Industry Rising Star - Anthony Lynch - Director, Lynch’s Window Fashions

ISSUE 76 January 2021

In 2013 Anthony Lynch took the plunge to become an entrepreneur, leaving behind corporate roles in the window furnishings industry to explore the retail space through the launch of his own company.

Since then, the success and growth of Melbourne retail business Lynch’s Window Fashions has undoubtedly been assisted by the experience Anthony gained early on. He started his career in 2009, with a business development / sales role at Designed Blinds, later moving across to Luxaflex in a similar role managing some of the premier retail businesses in the industry. 

“I was fortunate to begin my time in the industry with a global leader in Hunter Douglas, a well resourced business that invested in its people, which meant that both product and sales training sessions were a regular part of my role and  enabled me to fast track my industry knowledge. The reality is that through having access to some of those premier retail businesses, I was able to observe them closely and take both the best of them and also learn from some of the potential issues that could arise.”

That experience has proven invaluable in the day to day challenges of running Lynch’s Window Fashions, he says.  “The sales process, from the very first contact with a potential client all the way through to the final installation, entails something like 15 different steps. Coordinating that efficiently as a business to ensure we minimise mistakes and maximise customers’ experience is a constant challenge. To put it more accurately, motivating and managing my staff and contractors is certainly an important part of my role.”

Driving business through good relationships with clients is another key aspect of Lynch’s day-to-day activities. “Whether they’re new, existing or returning, clients are obviously the lifeblood of my business in terms of sales and future lead generation, so my priority is nurturing those relationships. Every time a client makes the decision to go ahead with our business, no matter what the size of the project might be, I always feel proud that they have trusted us to do the job for them. Being able to then deliver on that, hopefully exceeding their expectations and making their whole experience with Lynch’s Window Fashions an enjoyable one, is what drives me.”

Anthony says his long term vision for the business has crystallised in part due to Covid 19. 

“Certainly 2020 was a challenging year, in particular through the lockdown period in Victoria. We tried to maintain a balanced view, and we were very fortunate to have been able to continue to operate, albeit in a limited capacity. Some industries or businesses had to close their doors and face potential extinction and we genuinely feel for them. We’ve had a very strong pipeline of work to return to so overall we feel like one of the lucky ones.”

Looking ahead, he says the company is now well positioned for future expansion.  

“As a business we have been fortunate enough to grow year on year since our inception. We certainly plan to continue that trend, and that will mean bringing more people into the business in 2021 to manage our growth. Personally I want to continue to strengthen the relationships I have with the key people that impact our business the most, in other words, our clients and our supply partners.”

“I am incredibly proud of the business I have been able to create. Watching it grow through plenty of hard work has been really satisfying. This really is a great industry to be a part of and  I have developed many  friendships throughout the past 11 years. The future is really bright and it’s exciting to be able to continue to drive my own destiny. Every day I strive to make Lynch’s Window Fashions a business that has great credibility both in the industry and at consumer level.”

Sign up to the WFA Newsletter

loading