- Story by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on

After more than 15 years running a busy and successful company, Nanaimo entrepreneur Dominic Staniscia says the biggest mistake he made was not launching his business sooner.

91裸聊视频淎 friend of mine and I had been talking about it for years,91裸聊视频� says Dominic, owner of City Tile Nanaimo. 91裸聊视频淚 should have done it sooner.91裸聊视频�

Dominic was selling turkeys and chickens for Lilydale 91裸聊视频� a job he91裸聊视频檇 been doing for 10 years 91裸聊视频� when he finally decided he91裸聊视频檇 had enough.

91裸聊视频淲e were out fishing one day and we were 25 miles offshore and I said, 91裸聊视频榁ince, let91裸聊视频檚 do this, I91裸聊视频檓 ready to do this,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Dominic recalls.

That was August of 2003. By the end of November, Dominic and his partner, Vince D91裸聊视频橝ndrea, opened City Tile Nanaimo. For Dominic, the drive to be his own boss and make the company a success fuelled his passion.

91裸聊视频淔or nine years, I worked seven days a week, and then my kids got involved and I was able to take a day off,91裸聊视频� jokes Dominic, who is 60 this year and still works six days a week. 91裸聊视频淚 just love it 91裸聊视频� I love the business.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频�

All of that hard work and passion has certainly paid off. City Tile Nanaimo celebrated its 15th anniversary last November and business is booming. The first location was 2,200 square feet. After seven years of growth 91裸聊视频� including during the recession 91裸聊视频� they expanded 400 per cent to a 9,100-square-foot facility before buying land to build their current 13,000-square-foot location on Boban Drive.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e grown it to the point where now the kids can run it,91裸聊视频� says Dominic. 91裸聊视频淚n order to do that, you have to train the kids properly, so I91裸聊视频檓 working lots to show them what true work ethic is. If I didn91裸聊视频檛 work as I hard as I do, I don91裸聊视频檛 think they91裸聊视频檇 get it.91裸聊视频�

Dominic and his wife, Rose, have three daughters and they all work in the business, along with two son-in-laws. It91裸聊视频檚 a family affair and Dominic says it91裸聊视频檚 also important to treat staff like family.

91裸聊视频淭he best advice I91裸聊视频檝e ever received is that you can91裸聊视频檛 do it on your own,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淵ou need good staff and you have to treat your people properly and respect them. You need to treat them like family, and if you do, everything should work out.91裸聊视频�

Dominic admits that when he started the company there was a lot to learn. And over the years, he says, the biggest lesson has been about buying product.

91裸聊视频淵ou don91裸聊视频檛 make money selling 91裸聊视频� you make money buying,91裸聊视频� Dominic explains. 91裸聊视频淵ou have to buy right or you91裸聊视频檙e not going to make a profit. You have to focus on getting it at the right price and then selling it at the right price. If you don91裸聊视频檛, you91裸聊视频檒l be stuck with product and you91裸聊视频檒l lose money.91裸聊视频�

Dominic travels all over the world to source the best tiles. He regularly travels to Italy, Turkey, Spain, Brazil and China. It91裸聊视频檚 something he loves to do, but also says it91裸聊视频檚 key to the businesses91裸聊视频� success.

91裸聊视频淵ou really need to do this because the manufactures are there with all the newest trends in design and if you91裸聊视频檙e not there, you lose out,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淲e receive these containers on a weekly basis and it91裸聊视频檚 nice to see the world in a different way.91裸聊视频�

One of the ongoing challenges is to keep inventory fresh in a face-paced industry with constantly changing design trends. A few years ago, they ran out of space to hold new products and had to decide what to do with older stock.

91裸聊视频淩otating stale product with new product involves risk, decisiveness and, at times, sacrifices,91裸聊视频� says Dominic. 91裸聊视频淲e came up with a solution that gave us both room and cash flow. We purchased two tents to hold the outdated product and priced it at such a significant discount, the products sold very well and that gave us much-needed cash flow to purchase new inventory.91裸聊视频�

Looking to the future, Dominic still wants to grow the business but says his goal is also to 91裸聊视频渟emi-retire91裸聊视频� and let his children run it.

91裸聊视频淚 plan on slowing down a little bit because you have to have balance,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淢y wife and I have been married 38 years come September and we want to travel more.91裸聊视频�

As for quitting his day job and deciding to launch the business? Better late than never.

91裸聊视频淚 was 45 years old when I started the company, so it91裸聊视频檚 never too late to start a business or do things you91裸聊视频檝e always wanted to do,91裸聊视频� Dominic says. 91裸聊视频淵ou91裸聊视频檝e got to love what you do. If you don91裸聊视频檛 go to work happy and raring to go, you91裸聊视频檙e not going to succeed. You have to be passionate about what you91裸聊视频檙e doing.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频