Tell us about your business?
We were established in 1982 by my dad, Neil Llewellyn. Primarily a customs brokerage, we’ve evolved over the years to offer end-to-end international freight forwarding and customs brokerage services. Mum came into the business after my younger sister Amanda started prep, working in accounts and reception. My brother initially joined after finishing university, but it wasn’t for him. Both my sister and I worked in other jobs before eventually finding our way back into the family business.
I was an A-grade electrician before moving overseas for a couple of years. When I came back, I had a few months without work before a project started at my old company, and Dad needed a bit of help – so that’s when I came onboard for a temporary role. It’s been 11 years now.
My sister joined us from recruiting during COVID. She’s now on maternity leave but was a sales team leader and really enjoyed the change of pace and work environment from recruiting. Mum and Dad have both stepped back over the last 12 months, but Dad is still a very experienced licensed customs broker and continues to lodge his entries whenever he’s back in town.
Myself and my sister are now the second generation of family in the business.
We’re in a good period of sustained growth, but what’s important to us is keeping the family values and that small-business feel, even as we continue to grow. Our focus is always on customer service through being accessible and transparent in everything we do.
What sets us apart is being 100% independent and focusing on the customer experience as the priority. We know our clients, how their business works and what’s important to them – and we tailor our service to their needs.
What has been your greatest success?
There was actually a quote I got from an FBA event at Sutton Tools about how family businesses don’t measure success in the short term but often view it generationally. With that in mind, I think our greatest success has been the (relatively) smooth transition from first generation and founder through to the second generation. The more you hear about the difficulties and issues that can occur, the more I appreciate how smoothly and respectfully we handled it, while honouring what came before us.
We’ve had a lot of successes in terms of winning accounts, large projects, awards, etc., but the most important to me has been being able to preserve the family dynamic while going through the transition process.
What do you value about FBA?
We started to recognise the value in clearly identifying ourselves as a family business and embracing it as a huge part of who we are, which naturally led us to the FBA.
The membership base is active, and the FBA is proactive in helping to connect people and create an environment that fosters genuine relationships. The events are well run and always interesting. I’ve personally taken something valuable away from each one I’ve attended – whether it’s a piece of advice, a new connection, or simply a different way of viewing a problem or situation from others in similar positions.
Speaking to members and hearing different stories at these events has had a big impact on how I think about our business and how I articulate what makes us unique when speaking to customers and potential customers.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
Join FBA and become actively involved in the community. There are so many good people who genuinely want to give you their time and advice. It’s a really wonderful and unique community.
Lean into the Family Business tag – post about it, put the logo on your webpage and email signatures. For a long time, we didn’t understand how valuable it is to be a family business until we started listening to feedback from customers and contractors about how much they love working with one.
Be active in the FBA community, attend the events, speak to other members and make real connections.
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