Curtis Matsko

CEO @ Portland Leather Goods ---- $150,000,000 per year Owner... A 9-Figure Founder Building a 10-Figure Exit... Or maybe I will just keep it!

A serial entrepreneur, digital marketing expert, and a wandering, over-caffienated storyteller— I am: Unflinchingly optimistic, unjustifiably confident, and biologically hyper-focused and if you can't recognize the energy level you are stoned. I’m an eclectic mix of insight, creativity, and humor.

I approach everything in ways that are eccentrically unique. 

My life reads like a dime novel, filled with quick changing scenes and outlandish characters. 

One winter, I spent time in a Zen Monastery, trying to make eight Buddhist monks laugh while I meditated and read Calvin and Hobbes. I have spoken to thousands about business success, lost millions in the Dot-com crash of 2000 - 2001, and even launched a Dueling Piano Bar… in Salt Lake City!

Once, on a friendly challenge, I took a scrap of leather, designed a journal, and propelled it into a $100,000,000 a year brand, which was named one of the Top 10 fastest growing Apparel and Accessories digital companies.

What’s next? Let’s find out…

Chief Executive Officer

We are hiring a Head of Footwear for Portland Leather goods.
Yep... the rocket ship needs footwear expert 

...so we can launch an amazing footwear brand next year to our millions of wonderful customers. 

If you know this person... have them drop me a line.

PS... This is an amazing oppurtunity so we are looking for the best.

Curtis Matsko ★

CEO/Founder @ Portland Leather Goods -$150,000,000 a year Owner... A 9-Figure Founder Building a 10-Figure Exit... Or maybe I will just keep it!

Almost dead, found with 80 Empty Bottles of Booze in my car.
10 years later I had made $500M in Revenue

Yep, that is a half a billion.

My recovery story from drunk-ass homeless death spiral to someone who has an amazing life is the most powerful, the story people come and thank me for sharing as I travel the world.... so here is a bit more of the tale.

Did I forget to say I had 2 hospital tags on my wrist, from 2 different hospitals I do not remember having been in? people who saw me told me later they started crying thinking I was die within days.

People, previously broken people like me, saved me.

A decade ago members of a SE Portland AA group found me almost dead in my car... and men and women who had not bought alcohol for years went to the store and bought me beer and begged me to drink it.

"You will die if you don't drink." (words they promised themselves they would never say again)

Can you hold on, in your car, and drink for a few days while we try and find you help?

"Give me the beer," I said. I drank and passed out.

Magic led to recovery and I realized something... as low as I got, NOBODY ever really gave up on me. Ever.

I tried burning bridges, my friends put out the flames and waited.

Then I put my focus in me and a business.

I started in a garage, only took a year to get a garage...
then art festivals
then Etsy
then Shopidy
then Manufacturing
the 9-figures
then retail expansion

Then I looked up and had a company that had done right more than a half a billion in sales.

I was surrounded with amazing people... AND, you may not believe this, but they loved and respected me.

The people around me each day are a wonder, and amazing WONDER! 

So.. YOU! When it is hard, and rough and the nights are long and the days confusing... please, I have been there.

Tomorrow! Get there, any way you can.

People love you and believe in you.

You got this.
We got this.

You are special!

If I can do this... so can you... and you can love the journey all the way.

Comment: Have you know someone others gave on who surprised themselves and the world? I hope so. If not, now you do. Comment.

Curtis Matsko is a serial entrepreneur, digital marketing expert, and riveting story teller—an eclectic mix of insight, creativity, and humor.

Unflinchingly optimistic, unjustifiably confident, biologically hyper-focused and brimming with energy, Curtis approaches everything in ways that can only be described as eccentrically unique.
Curtis’ life reads like a dime novel with quick changing scenes and outlandish characters. One winter he spent in a Zen Monastery trying to make eight Buddhist monks laugh while meditating and reading Calvin and Hobbes. He has spoken to thousands of people on business success, lost millions in the Dot-com crash of 2000 - 2001 and launched a Dueling Piano Bar… in Salt Lake City! 

On a friendly challenge, he took a scrap of leather, designed a journal, and propelled it into a $100,000,000 a year brand which was named a Top10 fastest growing Apparel and Accessories digital companies.

