CEO • 23

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Blue sky thinking

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) provides 24-hour emergency aeromedical and primary health care services to more than 48,000 people throughout South and Central Australia alone every year – that’s someone every 11 minutes.

RFDS Central Operations relies on its corporate supporters, fundraising initiatives and donations from the community to fi nance the purchase of replacement aircraft and medical equipment.

On behalf of the tens of thousands of families that call on the RFDS every year, we would like to sincerely thank Phil Baker and Adelaide Airport Limited for their loyal support of the ‘Flying Doctor’.

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For Phil, the airport can be likened to his very own train set: enjoyable to play with and something that keeps him occupied. For him, it’s about being involved. “I like to be hands-on, but I have also realised over the years that you’ve got to get further and further away. A leader needs to give other people the space to actually run the operations themselves, to make their own decisions, and even make their own mistakes and learn from them. It’s really about putting trust in other people. This is a team, and I’ve got a great line of direct reports, so they all know what they are doing, and I can leave them to their own devices. I’m very much trying to steer the people rather than dictate to them.”

When it comes to suppliers, they must fit with what the company is about. “I think the long-term relationship works extremely well,” emphasises Phil. “I know sometimes it’s not the ‘done’ thing, because you’re supposed to get more than one quote and look at who’s on your supplier list. Of course, I’m not one who believes in hiring a consultant to tell you the time; they still have to make a difference and have the experience.

“But if you’re getting great service and the right outcome, and you know the price is good, then it’s often the supplier who fits into the company’s culture most appropriately.

“When we built Terminal 1, we got it built at such a price that no-one could believe we got so much value for money. This was because we used suppliers who were virtually in partnership with us.”

When Phil’s time is over in six months, he is hoping to stay working part time, perhaps with the airport or somewhere overseas. But he does not want his working life to come to a close. “The one thing I don’t want to do is stop,” confirms Phil. “I’ve been lucky, had a great time, and wouldn’t change a thing.

“But no matter where I go at this time, I still have my eyes on retiring here.”

In The OfficeEXECUTIVE InTErVIEw

Complete Office Supplies was founded in 1976 when CEO and Founder Dominique Lyone, after migrating to Australia from Egypt, assessed the local marketplace and spotted a business opportunity. Dominique originally worked in his family’s

typewriter repair business in Egypt. Upon coming to Australia, Dominique became head of the stationery distribution business for Data Print.

“It started 35 years ago,” Dominique explains, “working for a specialist company that primarily offered two products. An increasing number of customers were asking me for product extension, so I decided to do it for myself, and that’s how we came up with the name ‘Complete’. Whatever consumable product that you need in the office, we’ll have it.”

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CEO • 25

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“We’re an Australian-based company as opposed to our main market competition, which are globally based,” Dominique notes. “What that means is that, being run by local ownership out of Australia, we can give the customer a lot more attention. The core vision of our customer delivery is the best customer experience for office products in Australia. Everything in the business revolves around that core principle.”

Dominique’s company strives to place the consumer’s needs first and create a shopping experience that reflects this homegrown emphasis on customer satisfaction.

With growing competition from transnational corporations, Dominique has had to overcome numerous obstacles within the industry. He explains: “The major challenge for us has been the consolidation of the industry where, almost without exception, all players ended up selling to global organisations. That happened about 15 years ago.

“We made a decision not to sell – that was quite challenging – but we continued to compete in this space. Other challenging things were general business problems like finding funds for the business as well as the general pains of growing the business, such as keeping the customer experience culture ongoing on a day-to-day basis.”

Overcoming these initial challenges has helped develop the company’s strategic direction and corporate resilience. By navigating the company through unstable times, Dominique has learnt how to manage his enterprise through the most precarious market conditions and build Complete Office Supplies’ flexibility to cope within the volatile retail sector.

Innovation plays a large role in keeping the business at the forefront of the industry, and the company is largely aided by the working partnerships Complete Office Supplies builds with its suppliers. Through communication and longevity, the company can stay ahead of the market and attuned to the latest service and product offerings.

the core vision of our

customer delivery is the best

customer experience for office

products in australia. everything

in the business revolves around

that core principle.”

- dominique lyone

Complete Office Supplies is the country’s largest independent office supply dealer. The company employs over 300 people, but maintains its corporate transparency and autonomy. Each member of staff within the organisation understands the company’s vision, and this helps Dominique unify the direction of the company.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing over the years. Complete Office Supplies at one stage was over-trading and came into some cashflow difficulties. “It was during the mid 80s when, as a young CEO back then, the answer seemed to be just to borrow more money,” Dominique highlights. “We came to the point where we were not able to keep up the payments, and we were recommended by one of the big accounting firms to basically get out of the business by liquidation.

“In thinking more deeply about it, I realised that a lot of people were going to lose a whole lot of money as a result of that. So I then decided that I would look my creditors in the eye and ask them for extra time to pay, which turned out to be well over two years. And I would restructure the business, make the necessary cuts, rebuild the company, and pay them back in full, which is what we managed to do.”

