FROM GUTTERS TO GIVING
Matt Kaulig is leading by inspiring one home at a time.
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF LEAFFILTER
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, LeafFilter has grown from a single office to 153 offices in the U.S. and Canada.
MATT KAULIG IS A DRIVEN ENTREPRENEUR who started LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ from his basement 20 years ago.
Scaling from one home office to one of the largest direct-to-consumer home product companies in the United States and Canada is no easy feat. Yet, that’s exactly what Kaulig did in 2005, while focusing on selling one product: LeafFilter Gutter Protection.
“The early days, I cold called, did door-todoor sales, worked trade show floors and flea
markets,” says Kaulig. “My cell phone was my work line. I worked as a salesman and an administrative assistant, and learned accounting through QuickBooks, which I eventually taught my father who joined the company after a few years.”
If you have ever been to Hartville Flea Market, Kaulig was there with his LeafFilter booth, drumming up business the old-fashioned way — talking to people face to face. Kaulig, a former University of Akron quarterback, still has a built-in competitive nature and strong work ethic.
By 2008, Kaulig says, “As I had grown to seven offices, I knew that we had something special.” Kaulig recalls sitting on the front porch with his wife, Lisa, whom he met at the University of Akron and who is a Copley native. “I remember saying, ‘I think I’ve figured out how to do this in every city all over the country.’”
Kaulig did just that.
YOU EITHER GROW OR YOU DIE
The Great Recession could have derailed his plan, but no way. “Attitude is everything,” says Kaulig. Rather than balking at grim news or folding altogether like competitors, LeafFilter — under Kaulig’s leadership — locked into marketing, expansion and sales. While the competition was scaling back and saving money, Kaulig saw this as an opportunity to expand his business and invest in advertising.
With faith in his product and team, Kaulig pursued three new markets, expanding to Virginia, Cincinnati and Baltimore. These were strategically planned since these markets trended heavily toward government workers who were not affected by recession. “In any business, you have to reinvest,” he says. “You either grow or you die.”
The latter was not an option.
Kaulig reframed his team’s mindset, hosting motivational conference calls every morning. Avoid the news, he encouraged. Focus on the positive LeafFilter accomplishments. Under Kaulig’s strategic direction, LeafFilter grew from $5.4 million in 2008 to 11.6 million in 2009.
“If you get the negative out of your head and focus on what’s going great, it’s absolutely amazing what you can achieve.” Kaulig says.
TODAY NOT TOMORROW
Matt Kaulig has worn the same bracelet every day for nearly 20 years. One side of the black, rubber bracelet has the LeafFilter logo, and the other side has three letters: TNT. He gives one to every employee as a reminder to approach business and life with a sense of urgency, not pressure. “Today Not Tomorrow.”
Kaulig has a culture of getting things done and leading with an attitude of “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
TNT isn’t just about sales. It’s about embracing everyday life, moments in time and capturing opportunities right then and there. “It’s an attitude of, ‘Don’t put it off,’” Kaulig
Twenty years ago, Matt Kaulig made his first LeafFilter sale from the basement office from his home in Stow, Ohio.
explains. “Anything you can do today, do it today, because tomorrow might not happen in business and life.”
Kaulig leads by inspiring and has the personality to rally the troops. “Someone has to be the coach,” says Kaulig, relating how his college athletic experience transcends to business. “You have to figure out how to motive people, how to inspire people, how to lead people to do great things on the football field. It’s no different in business.”
Everyone can’t be a leader, he adds. “You need people to follow you, follow your vision — trust you to lead them to accomplish amazing things.”
For Kaulig, learning all the parts of the business was important and helped with scaling that business. What started as a basement office with $239,000 in revenue has grown to
153 offices in the U.S. and Canada and $1.7 billion in revenue.
Kaulig’s success at LeafFilter led to the creation of a series of companies, further demonstrating Kaulig’s ingenuity and versatility. In addition to founding LeafFilter, Kaulig is also the founder and executive chairman of the Kaulig Companies Ltd., the single member family office for him and his immediate family. As the family office, Kaulig Companies operates across a diverse spectrum of businesses, including sports, media, technology and advisory services.
The competitive athlete spirit has never left Kaulig. His sports ventures include Kaulig Racing, which is a multi-car NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series team, and he is minority owner of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team. He also sponsors and runs
The Kaulig Companies Championship, a PGA Champions Tour Major at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
THE MORE WE MAKE, THE MORE WE GIVE
Giving is highly intentional and personal for Kaulig. So much so that in 2018, he started Kaulig Giving, which supports the well-being of children and families while developing partnerships with likeminded nonprofits. But it’s so much more than writing a check — Kaulig Giving fosters relationships.
Kaulig is a community leader in teaching responsible giving, highlighting opportunities to make a difference and fostering long-term relationships with the nonprofit community.
“We don’t want to just give away money,” says Kaulig, who has emerged as a
“Every day, we’re working to improve and grow, to do the best we can for our employees, customers and communities we serve.”
MATT KAULIG
mega-donor and who is setting an example for responsible giving. “We want to build relationships and be involved with nonprofits to create meaningful impact.”
It’s not hard to notice the good work coming out of Kaulig Giving. It has aligned with the LeBron James Family Foundation, The Cleveland Guardians Charities, CC Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation, to name a few. To date, Kaulig Giving has given to over 400 nonprofit organizations. The Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone has raised $2.6 million and has given back to 25 local nonprofits.
WE FIGURED IT OUT
“Twenty years ago, I never thought we’d be where we are today,” says Kaulig. “Technology changes, and so does the way you do business. But, at the end of the day, we still provide a solution people need.”
The trees aren’t going anywhere, and neither is Kaulig. One thing that is guaranteed — leaves will continue to fall into gutters, and Matt Kaulig will be there.
Addressing the future: “Every day, we’re working to improve and grow, to do the best we can for our employees, customers and communities we serve.”
Without hesitation, Kaulig adds, “The sky’s the limit.”
DID YOU KNOW?
What does 20 years of LeafFilter sales look like?
