What does it take to walk away from a clear corporate path, bet on yourself, and build something that lasts 25 years?
Scott Harper is the CEO of the Harper Group, one of the most respected and fastest-growing sales rep agencies in the gift industry. It started with his mom, a small gift section inside a family marine supply store in Connecticut, and a conversation in an airport that changed everything. Scott was mid-20s, fresh off his MBA at NYU, climbing toward global sales leadership at an engineering firm—and he went all in anyway.
Scott talks about the early chaos of building the company from scratch, losing three out of five reps in a single day, and the mentor who reframed everything: it's not about the product, it's about the people. That lesson became the foundation Harper Group has scaled to 200-plus employees around. He opens up about the loneliness of being a CEO, why surrounding yourself with people smarter than you isn't optional, and how an engineer's mindset became his edge in a creative, relationship-driven industry.
He wraps with where Harper Group is heading—seamless retail experiences, AI-powered analytics, and a belief that scale and quality don't have to conflict if you're intentional enough about both.
This is the final episode of Season One. Twenty-six conversations. Twenty-six founders, designers, and business leaders who all found different paths to the same ingredients: authenticity, hard work, and no shortcuts.
Follow The Market Makers wherever you get your podcasts—and thanks for being part of Season One!
What is The Market Makers?
Every creative professional knows the power of a before and after. It’s a classic transformation arc - whether it’s a renovation, glow up, or an old-fashioned make over. But reinvention doesn’t just apply to products or spaces. It also holds true for our lives and our careers. The sketch on the napkin that becomes a collection. The risk that changes everything. The work that turns a brand into a lasting presence.
The Market Makers is a weekly podcast from ANDMORE, home to markets that have been the stage for so many of these transformations. Hosted by CEO, Jon Pertchik, each episode pulls back the curtain on the lives of creative professionals across design, furniture, home, lifestyle and beyond.
From industry icons like Thom Filicia to leaders at heritage brands like Bassett Furniture, guests share the moments that shaped them, not just the before and after, but the process in between.
Whether it’s finding your aesthetic, carving out a niche, scaling a business, or turning a side hustle into a lasting brand, The Market Makers goes beyond the showrooms and into the creative lives of the people shaping how we live, work, and gather.
Follow The Market Makers wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every week.