For years Joel Symmans ran a curtain and blinds manufacturing business, successfully quintupling the company’s annual turnover and growing from 35 to 150 team members – and he was done.

“I was working 80-hour weeks, travelling, not seeing my kids, missing all the milestones, spending most of my days in front of a computer stressing out about company cash flow and staff issues, and just not enjoying it anymore,” Joel says.

Friend and colleague Renzo Demartini was in the same boat and last year, the two hatched a plan to start their own boutique home furnishing supply company – small, concise and with a few important differences.

“It’s not that we were no longer passionate about the industry – we just no longer cared for that large-volume business. We wanted to strip it back and focus on the core values we believed in,” Renzo says.

“We looked at the market and saw that for so many businesses, it was a race to the bottom in price and quality. It had created a large gap for a quality product and service, and we knew Canberrans wanted it. They value local jobs and manufacturing and are willing to pay a bit more for a product that lasts longer.”

Newly opened in Fyshwick, Aurora Designs is not looking to be the biggest – it wants to be the best: in product, service, sustainability and community ties.

In fact Joel, with a corporate and fin-tech (financial technology) background, knows a smart financial decision when he sees it and has knocked back more work than he has taken on.

He says volume and quality are, more often than not, mutually exclusive – and he has made his choice for Aurora Designs.

“Every business talks about service being at the forefront but the reality is the owners of large businesses often have to detach themselves from the day to day of customer care. It’s a distraction from the big picture – profits and people issues,” he says.

Aurora works exclusively with Australian-owned companies and the vast majority of its products are manufactured locally.

“Occasionally if a customer wants a specific product and it can’t be made here, that’s the only time we will source from overseas,” Joel says. “But the rule is, if we can get it here, we do, end of story.”

Quality and reputation aside, there’s another imperative behind Aurora’s local approach – sustainability.

Joel says amid a set criteria for its suppliers are sustainability requirements. At a minimum, Aurora suppliers have to demonstrate a commitment to minimising landfill and must use recycled packaging.

“Choosing local workrooms cuts down on the freight implications on the environment and when they’re made locally and you can have confidence in the quality, it’s less likely to end up in landfill after a few years,” he says.

“It’s all well and good to say ‘Our practices are sustainable’ – but we have a responsibility to hold our suppliers to account as well. That’s why our products have warranties at least double – and up to 10 times – the lifespan of our competitors.

“It’s not always the cheapest option, but it’s not always the most expensive either. Last week I had a client ask ‘If you’re local, how are you still cheaper than this other quote I got?’. I was fortunate enough in my career to be able to say it’s not all about the money now.

“We can keep low overheads and are very transparent about our pricing. I’ll happily tell a customer what I’m buying the product for and what they’re paying for, and they can see we’re not greedy or hyper-focussed on margins; we’re focused on creating a values-driven business.”

One of those values centres on strengthening the community that supports the team. That’s why Aurora Designs not only invests in local manufacturing but also in local people, through sponsorships and funding for organisations including Hands Across Canberra, Lifeline Canberra and Menslink, women’s shelters and local schools.

Joel says it all adds up to zero regrets about striking out on their own.

“When creating a business from scratch you get to ask yourself, ‘What do we want to be known for?’. For us that’s a business that sells products that last longer, backs local jobs and stands for something. If anyone in Australia will support that, Canberra will.”

For more information visit Aurora Designs.