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.

• 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
• 00:54 Bennett Maxwell's Early Life and Career Beginnings
• 01:27 The Journey into Door-to-Door Sales
• 03:26 Transition to the Solar Business
• 07:38 Investing in Dirty Dough
• 10:59 Challenges and Innovations in the Cookie Business
• 12:36 Franchising and Business Growth
• 16:50 Marketing Strategies and Owner Involvement
• 18:25 Doubts and Financial Challenges
• 21:44 Raising Capital and Leadership Changes
• 23:08 Equity Deal and Acquisition
• 25:12 Reflections on Money and Success
• 26:57 The Illusion of Financial Goals
• 32:58 Building a National Brand
• 42:14 The Importance of Advisors
• 46:32 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Episode 64. How do you get your message into the press? Well, there’s a whole engine of people working hard to help, forming the public relations industry.

This episode features guest Zachary Bernard, the Founder and CEO of We Feature You. His company is a PR firm focused on building industry professionals as leaders and authorities in their space.

There’s something a lot of people don’t realize about public relations: It’s less about gaining exposure and more about what you do with the exposure you get. This episode covers the modern media and public relations world and how all of us can thrive and understand the industry for the better.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• The breakthrough Zachary had a few years ago after talking to a friend.
• How he stumbled into the world of marketing.
• How to leverage the things you’re already good at (and what that could look like).
• What their typical clients look like and what their specific needs are.
• The best way to start building your own brand from the ground up.
• Different ways you can get featured in the media, and the benefits of each.
• How to make the most out of the coverage you get and why it matters.
• Why inside connections are so important in the public relations world.
• The role that AI content plays in PR—and what happens when it goes too far.
• The best types of publications to be featured in and why.
• How to figure out if a publication is legit or not (and filter your best opportunities).
• What Zachary brings to the PR industry that’s different and unique.

Episode 63. There is a big engine of people behind the candidates in the world of politics. Exploring a campaign and election from the inside helps give insight into what’s happening and why.

Guest Matthew Krayton provides counsel to campaigns at the local, state and federal levels as well as to clients in the private and public sectors across the public relations landscape. He worked on special projects during Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and helped to create the “We Just Did” hat. He created his PR Consulting Firm, Publitics, in 2011 and has been growing his team ever since.

Matthew has a unique view of the political landscape, and during the episode he shares his perspective of it through the lens of PR. He also shares insights into the relationship between social media and politics.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• The typical way (and time) Matthew usually meets his clients.
• How he got involved in political campaigns
• How the approach to PR politics has changed and opened up to young people.
• The different ways that campaigns mirror startup companies.
• What makes Publitics a full-service PR firm.
• What consulting looks like in PR politics and politics-adjacent spaces.
• Why an overlap in values is important in public relations.
• The best social media platform for organic reach today.
• The difference between the Harris versus Trump campaign from a PR perspective.
• Why policy proposals sometimes take a back seat through values and personality.
• The secrets to running a seamless and successful campaign.
• Why empowering your people, especially your PR team, is crucial in all organizations.
• Why psychological safety is important in business, including those who work in politics.
• How people in the US today are reckoning with work culture (and changing it).

Episode 62. A good career always starts one way and ends another. As you get older, not everything comes about moving up and more money, eventually the goal of legacy becomes the focus.

Brenda Ha began her career in the corporate world, but when she started a family and started craving more flexibility, she decided to start her own business—a concierge service called Check Box Services. Building a business that suits her personal life has helped her create the kind of balance in her life that she values.

The topic of legacy is something that has come up often in Brenda’s work. During the episode, she discusses what she’s learned about her own legacy and values since starting her business. She also shares great tips for those people in the initial stages of growing their career and how the older clients she has today are all striving for legacy and impact in their work.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• Brenda’s educational background and the experience she had in consulting and IT before starting her own company.
• How her life changed when she had kids and what she realized she needed to do.
• What they do at Check Box Services and who their typical client is.
• Why she’s made the intentional decision to keep her team small.
• How she becomes like family to her clients and why it matters.
• How working for yourself differs from working for another business.
• Why legacy is important to Brenda and what it inspired her to get involved with.
• The importance of having role models who resemble you when you’re young.
• The most translatable skills you can have in the workplace and how Brenda used them.
• Opportunities that you should keep your eyes open for as you start your career.
• Brenda’s advice for figuring out what you want to do for work if you aren’t sure.

