Latest Episodes
All Episode Summaries
Episode 71: A Wild Ride on Venture Capital and Mushrooms with Adam DeMartino
Episode 71. In this episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, host Greg Martin interviews Adam DeMartino, co-founder of the once very hot venture capital backed mushroom startup called Smallhold.
DeMartino shares his entrepreneurial journey to get him to starting Smallhold, from discovering his love for early stage business, to the highs of raising significant venture capital and facing the challenges that led to the company's bankruptcy and restructuring.
They discuss the intricacies of mushroom farming, the impact of venture capital, and the values that drive DeMartino's work. This candid conversation offers insights and lessons for current and aspiring entrepreneurs as they question what it means to be successful and to fail.
Episode 68: Mastering Startup Fundraising with Annie Bergevin
Episode 68. In this episode of The Lifetime at Work Podcast, host Greg Martin interviews Annie Bergevin, a fractional CFO and advisor for tech startups based in Montreal.
As the founder of On Point Business Plans and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School, Annie shares her career journey from investment banking at Credit Suisse and CIBC World Markets to entrepreneurship. The conversation dives into her role in helping startups raise capital from VCs, tips for creating the perfect pitch, and the importance of a solid financial foundation.
Annie also discusses the evolving landscape of startup funding and educational changes for MBA students aspiring to enter the entrepreneurial world.
Episode 65: Selling Well and an 80 Location Cookie Franchise with Bennett Maxwell
Episode 65. In this Lifetime at Work podcast episode, Greg Martin interviews Bennett Maxwell, the founder and chairman of Dirty Dough, a booming gourmet cookie franchise.
Bennett recounts his transformative journey from being a Mormon missionary in Mexico to excelling in door-to-door solar energy sales, eventually leading to the creation and rapid expansion of Dirty Dough.
Listeners will gain insights into Bennett’s philosophies on living well, financial success, brand creation, and the profound impact of effective sales techniques. The discussion delves into the challenges and triumphs of building a scalable business in the food industry, raising substantial capital, and working with seasoned industry leaders.
It highlights Bennett's strategic approaches to franchising, the importance of organizational structure, and the emotional and financial ramifications of success. The episode also provides practical advice on connecting with advisors and emphasizes the pursuit of joy and fulfillment in business and life, over merely chasing financial goals.
Episode 61: How She Built a Food Business to Do Good with Richa Gupta
Episode 61. How do you know you should start a business, and how do you put the pieces of your life together to do it and be successful?
Richa Gupta is a food entrepreneur who founded Good Food for Good, a fantastic lineup of sauces, condiments and related food products sold in grocery stores across North America. Richa’s experience in becoming a mom combined with her desire to do something meaningful influenced her journey in bringing Good Food for Good into the world. In this episode, she shares the story of her journey into entrepreneurship and shares her tips for other people who are looking to build a meaningful career for themselves too.
On top of all that, Richa has now transitioned into an advising role for similar businesses and is the Vice President of Partnerships and Development at the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) and discusses how this next step will help her make an even bigger impact.
Episode 40: Traveling the Land of Startups with Sharekh Shaikh
Episode 40. Sharekh started his career studying computer engineer and living/working in the Middle East. But over time he realized he wasn’t a coder, and he didn’t want to work for someone else in the middle east anymore. So he came to North America and began the journey starting a company of his own.
He’s still in the middle of this journey, but has founded and built a great company called CleverX, an audience discovery platform designed to help research teams conduct online surveys and interviews with professionals in the workspace. He’s filled with advice on the differences between being a founder in Silicon Valley and one elsewhere in the world. He also has lots to say on building an expertise in the corporate world and translating that to becoming a founder, and then of course on building a company.
In this episode with host Greg Martin, he covers plenty on the world of work, the founder world and where he’s found his place in the corporate landscape.
Episode 37: Franchising, Between Corporate Employee and Business Owner with Anna Brambilla
Episode 37. The route of franchising is a path we don’t consider, certainly not as often as the thought around owning your own business. But when you begin to realize, there are many franchises out there (beyond just restaurants) that are available to us. Starting up requries some capital and paying an ongoing royalty, but also comes with lots of support and a proven model.
In this episode Greg interviews Anna Brambilla, a career transition coach who helps her clients find fulfillment through exploring the option of business ownership as a franchisee. Anna herself explains the struggles she had in the corporate world and never finding her place or feeling like she could achieve.