Recent Coverage
GotVMail aims to deliver growth with FedEx deal
March 2, 2007
by Lisa van der Pool
Journal Staff
GotVMail Communications LLC, a virtual phone service
provider that caters to small businesses, has more
than 30,000 customers and hopes a marketing deal it
inked last week with FedEx Corp. will continue to
fuel its rapid growth.
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Weston-based GotVMail is a subscription-based phone
service for businesses that have between one and 10
staffers and need a phone system but want to avoid
the expense of purchasing one. GotVMail's service is
remote, so companies don't buy hardware or software,
and it's designed to work with customers' home
phones, cell phones or VoIP. The company has four
data centers across the country that route all
calls. GotVMail's subscription price starts at about
$10 a month and adopts the "pay as you go, pay as
you grow" motto.
In 2003, Siamak Taghaddos founded GotVMail on the
premise that he knew a way for entrepreneurs to save
money. Taghaddos had that extra insight, he says,
because he ran a small company himself. GotVMail is
Taghaddos' second company, and he's only 25 years
old.
"I believe that you're born an entrepreneur," said
Taghaddos, who is GotVMail's CEO.
Bootstrapped from the start, the company says it has
been profitable since its second month of operation.
The 30-person company expects to double its staff in
2007.
Given GotVMail's task of making its name known to
microbusinesses in a market crowded with giant
telecommunications companies such as Verizon
Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), the partnership with
FedEx in Memphis, Tenn., (NYSE: FDX) was especially
appealing. The company's dual marketing partnership
will enable GotVMail customers to get FedEx
discounts and FedEx customers will also get
discounts on GotVMail's services. The deal furthers
one of GotVMail's core strategies, which is to
partner with companies that can add value to small
businesses and also bolster their marketing efforts.
GotVMail also has partnerships with the National
Association of Realtors and Palo Alto Software Inc.
in Eugene, Ore.
"The FedEx partnership means two things. It
demonstrates our continuing effort to give discounts
for services that entrepreneurs use and want to
use," said David Hauser, 24, co-founder and chief
technology officer of GotVMail, who met Taghaddos
when they were at Babson College.
Tana Scouras, president of ConsignWorks Inc., a
four-person consignment and asset resale business
focused on individuals and small businesses, has
used GotVMail's phone system for two years.
The Webster-based business pays $50 per month for a
virtual phone system that enables the business,
whose workers are usually scattered and only
available on cell phones, to funnel all calls
through their cell phones so they don't miss out on
any business.
"Phone systems are expensive, and we're not in the
office so we don't need them," said Scouras. "This
is far and away less expensive."
Lisa van der Pool can be reached at lvanderpool@bizjournals.com
