LEAF GROUP LTD. (Exact Name of Registrant As Specified in Its Charter)

Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-K (Mark One) ☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 OR ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from to Commission file number 001-35048 LEAF GROUP LTD. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 20-4731239 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification Number) 1655 26th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) (310) 656-6253 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, $0.0001 par value LEAF The New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None. Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒ Emerging Growth Company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒ As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock, $0.0001 par value, held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $56.7 million (based upon the closing sale price of the common stock on that date on the New York Stock Exchange). As of February 22, 2021, there were 35,800,651 shares of the common stock, $0.0001 par value, outstanding. Documents Incorporated by Reference Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates. Table of Contents LEAF GROUP LTD. INDEX TO FORM 10-K Page PART I. Item 1 Business 1 Item 1A Risk Factors 7 Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 35 Item 2 Properties 35 Item 3 Legal Proceedings 35 Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 35 PART II. Item 5 Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 36 Item 6 Reserved 38 Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 39 Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 60 Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 61 Item 9 Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 61 Item 9A Controls and Procedures 62 Item 9B Other Information 62 PART III. Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 63 Item 11 Executive Compensation 63 Item 12 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 63 Item 13 Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 63 Item 14 Principal Accounting Fees and Services 63 PART IV. Item 15 Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 64 Item 16 Form 10-K Summary 66 SIGNATURES 67 Table of Contents SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “predict,” “plan” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements are so identified. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as guarantees of future performance. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current financial results and our current expectations and projections about future events, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic; our ability to execute our business plan to maintain compliance with the continued listing criteria of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”); changes by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) or other governmental authorities regarding the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020, the SBA’s related Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Program”) and our ability to obtain forgiveness of the loan we obtained pursuant to the PPP Program; and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. under the heading entitled “Risk Factors”, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as required by law. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we currently expect. Table of Contents PART I Item 1. Business As used herein, “Leaf Group,” the “Company,” “our,” “we,” “us” and similar terms include Leaf Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. “Leaf Group” and other trademarks of ours appearing in this report, such as “Society6”, “The Other Art Fair”, and “Well+Good”, are our property. This report contains additional trade names and trademarks of other companies. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply an endorsement or sponsorship of us or our business by such companies, or any relationship with any of these companies. Overview Leaf Group is a diversified consumer internet company that builds enduring, creator-driven brands that reach passionate audiences in large and growing lifestyle categories, including fitness and wellness and home, art and design. Our business is comprised of three segments: Society6 Group, Saatchi Art Group, and Media Group. Financial information by segment is set forth in Note 17 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15, “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Prior to the third quarter of fiscal 2020, we had two reportable segments, Marketplaces and Media. Marketplaces included our Society6 and Saatchi Art e-commerce marketplaces and Media referred to our sites, monetized primarily through advertising. During the third quarter of fiscal 2020, to further increase visibility into our business, we divided our Marketplaces segment into two separate segments, referred to as Society6 Group and Saatchi Art Group.

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