Tom Stray: How a Small Aussie Manufacturer Survived and Exploded Through COVID

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Could your business survive if 98% of revenue disappeared overnight?

Who in your team would step up if you couldn’t lead tomorrow?

Is your supply chain genuinely resilient, or just fine until the next crisis?

If you’ve ever wondered whether your business could not only survive but grow through a global disruption, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I sit down with Tom Stray, Managing Director of Dentalife, a small Australian manufacturer supplying infection control products. Tom shares how his business survived COVID’s supply chain chaos, scaled rapidly, and made the hard calls on customer prioritisation; all while building a more resilient organisation.

What You’ll Learn:

== How to build flexible supply chains for uncertain times

== Why leadership capacity matters more than business size

== How to prioritise existing customers when supply is limited

== Practical steps to prepare your team and processes for crisis

== Why mindset and structured decision-making are your real safety net

Highlights

00:00 Losing 98% of Revenue Overnight

01:34 Navigating COVID-19 Challenges

03:35 Crisis Management and Adaptation

05:05 Scaling Up and Operational Changes

13:36 Impact on Thailand Operations

20:11 Key Learnings and Reflections

24:08 The Importance of Decision Making

36:18 #CriticalFewActions™ for Senior Leaders

The #CriticalFewActions™ You Can Do Today:

When I work with successful business leaders, I often see them underestimate just how fast disruption can hit; and how important their team’s resilience really is. Tom Stray’s journey through COVID wasn’t about luck; it was about smart decisions under intense pressure.

I took away three key insights from our conversation:

1. Maintain supply chain flexibility.

Tom shared how supply chain disruption was their biggest pain point: "That was the real pain point for us; the stock management at that stage."

Most businesses rely on just-in-time supply. But when international borders close, that model collapses.

2. Scaling leadership capacity under pressure.

As Tom said, “Judith went from strength to strength… she’d never done it before, but she found a way.”

Growth exposes gaps in decision-making and leadership readiness faster than most CEOs expect.

3. Prioritise your core customer base.

Tom made a deliberate choice: “We made a pretty big decision to say, well, we’re not gonna supply anyone outside our current customer base unless we had the stock.”

When demand outstrips supply, it’s tempting to chase new revenue. But that can undermine trust and long-term value.

If you found this conversation valuable, please Subscribe / Follow, leave a comment, and share this episode with your peer business leaders. Your support helps us reach more CEOs who want to improve organisation performance and value.

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Final Thought:

How resilient is your business, really? Are you building in safety nets, or hoping for calm seas?

Other Related #CriticalFewActions™ Podcast Episodes:

• (EP 35) Jayston Small – Riskfacta: From Oil Rigs to Gin Risks: The Real Threats Facing SMEs Today https://www.criticalfewactions.com.au/podcast/jayston-small-riskfacta
• (EP 4) From Vision to Reality – 4 Steps to Craft a Winning Strategic Plan with John Downes https://www.criticalfewactions.com.au/podcast/crafting-your-strategic-plan-in-4-steps-with-john-downes-cfa004

#CriticalFewActions #CEOMasterclass #SupplyChainResilience #LeadershipDevelopment #AustralianManufacturing #SmallBusinessGrowth #CustomerPrioritisation #RiskManagement #ScalingYourBusiness #StrategicPlanning