In 2022, he launched Patina.com, a shoe and accessory company, paced to do $10,000,000 in its first year.

Currently Curtis has started and heads The Ranch Project, helping the Northwest’s farmers and ranchers keeping Oregon cowhides, a natural byproduct, out of the landfills and financially helping small, more environmentally friendly agriculture producers.

It is OK to be the Hero of the story... you NEED to BE.
But don't forget the ragtag crew of Misfits that take the journey with you .

All great journeys worth experiencing, remembering and talk about involves you inside your brain taking actions that scare the shit out of you.

And you do it with others, if you are lucky like me.

Yesterday, Mariana Patiño was asking me what she really does... is it valuable? Is it important? She does not have a consistent list everyday and so some days it feels like nothing is getting done.

I pointed to my office... she designed it.
I pointed to art... she helped me buy it.
I pointed to the new podcast studio... she did everything from getting the designers to the contractors.
I pointed to our great employees... she helped interview them.
I pointed to our BEST employees... they came to us through Linkedin because they thought she was funny in our videos.
She arranged a week-lone 60th birthday party with people from around the world... a highlight of my life.
As a long-term recoverying alcoholic I have not drank since meeting her, though she might not get the credit here cause sometimes she makes me want to drink

She went with me to do deals in Italy, China, LA, NYC, Portland, Austin, Utah, Montana and....

....sooooo much more.

Since she has worked next to me our company value has risen 15X.

I have more energy than I did five years ago.
My bloodwork says there is no way I should be this healthy.

Our company is a raging success and she has been with me every single step.

But when we are building big things or big spans of time... not every single day feels like a win.

Sometimes you are just freakin holding on.

Thank you Mariana Patiño

For every time you piss me off you make me smile 10x...

Comment if you think she has helped this poor lost soul build something worth while!

Charity: You successful people having dinner with "Make a Wish" old man, ME, in Los Angeles...

Young People SUCK!  Founder Kitsch Jeremy Thurswell  Founder Activate Talent Jared Orkin and CMO MacCoy Merkley & Queen of the world Sara Pereda

Last minute notice these folks all came out to dinner to talk life and business and to make sure I am not sitting at the hotel bored off my ass!

Great White Larchmont in LA is awesome. 

I am very confident in business, I know my stuff, but damn, being with others who have done it, done it well, done it over time, and are still building amazing shit is wonderful.

Now for YOU!

Get out there in the world. 

Learn from others.

Have confidence in yourself!

Love you all!

PS... all of you in recovery from anytime of addiction... I believe you can do it. Keep going. The world is amazing.

Comment: Are you reaching out to otehrs as you grow?

Been building my company for a decade... garage to $500,000,000, and I have been joking & playing the whole time.

I mean, over the top, so much fun, so many jokes, so much play... and have taken hits for it.

In the first 5 plus years I would would get criticized by employees that came and went: 

Curtis "treated work like a playground." YEP!
Curtis "said money was just a game." YEP.
Curtis "Only hired" people he likes. YEP YEP YEP
Curtis "laughed and joked all the way through my interview."

Ah, of course I did. Serious people can really suck!

Creativity is hard, but when you laugh and get crazy and don't judge every good or bad idea the game is fun and you get further.

Everything worth while in life is UpHill! Period.
But the hill is an Illusion and
if you hate climbing
you are totally Scr@wed!
Secret is...

this is a game. It is all all game.

Practice playing... and guessing, and creating, and climbing.

Play so you can laugh of failures and mistakes and celebrate the wins.

Not old school drop the ball in the endzone and walk to the bench... but full-0n celebration with music and choreography.

You need to be King of the Hill!

Not idiot, look at me, I am a jerk and wear a stupid suit and treat people poorly...

BUT, fun King of the Hill, as in look I won this round and tomorrow I will be at the bottom and start climbing again.

And try and win again... and laugh and cry and struggle and laugh more.

Comment: If the person in your interview was joking around, would you think less of the company?

Seriously… first time doing Linked from a phone! 
Los Angeles for the 3 days… anything in interesting?

Anyone of spectacular interest want to meet and I will buy some folks dinner? Or lunch.

Might wanna buy a house. Are you an agent the can show me some?

Got run to some meetings but have time after lunch!

Comment

Started in a one garage...yep, this was it!
Grew to > $500,000,000...so far.