Dominique kept the company from administration and, through his leadership, has overcome several obstacles to become the market leader it is today.

Dominique notes, “The suppliers are a crucial part of what we offer. Without strategic partnership with major suppliers, there wouldn’t be a business. So we take those relationships very seriously, and try to have as open a relationship as possible with those companies. This includes people like Hewlett Packard, 3M and ACCO. These are global companies that create innovation in office products and bring to the market products that increase efficiency.

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CEO • 27

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That’s a very important part in getting new products through the business, which is one of the things that feed this industry.”

Transparency within the organisation lets Dominique’s staff know the importance of every person in the Complete Office Supplies family. Every member of staff gains a greater understanding of the company’s vision and business culture.

“It’s a family business,” Dominique comments. “I’m the founder, but I do have two daughters in the business holding executive positions. One of the small things we do as part of induction is that every single employee gets to spend an hour with the CEO within the first couple of months of being here, and that really is about setting culture.

“These aren’t necessarily done on a one-to-one basis, but in groups when the employee first starts here. That is a strong foundation on which we build our culture and who we are. From there, it becomes ongoing communication.

“Other initiatives we have are branch meetings, where a whole location will meet once a month and discuss what’s going on in the business, particularly culture and culture building.”

Dominique strives to be an approachable CEO, eliminating the stratified structuring within the business, while remaining intimately involved in all facets of the company’s operations. He says, “As the CEO, I take 10 or so members of staff out to lunch in a local restaurant once a month. This gives me the opportunity to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the business and understand what’s going on for our people. As a CEO, I’m very hands on.”

Complete Office Supplies takes care of all its stakeholders, from staff and customers through to the environment in which it operates.

“Social, corporate, and particularly environmental responsibility, are all increasingly on the radar these days,” Dominique explains. “The environment has always been important to us as a family, and it has increased due to the demand of the market. As far as our industry’s concerned, we were the first to get an environmental accreditation ISO 14001 for the way we run the business. Also, we’ve been accredited ISO 9001, quality standard, and the 4801 [Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems requirement].”

Dominique has built a successful organisation from the ground up; but despite the company’s increasing prosperity, Dominique never loses sight of those who have helped him along the way, as well as the importance of philanthropy.

we’re currently the

number three player in the

market, and it’s our aim to

continue to aggressively grow

this business by taking share

from our global competitors.”

- dominique lyone

to maintain its position and challenge the transnational competitions in the local market space.

Dominique says, “I think we’ve got a very bright future in this country. We’re currently the number three player in the market, and it’s our aim to continue to aggressively grow this business by taking share from our global competitors. I, as the CEO, hope that the business will continue to grow for generations to come.”

While Dominique remains hopeful for his company’s future, he also understands the importance of dedicating time to his family and personal life. Maintaining a balance between his work and familial commitments is a delicate task.

Dominique explains: “That’s not always an easy thing to do. I guess the biggest thing is that I’m a long-term thinker; so we can have some time off today, without panicking about everything collapsing tomorrow. Also, we have our breaks;

we make sure that we take family holidays every year. I do my best to be home for dinner, and no work on Sundays.”

Dominique has drawn inspiration through his experiences and other businessmen who offer expert financial and corporate advice. He concludes, “I think what turned, not so much my business, but my thinking around, was a program I did with a fellow called Robert Kiyosaki, who is the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

I met Robert way before he had any fame, and I attended a program run by him called ‘Money and You’, which is really about generalised principles of business – and I still run the business by those principles today. I can say that that program, and associated programs with it, is what has been a substantial part of my success.”

Kiyosaki’s philosophy mostly revolves around generating passive income through investments, and continuing to build up these investments until their passive income can support you.

Dominique has taken a more active role in developing his investment, building Complete Office Supplies from scratch and developing it into the market leader it is today. The company’s CEO is also an instructor for ‘Money and You’, offering the same guidance and advice that was bestowed upon him through Kiyosaki’s programs.

Dominique has spoken at conferences for entrepreneurs throughout Australia, South-East Asia, and North America. His experience and knowledge even earned him a finalist position for 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Eastern Region.

Dominique has overcome business hardships and financial challenges, taking calculated risks to create a successful organisation while ensuring the future of his company and family in the volatile Australian market.

He comments, “We also do a lot of social work with a lot of organisations. I have a particular passion for some of them, especially St Vincent de Paul. That’s due to the fact that we’re immigrants from Egypt and they looked after us when we first landed here off the boat. These days, they’re still doing that for a whole lot of newcomers, and we support them as best we can.

“We’ve got a lot of other initiatives inside the business, where people will volunteer to do some work. Recently, there was a big effort to help with the Queensland floods, where a bunch of our employees were given time off to go out and support.”

Complete Office Supplies is staking its claim within the Australian market and aims

“Raised Image has been supplying to COS for over 10 years. During that time, COS has become a major industry player and trading partner. COS’s growth and success are attributable to founder Dominique Lyone’s vision for the company.” - Stan Rosen, Managing Director, Raised Image

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(02) 9552 2222 sales@raisedimage.com

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PO Box 727, Glebe, Sydney NSW 2037