Domino's managing director Don Meij made the transition from delivery driver to Domino's managing director

DON Meij couldn't have known when he was at uni that it was his job delivering pizzas, rather than his studies, that would set him on the path to success.

Don Meij - Dominos

DOMINO'S managing director Don Meij is the Queensland self-made pizza millionaire who almost wasn't.

He was almost a school teacher.

Two years into a teaching degree at Queensland University of Technology - focusing on visual arts and economics - he decided to change tack.

It was 1989 and Mr Meij had been juggling university and two jobs - one in Coles and the second as a delivery driver for Silvio's Dial-a-Pizza, the Brisbane firm that would go on to become Domino's, one of Australia's biggest pizza companies.

With nine months up his sleeve before he could switch to his preferred business degree, Mr Meij asked Silvio's for a job as store manager, running one of 15 outlets the firm had.

Little did he know he'd love it so much, he'd not only never go back to university but was on a solid path to his first million dollars.

"I had a lot of fun, before I knew it I was a supervisor, national operations manager of Silvio's, and then in 1993 we bought the Domino's brand in Australia," he said.

For two years Silvio's and Domino's were run separately - with Mr Meij as general manager of the latter while the founder of Silvio's ran the first before they decided "it was silly running two pizza brands".

Silvio's merged into Domino's in 1995 and by the following year, Mr Meij took the plunge and bought his first franchise.

"I could see what was going to happen," he said.

"I bought my first store in Morayfield, Caboolture. That store in its first year became the second-busiest store on the planet. Back then there was about 5000 Domino's stores around the world."

Mr Meij, the former vice-captain of Clontarf Beach State High School, had landed his first million dollars.

He went on to rack up 17 stores throughout southeast Queensland in the space of five years.

"That little business (of 17 stores) was turning over roughly $17 million, making a couple of million dollars a year," he said.

His days as a franchisee were numbered though, with the Domino's headquarters keen to get him back in the office.

"The owners of the Domino's business said well Don, you've had a lot of fun, why don't you come back in, be part of the company."

In 2001, Mr Meij's 17 stores and another franchisee's eight were used to buy 20 per cent of the company.

"We used our stores as equity and then a year later we bought another 5 per cent and we became 25 per cent owners of Domino's Pizza Australia."

From there it was a small step to the chief executive job the following year.

Today the firm is the market leader in Australia and New Zealand, France and the Netherlands, and running second in Belgium.

"It's been 26 years so it's not a short time," he said. "I know a lot's happened but I'm very focused, very driven. You set targets, set goals and you go after it. Every now and then you do reflect back but the pizza business keeps you real."

Mr Meij said despite going from a 15-store operation in 1989 to the firm's 1000th store due to open this Christmas, there was still much work to be done.

"I know I'm not as young as I once was but I really do feel young. My mind feels like we've got so much to do," he said.

"This business will go way beyond my lifetime. It's going to be an extremely big global company sitting in Brisbane."

Already he's on the lookout for future leaders.

"The next delivery driver walking in the door could be doing my job in 25 years' time," he said.