I wish I had more photos now. Not many from these days.

One reason is I used to leave my phone in the car and my phone would get stolen... AND, yes, AND, I would not remember my apple id to hook it up to the cloud. 

The rug was $15 at the Goodwill Outlet in Portland, the yellow paint was to brighten it up.

There is no leather in the picture.. that would come a few weeks or a few months later.

I set on this floor with a horrible piece of blue leather that I paid $35.00  for and tried to design a new journal...

It took weeks to get it closer to better... it was bad but I was so proud.

IMPORTANT FOR YOU... Start. Start now. Get better. Expect more.

Your life is out there. 

I believe in you.

Even if your dreams are difficult and you can't imagine the journey, please chase a better, greater future... one you might love.

It is so worth it.

And you don't just overcome doubt once, you do it daily til you can learn to reduce it soen to overcoming fear and doubt weekly... than monthly.

The steps lead to the path and the path to a trail and the trail to road and the road to great, great things.

You on here on a Saturday. You want it. Go get it.

Comment: Cause I need your Linkedin approval tody. If you don't know what to say just write "Happy Saturday!"

You are stuck because you are avoiding something...we get it.
But today, ya gotta do something.

Four things actually...

1. What are you avoiding?

****Good news/bad news: you gotta go right at it.

2. Where do you start... translate you goal into something simple and understandable

3. What are three things you can do today

4. Set up habits so you can consistently kic but

Now lists always sound great, but we rarely actually do them so here is the sijmple way I do it...

Two Steps:

What am I avoiding and what are three small things I can do today to overcome it.

Do it for a week and that shis will get small, you will overcome.

When I started PLG I used to keep a 3 by 5 index card in my pocket each day with the three things I was 100% doing that day.

It works... please, one of you, try it.

I am in Arizona for Spring Baseball...

Comment: Favorite sport to watch live?

He... I know the video was shake-shake-shake, but watch it anyways.

I got to be the one to say it... you are just wrong!
The truth about hard work is...

this entreprenuer thing DOES get easier.

I read on Linkedin this morning:

"It never gets any easier"

That is a lie, or misinformation from someone who has not figured out that this whole life, especially the business thing, can be learned and DOES GET BETTER AND MORE EASY...

If running a 200M a year company was as hard as getting to 4 million dollars was I might quit today.

But I am better. Surrounded by better people. 

I know how to make decisons... how to talk myself off the ledge and not spinout all night long.

Hey guys.

Life is good foe people who are good at life...

Comment: Did you watch the video or just comment from the text?

Was asked in Interview: "Tell me a time you thought of giving up."
My answer, "Never. Not once. Not for a second."

I asked Mariana Patiño when do you think I thought of giving up on Portland Leather Goods?

"Never."

I mean, if you are to jump in the pool then jump the F in the pool.

Enjoy it. Love it. Change it. Make it yours.

I looked for a picture of me for this post but this handsome devil who become one of the most celebrated writers in the US said it well...

Come on folks.

Doubt is not for you.
Not for this journey.
Not for this Project.

Go in and push it to the absolute limit!

I will love you for it.
Others will admire you, eventually.

And you will know you made a stand and built something that was all you.

Comment: Have you ever read Hemingway?

We started on Linkedin with a Macbook video post...
now I am recognized on the streets when I travel.

What works best... simple, every single day.

What Fails: complex, technology.

Best: From the heart.

What Fails: Boring shit.

Best: Inside stories and real experiences.

Fail: Generic crap

Best: Me and Mariana

Fail: me

love you all.

Comment: Most successful Linkedin tidbit or insight?

We have a TikTok Blitz, 500 creators releasing 1000+ videos in a day.
So I sent them this video on our Whatsapp group

I was not invlved early on... teams and concultants and crap like that.

I always say... up the energy, up the fun, up the reward.

I will keep you updated.

We spend 45M a year on Google and Meta and the like... 
Tiktok is more subtle

And I always say "hit subtle with a hammer"

OK, never said that, but I like it.

Comment: Where are on tiktok marketing?

