Curtis Matsko
CEO & Founder @ Portland Leather Goods // $150,000,000 a year
About
Founded and scaled Portland Leather Goods from a $5,000 loan in a Portland garage to over $500 million in total sales, building one of North America's largest and most beloved leather goods brands without external funding. Re-engineered the business to become fully vertically integrated, establishing a manufacturing facility in León, Mexico and personally relocating to oversee operations. This operational ownership model enabled unprecedented control over quality, margins, and speed—turning the company into one of North America's largest and most efficient leather goods producers. Built the company through direct-to-consumer strategies, creative marketing, operational excellence, and a leadership philosophy rooted in transparency, experimentation, and authentic customer relationships. Curtis can help you with: 1. Bootstrapping high growth brands without external funding 2. Building vertically integrated ops and international manufacturing 3. Retention marketing and creating loyal customer communities 4. Direct-to-consumer growth strategies and operational efficiency
Experience
Founder & CEO of Portland Leather Goods
Founded and scaled Portland Leather Goods from a $5,000 loan in a Portland garage to over $500 million in total sales, building one of North America's largest leather goods producers without external funding. Started with handmade leather journals in 2015 and grew the company to $100M in revenue within seven years, then surpassed $150M and $200M milestones through direct-to-consumer strategies, creative marketing, and operational excellence. Built a team of 600+ employees and established an international manufacturing facility in León, Mexico, personally relocating to oversee operations. Created a customer community of 80,000+ members and became a top-10 Etsy seller within 18 months of launch. Now generating $150M+ in annual revenue while maintaining a culture of transparency, experimentation, and authentic leadership.
Links from Curtis
Moving My Business to Mexico Was the Best Choice Ever!
5.0
Jimmy D
Curtis's view on life and business was refreshing and motivating. He told me what I needed to hear at exactly the right moment. His perspective has been forged through years of being a founder and building teams—no business school speak, just raw intuition that only founders can understand.
Mark V