Episode 95: Beating Up Hockey Players and the Beat-Up of Entrepreneurship with Dave Burnett
Synopsis
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
Background and Key Links
Dave Burnett is the founder of AOKMarketing.com and co-founder of Achievers.com, which later sold for $110 million. He’s built companies from beer-sampling side hustles to enterprise platforms, and survived losing $70K/month and a traumatic brain injury along the way.
Now, he helps founders grow with marketing that’s measurable and systems that scale—sharing lessons from the trenches with zero fluff through his marketing company
Find Dave on LinkedIn or at AOKMarketing.com or his blog Algorithm for Life