My success algorithm is 1 get smart people... 2 have a purpose... 
3 funn and freedom and 4 and most important

have fun, communicate and get them out of the corners, out of their shells and get them way past the first reaction communication

that is crap

go deeper, more complex, more meaningful, more simple

and repeat

1 get smart people... 2 have a purpose...
3 fun and freedom and 4 and most important

have fun, communicate and get them out of the corners, out of their shells and get them way past the first reaction communication

and repeat

this is long haul
this is life coarse
this is life altering

Comment: are you fun and smart? then you got a chance

What it takes to get 6000 sales in 4 minutes.
This works and I love it.

A few times a year, 15,000 people will get ready at the digital starting line to have a chance to get a deal on some of our leather bags at Portland Leather Goods.

This does many things for us:

1. Immediate cash flow
2. Rewards our best customers
3. Clears old product
4. Creates excitement around the Brand
5. Gets more people to sign up for Insiders for the oppurtunity to be involved.
6. Mariana finds it fun

But the real work has taken 8 years in building up the infastructure, processes, people, product and demand.

People look online for quick fixes, quick solutions for quick wins!

But every "secret" or "hack" or "lesson" you will learn on Youtube or Linkedin will take time to build, time to test and time to roll out into the world.

Damn it is fun!

Comment... what is the best advice you have ever received that actually worked!!

These Two Things are your Rocketship to Kicking Ass!
100% Curtis... Read and Grow...

1. More action and less thought... mostly becuase your crazy brain is already thinking too much and most likely your thinking is the problem.

You don't learn form thinking, you just reinforce old patterns and those patterns are most likely wrong.

leaders rely on action!

2. Measure and recalibrate often... your actions are going to mess stuff up. Oops!

So what. measure and learn and act again.

measure and learn and act again.

Action and Measure... constntly, daily, weekly... and in a few months your life will change... and hell, in a year ort two you might even be better at this whole life game.

It's monday... I am going to live this advise.

Comment: are you going to take that action today? You have put it off long enough.

In the last 7 years I have hit $500,000,000 in revenue.
My secret is simple, powerful and...

Is scientifically proven.
I am an optimist. 

Pure optimist. I trust myself, I trust the world, I trust good people...

I don't doubt my new ideas, I fuel them and feed them and supercharge them...

I am not a psychiatrist, I don't study the brain, but I KNOW you can train yourself to think more positive thoughts than negative ones.

You can chose your own vision, path, dreams, thoughts, resentments...

But, you say, I had a bad day, or week, or life or childhood? Blah!

I was a skinny kid with glasses and a big nose and I thought I was handsome, charming and smart. Still do.

People tell me I am an idiot. They are wrong. 

I am a bright ray of sunshine.

You... yes you, are magical, wonderful, beautiful and kind!

And your business will work... But you must believe.

I could write forever, not cliche after cliche, but truth after truth.

Today, you got this. The 15 minutes of doubt can only hurt you if you keep repeating the story in your brain. 

You don't have a day of bad thoughts, you have the same tiny, dumb, negative thought over and over.

Kick ass today... this is the day you turn it around.

Me? I am going in to make some big changes in my company today!

I need to make it fun, I need people to feel like change is not an attack on them!

I need them to become creative & Optimistic!

And I am going to kill it...

Comment: Are you going to have a good day? Seriously... are you?

Are you like me?  If don't post for a few days, I don't accrue more to say, opposite, my mind goes blank SURPRISINGLY I

 I sit an stare at the screen. 

I walk around and think "it is all being said by others, why should I add to the noise."

There are enough young pretty people to say this stuff, why do they need me? 

Is what I do interesting anyways?

Which is crazy caus e I do interesting shit!

Just build and entire podcast, video studio with high-end equipment and hired a 5 person media team.

I run a 200M a year company with 1000plus employees.

We are putting up 10 new retail stores this year.

I am investing in, and scaling smaller companies with my Brand Buckaroo along with my partner MacCoy Merkley

I am traveling to LA on Wenesday for a meeting that would blow most of your minds.

I have teams in China researching new product lines and tech innovations.

I am hammering finacials to get that EBIOTDA over 34M this year.

I am looking for a new luxury home in the most awesome areas of the US.

I am yelling at my TV and computer as the world as we know it tilts toward chaos because one man liked to hang out with another man who happened to be a twisted predator. 

I am celebrating women.

I am trying to get in such shape that peoples faces fall to the florr and say "no way, you don't look 60. You have too much energy."

