We Speak To Local, Fiona McLachlan About Her New Business Venture Operating From The Southern Highlands
Remember the famous saying, “I liked it so much, I bought the company.”
Well, that’s kind of what happened when Bowral local, Fiona McLachlan heard that online card and gift delivery business Thankly was up for sale.
And now she’s the owner of a gorgeous business based in the Highlands.
“It certainly wasn’t part of my life plan but here I am loving every moment of running Thankly,” laughs Fiona.
Let’s hear more about Fiona and the lovely concept behind Thankly – you’ll get the warm and fuzzies, for sure.
Okay, let’s start with how you ended up as the new owner of Thankly!
A friend of mine had been running the company for the last few years. She’s having a baby and wanted a change.
I’d always loved Thankly. I thought it was such a great initiative, had a wonderful product offering and lovely brand values.
Plus, it really met a need. It’s hard to find unique gifts with lovely packaging and beautifully handwritten notes.
People don’t have a lot of time these days and Thankly gives busy people a way to still send unique gifts and handwritten notes for any occasion.
So you bought the company!
So I bought the company!
Did you ever imagine you’d be running an online business in the Southern Highlands?
Not at all! I grew up in the outback before moving to Sydney where I worked as an IT consultant for twenty years.
I met my partner, Craig and he’s from Robertson. I decided to leave the corporate world and moved to the Highlands to be with Craig.
Back then, there weren’t really opportunities to work from home in that industry, so I had a career change working as a disability carer here before this opportunity came up with Thankly.
That led me to another career change!
What was it about Thankly that gave you the confidence to buy the business and bring it to the Southern Highlands?
The previous owner, Holly, is a friend of mine and she sent me a gift [when she still owned Thankly] to say thank you for something I had done for her.
The packaging was just so beautiful and made a significant impact on me.
It was so special to receive not only a unique gift, but to have it boxed up with such care and a handwritten note with it. Little things like that make such a big difference.
Because I’d had such a positive experience with Thankly as somebody who received a gift, I was really keen to continue that notion of paying it forward and encouraging kindness and gratitude in what has become a bit of a crazy world!
And all products are Australian, aren’t they?
Yes, and that’s very important to us at Thankly. We have a lot of regional suppliers and female-owned businesses we work with.
And I’m very keen to bring more local Highlands suppliers and creators on board moving forward.
Actually, many of our customers are Australians who live overseas and prefer to source and send Australian made and produced gifts to friends and family at home, so they use Thankly.
You also offer a corporate gifting service too?
That’s right.
Holly, the previous owner, still works with us. She’s a dedicated corporate consultant so works with all sorts of companies and businesses – real estate agencies, law firms, recruitment companies and more – who want to send something special to their clients or staff, either for a special occasion like Christmas or just to say thank you or congratulations!
Holly will put together a presentation with some bespoke basket, hamper or gift options for them and then we make it happen.
We love how you make it happen. Tell The Fold readers how you guys do that.
Holly’s family and my family set up a production line in the garage or kitchen and away we go.
Whoever can write nicely does the handwritten cards and anyone who can’t, packs the boxes!
It really is a local, family-run business. We love what we do and have a ball putting the gifts together.
So if a local business is looking to send Christmas hampers to clients or thank you gifts to their staff after what can only be described as a pretty crappy year, they should get in touch with Thankly?
Definitely. We’d love to have the opportunity to create something special for local Highlands businesses.
Cool! So, what’s next for Thankly? What are your plans for the next few years?
We have such lovely gifts from all across Australia so I’d like to build on that and add to the variety of gifts we offer by including as many regional and Southern Highlands suppliers as we can.
That way locals can support their friends’ businesses, local families and regional communities by buying something unique on Thankly for someone special in their lives.
Employing local is very important to us too. We have a wonderful girl in Moss Vale managing our social media at the moment and want to employ more locals as we grow.
And it’s easy to order online, isn’t it?
It’s very easy. Just head to the Thankly website, choose a gift, personalise it with a special message that we’ll handwrite onto a card and then we deliver it!
We’re planning to offer same day delivery in the Highlands, so keep an eye out for that. That’s a benefit of having Thankly based in Bowral – we can jump in the car and deliver the gift ourselves. Locals don’t have to get caught up in the postal and delivery delays the pandemic has caused.
That’s great for any last-minute gifts you need to sort out or if you’re wanting to send a thank you to someone as soon as possible.
You’ve been here over ten years now, Fiona. What do you love about living and working in the Southern Highlands?
I was actually born in Broken Hill, would you believe? Although I left there when I was young, I went back for school holidays for many years.
I always knew I’d end up living back in a regional area. I just love the countryside and the red dirt of Robbo reminds me of the red dirt of Broken Hill.
The community here is so considerate and kind, and it’s definitely a more relaxed way of living.
I had a friend who moved here about 15 years ago and I’d come and visit her and wander around saying to anyone who would listen, “I really want to live here.”
And now you do!
Yep! I guess if you say it enough, it will end up happening!
And you’ve got a wonderful offer for The Fold readers…..
Yes, I’d like to celebrate this new chapter with Thankly with your lovely readers by offering them a 10% discount on anything they order on Thankly.
All they have to do is enter the discount code Fold10 when they complete an online order.
It’s a great time of year to organise something for teachers or colleagues or friends and family that have helped out throughout a very challenging year!
Hopefully they’ll love our gifts and cards as much as we do.
Thanks Fiona – we love it!!
Thankly sends handwritten cards and gifts on your behalf for everyday occasions – saying thanks and showing gratitude the old-fashioned way! All gifts are beautifully boxed with a ribbon and a card.
Fiona and the Thankly team believe showing appreciation shouldn’t be time-consuming, costly, or just too hard.
Up your gifting game by heading to the Thankly website and find something unique for that special someone. They’ll totally love it!
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