Building Value in Executive Search with Travis Guerra of ONWARD Headhunting 10-3-25

Summary

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Becker Business Podcast Summary

Episode: Building Value in Executive Search with Travis Guerra of ONWARD Headhunting
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Travis Guerra, Founder of Onward Headhunting
Date: October 3, 2025

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Overview

This special episode features Scott Becker in conversation with Travis Guerra, the founder of Onward Headhunting. The discussion centers on building value in executive search, particularly within the private equity-backed healthcare sector and related industries. Becker and Guerra explore trends in the hiring market, the impact of economic shifts on talent demand, best practices in executive placement, and Guerra’s philosophy on client service and value delivery for founders and hiring managers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Growth and Focus of Onward Headhunting

• Target Market:
  • Onward specializes in C-level to director-level placements, with a focus on sponsor-backed healthcare organizations and expanding involvement in investment banking and transaction advisory.
  • "We’re looking at C level to director level placements and sponsor backed healthcare businesses." – Travis Guerra [00:39]
• Current Demand Indicators:
  • Despite market challenges, Guerra notes a spike in requests from investment banks and advisory firms, reflecting optimism about deal flow.
  • “Just over the past 48 hours, I’ve got four different conversations going with investment banks… looking to grow their teams for… increased deal flow.” – Travis Guerra [00:56]

2. Private Equity Market Sentiment & Interest Rates

• Market Conditions:
  • Becker observes a prolonged period of slow PE exits due to elevated interest rates, but growing enthusiasm as the Federal Reserve signals possible rate reductions.
  • “There is tremendous excitement in the private equity industry about starting to see rates go down a little bit.” – Scott Becker [01:27]
• Anticipation of Rate Cuts:
  • Conversations within the PE and banking sector point to hope about forthcoming rate cuts unlocking more transactions and hiring.
  • “The hope that, you know, we see 50 bip reduction in the next couple weeks the next time the Fed meets, that’s definitely a hope.” – Travis Guerra [01:57]

3. Personal Note – Life Outside Business

• Guerra shares his family excitement about the upcoming birth of his second child, adding a personal touch to the conversation.
  • “Birth of our second child and we are waiting on gender. So I will either have a boy or a girl and we are very excited about that.” – Travis Guerra [02:36]

4. Advice for Founders on Building Value

• Communicate Value:
  • Guerra stresses the importance of visibility and delivering stacked value to clients—going beyond placement to offer added services and insights.
  • “Stack the value… get in front of as many people where you can show them a roadmap and then still have a dangle, a little carrot at the end.” – Travis Guerra [03:28]
• Relationship Development:
  • Emphasizes the importance of free demonstrations, being genuinely helpful, and nurturing relationships.
  • “Be kind, be thoughtful, think of others more than yourself.” – Travis Guerra [03:50]

5. Best Practices in Hiring Executives

• Retained Search & Process:
  • Guerra describes his shift into retained search and the adoption of the GH Smart “Topgrading” methodology for thorough, structured interviews.
  • “It is a hour and a half, line by line. What did you do in this role? What was a challenge?... How would they rate you? 1 to 10 when we call them to do a reference check?” – Travis Guerra [04:36]
• Candidate Evaluation:
  • Focus on detailed reference checks, patterns in career movements, and differentiating between being “pushed out or pulled up” to assess candidate fit and quality.
  • “That helps define the quality of a candidate… you go line by line on roles and you get a really good sense for their career path.” – Travis Guerra [05:04]

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Highlighted Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Market Optimism:
  • “This has got to happen at some point… we’re really ready to grow or transaction. And so it looks, looks pretty good…” – Travis Guerra [01:55]
• On Value:
  • “Make sure people know what you do and how you can help them and stacking the value.” – Travis Guerra [03:07]
• On Hiring Executives:
  • “When you’re starting to think about executives, it is a hour and a half, line by line. What did you do in this role? … And that is role by role.” – Travis Guerra [04:39]
• On Relationship Building:
  • “Be kind, be thoughtful, think of others more than yourself.” – Travis Guerra [03:50]
• Personal Milestone:
  • “Birth of our second child… my wife is about 39 weeks pregnant right now.” – Travis Guerra [02:36]

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Key Segment Timestamps

• Introduction & Business Overview: [00:00 – 01:23]
• Market Trends & Interest Rates: [01:23 – 02:20]
• Personal Excitement: [02:20 – 02:47]
• Advice to Founders: [02:51 – 03:55]
• Hiring Best Practices: [03:55 – 05:17]
• Closing Remarks: [05:17 – 05:37]

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Conclusion

This episode offers candid and actionable insights for founders, hiring managers, and anyone interested in executive search, with real-world advice on stacking value, nurturing relationships, and rigorous hiring processes. Travis Guerra’s expertise and authenticity shine through, making this a valuable listen for those navigating the evolving landscape of hiring in private equity-backed and healthcare sectors.