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.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• Where her career started, and the role Richa is filling today.
• Why Richa says she was always a believer and how that has helped her career.
• Where you should go if you don’t know which career path is right for you.
• What Richa’s (first) midlife crisis pushed her to pursue and where it led.
• Why insight is important in entrepreneurship.
• What sets Good Food for Good apart from other food companies.
• What she wishes she’d done first before starting her business.
• The model of business that became her saving grace.
• The role she still plays in Good Food for Good after stepping away.
• The goal of CFIN and what they’re on a mission to help food manufacturers do.
• How having several mentors has helped Richa find the success she has today.
• How leaning into your journey can help you get through the challenges of your career.

Episode 60. Check out this unique and really cool episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, though it’s a bit different than the others.

Instead of our host, Greg Martin, asking the questions, this episode features an interview that Greg did as the guest on another podcast. The show is called Own Your Role with Dino Watt and it highlights leaders in the field of business sharing advice to guests.

This is a great interview which is why we’re replaying it here covering Greg’s story and career, advice from his career and podcasts experiences and lots of other good nuggets along the way.

Episode 59. Bill Vlaad is a well known name across Bay Street and the Canadian capital markets. He’s one of the most important connectors in the business because as a recruiter, him and the team are forever trying to put the best people at the best companies.

In this episode, host Greg Martin talks with the CEO of Vlaad and Company as he brings in-depth knowledge about the financial services industry and also discuss his previous experience as an investment banker and corporate development director.

Professional cadence is a high value yet often overlooked skill in the finance world. Professional cadence encompasses someone’s energy, methods, and the way they like to do things. As Bill explains, aligning a person’s cadence is critical to finding that place in the working world where you belong and thrive.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• What a valuable mentor looks like and why they aren’t easy to find.
• The mentors who had the most significant impact on Bill’s career.
• The services offered at Vlaad and Company and what makes them an industry leader.
• How they support students in learning about their industry and the finance market.
• Why Bill says he wasn’t the best investment banker.
• The number-one thing Bill looks for in finance professionals and why.
• Why you shouldn’t fake your way into a role (even if you really want it).How the finance industry offers brilliant careers for the right person.
• What firms could do a better job of in order to attract unique new candidates.
• The challenge Bill was expected to face in the industry that hasn’t really impacted him.
• What the future looks like for Vlaad and Company as informed by their model.
• Who Bill counts on for new ideas to help him build a sustainable firm.
• Why being flexible in your tools and methods is important to your career evolution.

Episode 58. We all complain about our jobs sometimes, its a part of the world of work. But much of our enjoyment comes from the culture within the organization we work for and can make a huge different in our personal job happiness and satisfaction.

This episode guest is Chris Dyer, an entrepreneur who started his business and found himself leading a culture that wasn’t perfect. After selling his business he realized that many of the things that make a great company is a great culture and he was determined to understand the ingredients for this success. Chris took everything he learned and put it in his book “The Power of Company Culture: How Any Business Can Build a Culture that Improves Productivity, Performance and Profits.”

He uses his knowledge to teach the fundamental things companies can do to improve their company culture to not only impact their bottom line, but to also become a business where people are happy to work.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• The accidental titles Chris identifies with and how being curious led to that.
• Why he decided to leave the world of HR to pursue something new.
• How Chris showed his entrepreneur skills from a young age.
• How his business became unscalable and what he did to fix it.
• The biggest challenge he faced after selling his business.
• The word that made him realize his true passion for keynote speaking.
• How Chris became an expert in company culture and why he teaches it now.
• The seven pillars Chris teaches in his book and why it works for any business.
• What most CEOs are good at versus what they tend to need help with.
• Signs of a great company culture (and signs that it’s not so great).
• What your perspective about your team really means and why it matters.
• Why yearly surveys are not the answer to better company culture, and how to do better.
• The responsibilities of a leader and how they can prevent problems before they start.
• Why some people don’t love their job and what their next move should be.