Founded in 1992 by Jean Paul Tedeschi, Quickmail is a family owned and operated Western Australian communications hub, offering services in fulfilment, distribution, mail and print. Together with their bespoke GetQuickmail.com software platform, Quickmail’s 3PL service stands as a robust fulfillment and distribution solution for e-commerce and other businesses. We spoke with the team at Quickmail to learn more about the family business, how they adapt to the changing market and demands and their advice for other family businesses.
About the Family Business
Quickmail is an established Western Australian mailing house and Third Party Logistics (3PL) business that has been operating since November 1992.
Founded by Jean Paul Tedeschi, Quickmail initially specialised in traditional mailing services such as folding, envelope inserting, and manual mail work. As demand grew, the company invested in advanced machinery, including plastic wrapping machines, large-scale inserting machines, and commercial digital printers, enabling them to handle extensive mailouts with efficiency.
This business model worked well for several years as the need for large scale mailouts and mailing was at its peak. The early 2000s brought significant challenges as the rise of the internet and substantial postage cost increases began to impact the profitability and demand for traditional mailing services. In response, Quickmail's management introduced new services and products, including innovative printing and mailing software platforms, email sending, and warehousing and distribution for Government Departments. However, these efforts initially struggled to sustain the business's profitability.
By 2015, Quickmail faced difficulties due to the downturn in work and existing loans and machinery contracts. This was a hard time for the business as the management struggled to work out the identity of the company.
A pivotal moment came in 2018 when Sophie Stott, Jean Paul's daughter, assumed the role of Managing Director. Sophie decided to pivot the company's focus towards expanding the 3PL warehousing and distribution services, leveraging Quickmail's reputation, skilled staff, warehouse space, and postal contracts to cater to the burgeoning e-commerce sector.
Sophie’s vision entailed developing the GetQuickmail.com platform, attracting quality e-commerce clients, and building a strong, dedicated team.
Today, Quickmail’s 3PL service stands as a robust fulfillment and distribution solution for e-commerce and other businesses. The bespoke GetQuickmail.com software platform, developed in-house, seamlessly integrates with clients’ e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, managing all aspects of order fulfillment from receiving and storing to picking, packing, and distributing orders.
E-commerce businesses partner with Quickmail to enhance their operational efficiency, manage costs, and improve customer service by taking advantage of Quickmails services which include warehousing & storage, Order Fulfilment, Inventory Management, Shipping and Returns Management.
Joining Family Business Association
The family joined FBA to network with like-minded family businesses and hear the amazing stories that members have to share. The use of many advisors in the FBA network also helped during the succession period for the company.
Advice for Other Family Businesses
The family believe that honest and open communication have been pivotal in the successful transition from first generation to the second and recommend that all families prioritise regular discussions and establish clear expectations. Additionally, they emphasise that retiring family members should cultivate interests and pursuits outside of the business to ease the retirement process, ensuring a fulfilling and well-rounded life beyond their professional roles.
Support family business.
