Lifetime at Work: Finding the Meaning in Our Careers
Your career is more than just a job—it’s a chance to create an impact and find personal fulfillment. This podcast explores the journeys of business leaders, uncovering how work shapes our lives, the world, and what makes a career truly meaningful.
Hosted by Greg Martin, a Toronto-based investment banker and M&A advisor, the show dives into the deeper questions behind our careers—why we work, what drives success, and how our professional lives shape the world around us. In an era of AI, career freedom, and globalization, the meaning of work is evolving, leaving many to question its true purpose.
Through conversations with founders, business leaders, and investors across private equity, public markets, and venture capital, the podcast uncovers insights from those who have built, grown, and influenced some of North America's most successful companies. It also features advisors, consultants, and investment bankers who help shape the future of business, sharing lessons from their wins, losses, and defining career moments.
Lifetime at Work: Finding the Meaning in Our Careers
Competing with Beverage Goliaths Through Family Power with Matt McLean
Episode 69. In this episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, host Greg Martin interviews Matt McLean, founder of Uncle Matt's Organics. Celebrating its 25th year, Uncle Matt's is America's leading organic juice brand.
Matt shares his family's deep roots in Florida's citrus farming, transitioning from conventional to organic agriculture, and the journey of building a national brand. The conversation explores topics such as selling the business to Dean Foods, buying it back after their bankruptcy, competing against industry giants like Coke and Pepsi, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Matt emphasizes the importance of leadership, sales skills, and financial literacy in building a successful business.
- 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
- 01:53 Matt McLean's Business Roots and Early Career
- 04:00 The Birth of Uncle Matt's Organics
- 06:38 Challenges and Successes in Organic Farming
- 12:44 Building and Scaling the Business
- 16:16 Selling and Reacquiring the Business
- 22:15 Navigating the Orange Juice Industry
- 22:57 Commitment to Organic Farming
- 24:09 Innovations in Juice Products
- 25:21 Challenges Competing with Giants
- 28:23 Expanding Product Lines
- 30:53 Lessons from Failures
- 33:53 Family Dynamics in Business
- 38:51 The Perfect Glass of Orange Juice
- 42:06 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- 43:33 Where to Find Uncle Matt's Products