I am buying high end art.

Fixing our social media.

Tinkiering with supply lines.

And looking good doing it.

So no more days off. None.

If yu are going to hear stupid shit that might help your life it is going to come from me!

Love you all: So Comment? Is once a day posting good or too much?

Intuition has already told you the answer. Everything after that is just your negotiation with fear.

And I get it... I like to have some fear every know and then.

Like when I am scared, unsure or just bored.

And life and business and our days and weeks are filled with decisions, big and small.

But fear, it is not telling you the truth. Don't fight just say "not today."

I started in a garage, newly sober, but more often than not I trust my intuition and let fear stay out side in the rain.

Thart decison you have worried about. 

You know the answer.

You freakin got this.

Comment: Do you got this?

Idiots can sell $1M a year... But $100,000,000 Million?
I did it... here are the numbers.

Met 100's of business owners this last month at 1 - 5 million talking about going to 9-figures if they could figure out META spend...

Well you better have great retention and an AOV over 100 and still...

To do $100,000,000 in sales with an AOV of $120 (ours at PLG), you’d need over 833,000 orders in a year. 

That’s more than 2,200 orders every single day for 365 days straight.

Yes, yes... Black Friday... blah blah

Now here’s the kicker: if 50% of that revenue came from new customers, that’s $50,000,000 New Customer Revenue.

You need 416,667 orders (rounded) to get to $50M at a $120 AOV.

Now divide by 12 months:

416,667÷12=34,722.25416,667 \div 12 = 34,722.25416,667÷12=34,722.25

 That’s about 35,000 orders per month.

Which also means new customers with:
~8,000 orders per week
~1,140 orders per day

$1M is hustle.
 $10M is product-market fit.

 But $100M? That’s when your business becomes a magnet. A machine. A brand that turns tens of thousands of new faces into a community that sticks.

The question is: Could your business convince 354,000 strangers to trust you this year and get returning customers to be half your revenue?

Here is the good news, cause if you read me you know I love the good news...

That company you built to make 1 million or 10 million.... won't get you there.

If you are scared and say "I can't do that with my current company" YOU ARE RIGHT...

You get to build a new company that can get there

but start with how to build a company that can get new custoemrs AND get 50% return customer revenue...

Dream it. See it. Build it.

You can do this.

Comment: Was I clever to my dogs in the photo... does it make me look and and approachable?

Wow.. this post is going to piss some people off...
But it is Wednesday... who cares!!

Droning on about about "Imposter Syndrome" is so Dumb.
Imposter Syndrome: don't have it... and to get rid of it you must....

Look forward, not back. Look up, and not down.

Look at bigger things than if you deserve the present, make big goals and get afraid of them and then get to work. Change your focus.

I had to look up imposter syndrome up because I hear people on here drone on and on about this crap... here is what it the Internet machine said.

"Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where someone experiences PERSISTENT SELF-DOUBT about their abilities and achievements, despite evidence to the contrary, often feeling like a fraud or "imposter" who will eventually be exposed as incompetent, even when they are successful in their field." BLAH BLAH

Persistent! Not part of the time, PERSISTENT!

If it is happening all the time you are not an imposter you have no confidence because you are always looking back, not forward and you are looking down, not up.

It is about comparision.

I was on a flight from Mexico to Austin and was talking to an older women sitting next to me. She asked about what I did and while I did not say the name I explained I was pretty cool and my company was going to do 200M this year.

"Billion?" she said.

I was deflated. "No 200 million."

Her family owed the professional sports teams in Detroit.

She takes Isaiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson to the Michigan football games.

Afterwards it hit me! I am never feeling feeling an imposter because of where I AM RIGHT NOW... I am feeling that there is a long way to go and I NEED TO GET BETTER to acheive my future goals.

I am always looking at the future... not stuck on think if I deserve what I have right now!

And I must get better.

I am shooting for a Billion. And when I get there, I will shoot for 10.

I have more than 1200 employees and I help take care of them and their families... I help them buy food, pay the mortgage and plan for their futures.

So I must get better for the future. Always get better.

And when I have 5000 employees I must get ready to have 10,000.

Am I an imposter. NO . Are you? 

Comment!!! Hell NO!
And all you professional psychologists, don't be too mean to me.

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