At 19 years old, Killian knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur after seeing his father succeed in commercial flooring. “I saw him working extremely hard, but then he also had time to be at my sporting events and other things. I was like, okay, this lifestyle makes sense to me,” he says. Killian achieved his goal in 2019 when he co-founded Home Genius Exteriors with Max Alesi; the two met through a college summer work program that taught the ins and outs of running a painting business.
Aha! Moment: “Looking back, I realize that our lack of experience when starting this business was actually a blessing in disguise because we didn’t follow the ‘industry standard,’” he says. Instead, they thought about how homeowners should be treated and created their standard: a white-glove experience that potential customers couldn’t get from competitors.
Focus on Tech: Killian helped build an advanced tech stack that seamlessly integrates with their proprietary CRM. “I always say ‘yes’ to taking a meeting, checking out new things, and seeing what makes sense to us and will give customers the level of service they expect,” he says.
Outside of Work: Passionate about strength training and combat sports.
Book Recommendation: Atomic Habits