When Brandon Harris looks back on his career’s many twists and turns, he sees some rough times — but he has very little to regret. An expert salesperson and sales leader, Harris believes every success, and especially every failure, helped him land his current position as VP of Sales at Otter Public Relations in Orlando, Florida.
For Harris, the feeling of working with like-minds who value integrity over sales numbers was a huge draw to OtterPR. Over the years, Brandon has made integrity an integral part of his business philosophy that he will not compromise.
A seasoned sales leader, Harris has learned that the deceptive salesperson stereotype has no place in genuinely good sales practices. And this is what Harris requires from a job — a culture created by people who believe in a customer-first philosophy. And he says he’s found that piece of the puzzle at OtterPR. But getting there was quite a ride.
Just starting out
Harris moved to Florida when his mother — active Navy, at the time — was stationed there after 9/11. He was seventeen and began working construction. He soon discovered being in the scorching Florida heat all day for minimum wage was not for him.
Brandon was not a typical seventeen-year-old. He grew up fast and was introduced to the world of work early after dropping out of high school in 9th grade. Harris said he grew up bouncing from one school to another, moving where the Navy stationed his parents. And by 9th grade, he decided traditional education was not for him. Despite his parents’ disapproval, Harris decided to drop out and pursue his GED and attend college while working.
An introduction to sales and lessons learned
His first sales job as a telemarketer selling timeshares at Disney resorts was a welcome change of pace from construction. Looking back, Brandon winces when he discusses the realities of this job. As a seventeen-year-old, all he knew was he was in the air conditioning and making over $2 more per hour than his previous job.
When the company made a few changes in management and procedure, they took on a nefarious mission. And when that mission of deception was exposed, Brandon was left scarred from the whole experience. But he adds, “As much as I hate everything about that job to this day, it taught me some very crucial lessons early on. And I think those lessons shaped my outlook and determined every aspect of my career.”
These lessons begin with his unshakable conviction that a career has to align with your morals. From this point on, Harris looked for jobs that could fuel his passions and serve customers first. It’s this quest that ultimately led him to Otter Public Relations. Harris is a staunch advocate that good business benefits the customer and strives for a goal: two tenets practiced at OtterPR. But his journey there was not nearly over.
Success in every venture
So, Harris was done with sales at this point and slipped into a position with hotel security. This was a good gig, but nothing like what it led to. He started taking on personal security jobs on the side, and word got around that he was pretty damn good at it. Whether it’s sales or security or whatever, Harris gives off this suave vibe that people can relate to. And it wasn’t long until he started landing cool security details for celebrities.
As with most other jobs on Brandon’s resume, he started at entry-level and worked his way to the top. Brandon’s work ethic and personable nature never fail him, and in this case, he was able to maneuver to top jobs for Usher, Jeff Gordon, Danica Patrick, Sting, and many more. Harris says working security, especially the celebrity details, was a fun and satisfying career, but it all came to a halt when his morals were put to the test.
A man with convictions
One day while working hotel security, his boss pointed out an African-American couple on the security cameras and asked Brandon to remove them from the hotel. After a series of questions, Harris could tell this request had nothing to do with the couple’s actions. This request was blatant racial profiling.
It goes without saying, Harris did not comply with his manager’s request, and it wasn’t long before he put working security behind him. Losing this job was a big deal for a family man raising kids, but Brandon Harris is a man with convictions with deeply engrained morals who could not comply with this unconscionable request. And the bigger picture — Brandon could not work for a racist boss or for a company that put this man in charge. However, his disappointing departure from security inevitably led him back to sales.
Pursuing his passion at OtterPR
It’s Harris’s vast experience in all aspects of sales, from cold calling to building and leading huge sales teams, that caught the eye of Dr. Jay Feldman and Scott Bartnick, co-founders of OtterPR. And for Brandon, it was a good fit seeing that the company’s mission ran parallel to his business philosophy.
OtterPR was created with the mission to help small to medium-size companies grow their brand. This firm offers one-month contracts that put their team to work, quickly securing exposure for their clients. This customer-focused approach attracted Harris. Now he works alongside the co-founders developing a sales structure that can continue to serve customers at the highest level as the company grows. And it is definitely growing. In the short time Harris has been at OtterPR, his knowledge and practices have been an integral part of growing the business to a 7-figure+ company.
Brandon Harris will tell you he’s come a long way, but his journey’s most significant parts developed from his mistakes, not his successes. And while he will never be a telemarketer again, that experience was very likely the one that forged his path to OtterPR. Harris adds, “I’m going to continue to do what I do — that means bringing every bit of knowledge and experience to the table and go from there.” Gauging from his past performances, the folks at OtterPR know they are incredibly fortunate to have Brandon on their team.