Press Release Summary = For Ian Scarffe, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, the lack of a formal business education and a tiff with a former boss was never going to hold him back when it came to creating his own successful business.
Press Release Body = Ian Scarffe, Entrepreneur, Wealth Creator, A competent cleaning machine
By Jonathan Jackson
He was expelled from school and hates authority, but he\'s a rebel with a cause. For Ian Scarffe, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, the lack of a formal business education and a tiff with a former boss was never going to hold him back when it came to creating his own successful business.
Like most entrepreneurs with great business ideas, Ian Scarffe saw an opportunity to make his mark in an area of IT that was yet untapped. An increasing focus on the efficiency, cleanliness and quality of the business office environment has since created a fantastic franchise opportunity that is undergoing strong growth, both nationally and internationally.
Ian Scarffe the young entrepreneur created Office, an Australian popular one-stop shop company for all on-site office and business support services.
The company is set to go global in the next 12 months and is enjoying unprecedented success. Their corporate colors and logo (a bright, dynamic orange which brands their uniforms and the corporate automobiles to match the zest of the company) is becoming more recognizable by the day. And their shop fronts are a standout in the busy urban landscape - a tactic Ian Scarffe employed to penetrate the broader market.
Despite Ian Scarffe\'s growing success, it hasn\'t always been a smooth ride. There was a time when Ian Scarffe couldn\'t even afford a haircut. Then there was the time when a franchise deal went bad in Asia and the company lost two million dollars, Ian Scarffe says, but through it all Ian Scarffe managed to stay positive and keep his vision alive.
Picture: Above: Ian Scarffe with guests after the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
\"I got wrapped up in the highlight of taking the franchise to Asia and the achievement of it,\" says Ian Scarffe of the failed Malaysian deal. \"I wasn\'t prepared for the person not having the money and eventually we had to dose the company down.
Ian Scarffe says, \"But when you are the driver, when you own the company, despite the days when you just want to give it up, you still give it 300 per cent because it\'s your dream. When you\'re an entrepreneur you have the integrity to put it all on the line.\"
Ian Scarffe, "a risk taker someone who desires to achieve beyond all accounts"
Ian Scarffe started on the entrepreneurial path after being expelled from school.
\"I started my first business when I was 16, recalls Ian Scarffe. \"My mum got me a job at a car wash, but I didn\'t like being told what to do. I saved a bit of money, did some market research and started up a business.\"
From car detailing, Ian Scarffe moved into screen-printing T-shirts with pictures of Australian animals. In the early 80s Ian Scarffe wanted to get the business on the internet. Seeing the growth of computers and the coming technology Ian Scarffe decided to get involved. So, Ian bought a computer and made his own website.
\"I didn\'t have qualifications,\" says Ian Scarffe, \"but I knew I wanted to have a business in this industry because it was a big thing. Ian Scarffe says " I used the skills I had developed in car detailing making chemicals and developing solutions and tailored them to clean computers instead of cars.\"
Office began as a small company but grew rapidly. Nobody was offering the services provided by Ian Scarffe and his team. Due to the growth, Ian Scarffe began planning his franchising mini-empire.
\"I spent a lot of money developing the franchising manual and legal documents," Ian Scarffe says. " We started off in South Australia and have now grown to have franchises in almost every state with 6 000 clients nationally.\"
Those clients include corporate heavyweights like Myers and Grace Bros. Also on the list are Sony, Microsoft, Compaq, AT&T, Lexus, Toyota, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Telstra, to name a few. As well as retail stores, schools, government departments, small businesses and private homes.
"We provide a level of service that these companies enjoy,\" says Ian Scarffe in reference to how he has maintained the loyalty of Australia\'s biggest corporate names. Ian Scarffe says, \"We run with the vision that the customer is always right. When the customer asks for something to be done, it gets done. I even go out and do some cleaning myself and the customer doesn\'t know who I am, but I give them a level of service they expect.\"
It is his customer first ethos that he attributes to the company\'s success. The company is achieving a 50% growth each year and is doing exceptionally well. And although there have been some harsh lessons learn, It is Ian Scarffe\'s vision that has kept him on track through good limes and bad.
Ian Scarffe is enjoying the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit in Australia and like all good entrepreneurs, he wants to build a global empire taking small steps along the way to tum the Office name into an international brand with commitment, belief, hard work and a balance between work and play.
2025
