or consulting engagement into a long-term client relationship? 7. After more than 20 years building Habits at Work, where do you find yourself most challenged right now as a professional services firm founder, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for Habits at Work and your work around trust over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Andrew Sykes Website Link: https://habitsatwork.com Connect with Andrew Sykes on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewsykes1 Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Win and Keep Clients Through Trust With Andrew Sykes

  8. 3d ago

    How to Build a Predictable Pipeline for your Firm Through Outbound Sales With Alex Gasson

    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 ********************************************************************** Building a professional services firm requires more than being great at the work. You need a reliable way to win the right clients, a team capable of delivering consistently, and strong enough relationships to keep those clients for the long term. Alex Gasson has experienced those challenges from both sides. Before founding Delta-v, he held senior commercial roles in technology businesses, managing complex enterprise sales and helping companies improve their go-to-market models. Today, he leads Delta-v, a specialist sales development firm helping FinTech and enterprise software companies generate qualified pipeline with senior decision-makers. In this conversation, we get into how Alex built Delta-v, how the firm attracts and closes clients, what makes outbound work in complex B2B markets, how Alex develops and retains his team, and where he sees the next opportunities for his business. For leaders of professional services firms, it’s a practical look at the systems behind building a firm that can win business consistently and continue growing. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve worked in recruitment, enterprise software, FinTech, and revenue leadership. What eventually pushed you to start Delta-v, and how did you get the firm off the ground? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve through Delta-v, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those organisations, who usually holds the decision to bring Delta-v in? 4. How do clients typically find Delta-v today, and what have you found works best for consistently attracting new business as a specialist professional services firm? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Cold outreach Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts as a marketing tool for professional services firms? Do you see them as a genuine client acquisition channel, or are they more valuable for building trust and authority over time? 5. Once you have a potential client interested, how do you take them from that first conversation to signing a deal, especially when you’re selling a high-trust service with multiple stakeholders involved? 6. Once a client starts working with Delta-v, how do you make sure you continue delivering enough value that they stay, come back, and develop into a long-term relationship? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as the founder and CEO of Delta-v, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your over the next few years? ********************************************************** Know more about Alex Gasson Website Link: http://deltav-global.com Connect with Alex Gasson on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexgasson/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    How to Build a Predictable Pipeline for your Firm Through Outbound Sales With Alex Gasson
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5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    GHA Marketing
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    584
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 GHA Marketing
  • Show Website
    The Principal Podcast

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