"Don't choose an extra $100 a week. Choose an extra $100,000 a year, a few years from now. Bet on you."Austin Oberbillig, Floors & Ceilings (2023)

About

Grocery checker at 18. Hall of Fame at 30.

Vector Marketing Hall of Fame · Leads Cutco's Washington Division (Evergreen Division) · Member, Lifestyle Investor Mastermind

Austin Oberbillig grew up in Olympia, Washington, and made his first sale at 18. Since then he has worked with close to 800 sales reps, built an office that has brought in almost $10 million since 2017, and developed more reps from $0 to $1 million in personal sales than any manager in his company's history.

Twelve years, one company, one city

1. 2014

   A letter in the mail

   At 18, a checker at Safeway, he got a letter from Vector Marketing and threw it away. His mom kept it. Three weeks later he was fired from Safeway, and the letter came in handy. He sold $1,100 on his first three appointments, nothing the next day, and tried to quit 72 hours after training. He stayed, and sold just under $80,000 in his first ten months.

   Published · Open Letter, 2025
2. 2015

   Into management, under his first mentor

   Nine months in, he was promoted to Pilot Sales Manager at the Washington Division headquarters in Seattle, under Ryan Casey, who he calls "my first and most impactful mentor." He says he was the youngest person ever promoted to that job.

   Published + recorded call
3. 2016

   The couch years

   He paid a friend to sleep on his couch, then lived in his aunt and uncle's spare room, then a sorority house. He sold his racing bike for a fifth of its value to pay for gas and food. "I never counted the hours."

   Published · Floors & Ceilings, 2023
4. 2017

   His own office, above a karate studio

   At 22 he signed a $27,000 commercial lease on Bel-Red Road in Bellevue and made a 10-year commitment to build something there. His first summer he sold under $100,000 against a $500,000 goal.

   Published · Open Letter, 2025
5. 2018

   From $152,000 to $732,000

   District sales grew almost five times in a year, finishing as the #2 new office in the company. A year later his office had the second-highest sales productivity of hundreds of offices across the U.S.

   Published · 2019 and 2025 posts
6. 2019

   Seven figures before 24

   "A bonafide seven figure sales manager before my 24th birthday." A year later, in 2020, his team moved to selling virtually and kept growing.

   Published · 2019 post, and his 2023 site
7. 2021

   Five offices

   At its peak his district ran five offices, including his own.

   Recorded call · 2026
8. 2022

   #1 office in the company

   His district finished first in the company in the District Team competition and won the Silver Cup.

   Public · Changing Lives Selling Knives, ep. 382
9. 2023

   A double national title, and coaching other teams

   His office won what he calls a double national championship. The same year he launched Kairos Ventures, a strategy-coaching practice for top salespeople and managers, built on one promise: "If you're still working with me after 12 months, I haven't done my job." He says he had spent $25,000 to $30,000 a year on his own coaching since 2018.

   Public · kairosventuresllc.squarespace.com
10. 2025

    Hall of Fame, then the division

    He promised himself he'd stay a district manager until he made Hall of Fame or turned 30. He did both within 90 days. That summer he was asked to lead the Washington Division, "the job that you wanted for a decade."

    Recorded call · 2026
11. 2026

    A division on a $2.8M pace

    In his first full year leading the division, it was on pace for about $2.8 million by September, about double what his district used to average. He also coaches young sales professionals through Dream Life Academy.

    Recorded call · Sept 2026

What he builds

People who outgrow him

Who built him

He names his mentors

• Ryan CaseyHis first manager in Seattle, now COO of Lifestyle Investor. "My first and most impactful mentor."
• Mike MonroeWeekly thinking partner on recruiting, standards and culture. "One of the most important people in my business."
• Uncle AndyA business owner who taught him to be a "Sparchitect": someone who sees who people can become.
• Andrew Biggs, Dan Casetta, Patricia JamesNamed in his 2023 thank-you post.
• Justin DonaldLifestyle Investor founder. Austin is a member of his mastermind.

"I want to work with you. But I don't need you."Austin, to every new rep in his office (Open Letter, 2025)

What the people he coached say

"Arguably the most insightful leader who has ever managed me."

Anastasia Esquivel · 8th fastest rep to $1M+ in Cutco history

His office paced $1.3M in revenue in its first full year open.

Alex Funk · #1 New Manager at Vector/Cutco, 2022 and 2023

Five years with Austin, from student to mentor of others.

John Kenneally · 2022 National Sales Champion

His coaching is asking questions, not handing over a list.

Zane Bomer-Vath · Collegiate All-American, mentee since 2018

From the reviews page of his 2023 Kairos Ventures site. Only Anastasia's line is quoted word for word; the rest are short summaries.

The room he comes from

Built inside two of the hardest rooms in sales

Austin came up through Vector Marketing, where reps are paid on what they sell and nothing else. He is also a member of Justin Donald's Lifestyle Investor Mastermind. The people around him are operators, not commentators.

Justin DonaldFounder of Lifestyle Investor. Austin is a member of his mastermind.

Ryan CaseyCOO of Lifestyle Investor, and Austin's first manager at Vector. He calls Austin one of the most influential people in his life.

Vector MarketingEleven years, from first-week rep to Hall of Fame and division leader.

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