Scott Fish has built a name for himself through hard work and dedication, which he jokingly calls an “overnight success,” even though his company, Tri-Win Direct, has been in business for 26 years.
After growing up in Oklahoma and graduating from Oklahoma University, he worked for a technology company in North Dallas, but he did not feel that it challenged him.
Fish also volunteered with his church at James Madison High School in South Dallas and eventually went full-time for five years. He said he loved working with children, and it was a great time in his life.
One thing that Fish knew was that he always wanted to start a business. After getting married, the pressure was on him to put his plans into action before he and his wife started a family.
His wife, a physical therapist, was able to support the couple while he began working on his dreams.
“One of the volunteers at the organization I was working for had an ad agency, and he suggested that I start a printing and mailing company,” said Fish during an interview with The Dallas Express. “I didn’t know anything about it, but I started out of my apartment just trying to figure it out.”
“We had a label printer and a computer, so I would print labels and put them on by hand on the projects that he had,” said Fish.
Scott Fish founded Tri-Win Direct, a bulk direct mailing and printing service in 1996. Tri-Win took off and he was able to move into an office space on Exposition Avenue in Dallas in 1997.
The company specializes in mailing services, such as postcards, letters, and statement mailers, that help U.S. businesses reach their target audiences.
In building his business from the ground up, Fish purchased equipment little by little as Tri-Win grew after being denied a business loan.
“It put me in a really good practice since I had to pay for equipment in cash instead of taking the loans out,” he said. “So that’s a practice 26 years later that I still utilize. I just installed a new $1.8 million printer that I just paid cash for.”
Tri-Win’s business is booming so much that they moved to a 56,000-foot facility in 2013 and are now sending out one million pieces of mail daily.
In the first full month after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the company experienced a lull. Still, as more people decided to stay home, it presented the opportunity for more direct mail to be sent out to residences. “We’re seeing a growth. We’re seeing more people do mailings,” he said.
“However, there have been some challenges, such as supply chain issues,” said Fish. “When we have to get paper, and there is a shortage, we have to get our supply from different areas of the country and other countries.”
He added, “And the same for parts for our equipment, we’ve had to stock up on parts for our equipment in case we have a problem with a part not working.”
With business continuing to increase, Fish is hopeful that the marketing industry will change for the better and become more customized.
“The future of marketing will likely be personalization,” he said. “We’re all tired of being a number and receiving a mass amount of emails and direct mail. [Generic mail] is tiresome and not very effective.”
As for Fish’s advice to individuals striving to become business owners, he said to “start your business earlier than later. That would be my advice.” He continued, saying, “Also, always do what you say you’re going to do. That’s something we live by here [at Tri-Win Direct]. It’s really important.”
