Name
Chris Deguara

Age
26

Company
StyleFurn, since 2003

Website
Visit Homepage

Home
Perth, (Australia)

Education
Not Available

Motto
Life is to be lived and loved

Chris Deguara (26) grew up camping and water skiing as a youngster. Growing up in an outdoors environment enabled him to see things in nature not many other people can see. After learning the upholstery trade from his father, Chris decided to study furniture design at TAFE. Now, his work has already earned him many awards, among which Awards of distinction, woodwork, metalwork jewellery, outdoor education and Apprentice of the Year. His ‘Astro lounge’ earned him recognition as a student finalist in the 2003 Australian Furniture of the Year Awards.

A brief overview of what your company does:
We’re Perth’s premier supplier of innovative, stylish commercial and domestic lounges and sofas, office chairs, modern furniture and upholstery solutions including antique restoration.

How did you get into business?
I rented a small space in the city and made a start with very little capital. It just took pure determination and many hours of research and PR.

Which achievements are you proud of?
I would have to say starting the business for a start, then over time establishing relationships within my industry, meeting people to learn from and look up to. Learning from others is great; it can be really interesting to see how someone else goes about things. Besides that, I have re-covered at least a thousand different lounge and chair designs from many design eras, along with drawing thousands of pictures and making a number of my own unique chairs.

Did you run into many obstacles?
Yeah, there have always been many obstacles to get around. You have to come up with rents and all the new bills that are involved with running a business. The only way to succeed is to keep your chin up!

What differentiates you from other designer entrepreneurs?
I am an individual with my own signature personality. I could attribute a far bit of that to my upbringing in a camping/ outdoors environment much of the time. You can see things in nature that not many city people get to see, I find this inspirational and awe inspiring. Really makes me feel lucky sometimes.

What have been the keys in bringing your company to the present level?
Hours, many hours and dedication. I think it’s all part of the commitment.

Has your age given you an advantage in getting where you are now?
I could go either way with this question. It depends on the people who you interact with and on what level. I must say I have very little to loose. The outcome of pushing the limits are not going to devastate my life in any major way.

How do you keep yourself motivated to work hard and to get even better at what you do?
ou have to be fuelled by passion, there is no other way.

What are the most important lessons you have learned along the way?
You have to play hard, but always play it fair.

What is your goal in life?
I want accomplishment and fulfillment of my dreams.

Who do you get support from?
I have family and friends who help me get a break from work. But I don’t get any help with my work from anyone at this stage.

Who are your role-models?
A previous employer and my dad. They would have to be two of my biggest role models, both successful at their own businesses and both very decent in their characters.

How important do you consider networking to be?
Pivotal, you will not get far without self promotion, meeting like minded people and making friends that help you as you help them.

Apart from running your business, are there any other things you’re passionate about?
Camping and water skiing , I grew up doing that.

What would you advise people who dream of doing what you do now?
Keep learning, meeting people and enjoy life and especially enjoy what you do. There will always be someone worse off than you, so don’t expect pity from anyone.

Any websites/ books or other resources you can recommend beginners?
You should just go to your ocal chambers of commerce.

What can we expect from you in the future?
The reality of my dreams is yet to unfold.

Who would you like to be contacted by?
Any person with interest in what I do, personal or commercial.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 at 6:45 pm and is filed under Articles, Australia, Entrepreneur, Artist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.