From PartnerCentric's first employee to Owner & CEO with Stephanie Harris (ep.491)

·36 min·3 clips

A college intern launched Scholastic's affiliate program in 2003, sparking a career that led to owning PartnerCentric.

The episode opens with host James Martell introducing Stephanie Harris, CEO of PartnerCentric and winner of the Affiliate Summit West 2018 Pinnacle Award for OPM Agency of the Year. Harris begins by sharing her origin story: she started as a college intern at Scholastic in 2003, where she was tasked with launching their affiliate programs on LinkShare. After college, she worked full-time at Scholastic before moving abroad and connecting with the Schaaf brothers, who hired her as the first employee of what would become PartnerCentric. Harris rose through the ranks to COO in 2012 and CEO in 2015, eventually acquiring the business in May 2017. She explains that PartnerCentric is a fully remote, woman-owned performance marketing agency with over 40 employees. The company's culture emphasizes intentional communication, with tools like Slack and video conferencing to maintain cohesion. Harris highlights unique team-building practices, such as employee retreats every 18 months and family-inclusive trips to Disney World every three years. She discusses the challenges of remote work, including time zone differences and collaboration hurdles, but argues that their remote model makes them adept at building virtual relationships for clients. Harris mentions being featured in an Inc. article about remote work trends, where she shared practices like 'deep work' Fridays and daily huddles. She advises on hiring for remote roles, stressing the importance of work-life balance to prevent burnout. Later, Harris lists some of PartnerCentric's clients, including Bluehost, Carhartt, Cost Plus World Market, and Freedom Pop. She contrasts working with an OPM agency like PartnerCentric versus going direct to merchants, noting that agencies offer collective industry knowledge and community. The episode concludes with contact information for PartnerCentric and a reminder to check show notes.

As heard by us

Stephanie Harris ties PartnerCentric's OPM Agency of the Year win to her path from first employee to owner and CEO.

Stephanie Harris's move from PartnerCentric's first employee to its owner and CEO gives this episode its center of gravity. Leadership is treated less as a dramatic leap than as a long, cumulative stretch inside one company.

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Why you'd press play

You want Stephanie Harris's climb from PartnerCentric's first employee to owner and CEO, with the award she missed in person.

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