There are a ton of people that have influenced the direction of the affiliate industry in both good and bad ways. But this post isn’t about forums, conferences and associations (many in affiliate marketing are women lead and founded), this is about specific women that have shaped my path and that I am grateful for.
I did not plan this post ahead of time, I just thought of influential women in affiliate marketing and who shaped my path the other month and after seeing all the SEO, tech and founders lists I wanted to do an affiliate one. I think I did a similar thing 7 or 8 years ago too.
To create this list I wrote the first seven names down that came to mind. There are tons more people I’d like to include because they are amazing, so maybe next year I’ll do another post with another seven leading women in affiliate marketing.
Here they are in no particular order.
(note: all photos are from LinkedIn or personal blogs, please let me know if I should pull them down or change them).
Lisa Riolo
Lisa is the co-founder of Impact (one of the world’s leading affiliate tracking platforms and one I have recommended to multiple companies). Not only is she a brilliant business leader who began as a berry dipper and worked her way up to being a tech executive, but she has been a sounding board for myself and countless others over the years.
I remember standing outside of my only big client’s offices in Canada when I first went out on my own (oddly enough the same time her and her partner were launching Impact Radius) and when I was scared because they gave me an ultimatum to come in house or lose the contract; she is the first person I called.
Whether it is chasing down firemen in Seattle, having drinks in Santa Barbara, or simply knowing she exists; Lisa Riolo has had a massive “impact” on my life and I will always be grateful to know she is part of my circle of friends, business partners and people.
Missy Ward
Definitely not my number 2, well unless it is a Halloween costume party and we end up with the same outfit/character (she’ll get the joke). Missy built countless careers for people like me.
She helped almost every affiliate network and agency find their place and grow, not to mention connect tens of thousands of publishers to offers and generate billions of dollars in business.
By co-founding Affiliate Summit and always being ready to help a friend, she helped drive change in an developing industry by providing a platform to create actual leadership. Her conference lead to the formation of action groups that connected us beyond forums and her drive helped us all build the lives we have today so we can provide for ourselves, our families, employees and others. Without her many of us would be lost.
I personally think the real reason she sold Affiliate Summit wasn’t for something new. I think it was really so she never has to go to Vegas again until Michaela calls and says “The bullies are babysitting Gabe…lets go for a girl’s weekend! Pack your bags and grab your Louis, the tickets are booked.”.
[Read more…] about 7 Women in Affiliate Marketing That Inspire Me