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
Beating Up Hockey Players and the Beat-Up of Entrepreneurship with Dave Burnett
Episode 95. We tend to glamorize the entrepreneurs out there. The ones we follow and hear about are usually wildly successful and have made it many times over. But that isn’t quite the story of most business founders.
In this episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, hosted by Greg Martin, serial entrepreneur Dave Burnett discusses his multifaceted career. Burnett shares his experiences running a promotional products business and a marketing agency, along with past ventures and key learnings from both successes and failures.
The conversation delves into his early days playing junior hockey, his pivot to entrepreneurship following a short-lived hockey career, and his involvement with companies like Achievers. Burnett also offers insights into adapting in the face of technological advancements like AI and maintaining a healthy relationship with money. Key takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs include the importance of client feedback, staying updated with trends, especially in digital marketing, and finding balance and support in one’s personal life.
- 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
- 00:23 Meet Dave Burnett: Serial Entrepreneur
- 02:06 Dave's Early Life and Hockey Career
- 05:11 First Foray into Business: The Beer Rep
- 08:35 Founding Achievers.com
- 11:44 Promotional Products and Marketing Ventures
- 14:06 Lessons from Entrepreneurship
- 18:59 Navigating Failures and Learning from Mistakes
- 22:39 The Role of AI in Business
- 24:10 AI's Impact on Various Industries
- 25:51 The Journey of AI Adoption
- 27:30 Real Business Impacts of AI
- 28:31 The Role of AI in Content Creation
- 31:04 Encouraging AI Use in Education
- 33:22 Entrepreneurial Challenges and Money
- 42:27 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- 46:50 Conclusion and Contact Information