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Transcript

[A]

This is Scott Becker with the with a special episode of the Becker Business and Private Equity Podcast and the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to visit with an amazing founder and leader, someone I have great regard for. We're joined today by Travis Guerra and Travis is going to talk about the growth of his business, Onward. In the staffing business, they largely work with private equity funds and sponsored companies that are hiring in healthcare and other industries. Travis, can you take a moment and tell us about sort of the growth of your business and how you got started?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's good to be, good to be back. Only a couple weeks ago we were having a similar conversation and so it's good to be in person with you. You know, Onward was birthed out of the the desire to really want to serve a level clients with A level players. So our typical client, we're looking at C level to director level placements and sponsor backed healthcare businesses. But also we serve. And a good indicator, I know that the job market has been a little bit challenging, but a good indicator is, is how many people are reaching out via email or calling and saying, hey, we need more transaction guys, we need more investment banking leaders. And so just over the past 48 hours, I've got four different conversations going with investment banks and then transaction advisory firms that are looking to grow their teams for, you know, an increased deal flow that they're seeing in the back half of the year, but then also what they're expecting in 2026, wanting to get ahead of hiring the Fed.

[A]

People watching the Fed forever. PE exits last couple of years have been relatively slow, the actual exits. And you see that in the big publicly traded PE fund firms, but just also see it in the midsize and smaller funds. But now with the expectation of finally starting to see the Fed lower rates. And I don't mean in a bad way, it's just been a long time that rates have been elevated. I think. Good reason, there's lots of inflation. I'm a huge fan of Chairman Powell. But there is tremendous excitement in the private equity industry about starting to see rates go down a little bit.

[B]

Can you comment on that? Yeah. So we've seen it in the conversations here yesterday, you know, and kind of jeers and laughs around, man, this has got to happen at some point. So the hope that, you know, we see 50 bip reduction in the next couple weeks the next time the Fed meets, that's definitely a hope. And you are hearing that internally of hey, Fed's got to lower the rates at some point and we're really ready to grow or transaction. And so it looks, looks pretty good for, for some of the folks that we're working with that there's excitement now.

[A]

Travis, I know the answer to this question, so I'm going to ask you it anyway and you have to get the right answer. You've got something very important happening over the next several weeks. Tell us what you're most excited about right now.

[B]

I am most excited about and there only is one right answer. Birth of our second child and we are waiting on gender. So I will either have a boy or a girl and we are very excited about that. My wife is about 39 weeks pregnant right now.

[A]

How exciting is that? So I know you've got to get back to Nashville shortly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Give us one more thing I'd love to ask you is I am just a huge fan of what you're doing and what you've done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

One piece of advice that you would give to other founders, other people founding businesses. What do you tell somebody?

[B]

Making sure people know what you do and how you can help them and stacking the value. Whether that's, you know, from, from our, from our angle, we're always looking for retained clients that are paying us on the front end to engage but at the same time stacking the value. Identifying top of class candidates, Chief Development Officers, CFOs, redacting that info, marketing those people, stacking the value. Hey, we provide a first screening interview for you to speak with these candidates for free and, and developing those relationships where people know you're trying to help them more than anything was just having breakfast with an entrepreneur as well. And that was my advice. I'm like, hey, do as many free demos as you can get in front of as many people where you can show them a roadmap and then still have a dangle, a little carrot at the end. That includes you getting paid for the services you provide. But stack the value as much as you can. Be kind, be thoughtful, think of others more than yourself.

[A]

I'm going to ask you one more question because it led me to another thought. So you do a ton of work. This is really what you do is helping people hire great people. Any sort of overall advice on hiring that stands out at you in terms of trying to hire people?

[B]

Yeah, some of that's been influenced by stepping into the retained world. I've been in search for seven years, but started onward a little over a year and a half ago. And as I, as I began to focus on really good retained search strategies identifying the GH smart hiring process. So top grading candidates working a little bit more white glove with clients on truly identifying not what they call voodoo hiring methods. Oh, this person's really nice. Or they carried on a conversation well or they've got good vibes. Right. That's how people hire. And kind of the entry level to mid level range. When you're starting to think about executives, it is a hour and a half, line by line. What did you do in this role? What was a challenge? Who did you work for? What's their name? How would they rate you? 1 to 10 when we call them to do a reference check? And, and that is role by role. And were you pushed out or were you pulled up into your next opportunity? And that helps define the quality of a candidate. And you sit down with an executive for an hour, hour and a half and you go line by line on roles like that and you get a really good sense for their career path, how they've gotten to where they are now and if they'd be a good fit for your client.

[A]

That's fantastic. No, it's so thoughtful and so deep. Thank you so much. Again, one of my favorite founders and leaders that I get a chance to visit with regularly is Trust Travis Guera of Onward. I just amazed at what you've done. I love how you handle yourself. Thank you so much for joining us Today on special combined episode Becker Private Equity Podcast and the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. Thank you so much for joining us.

[B]

It was special. It's good to see you.