Geek of the Week – Brian Goulet

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FPGeeks Geek of the Week Brian Goulet

 

Brian Goulet, husband, father, Co-President of the Goulet Pen Company and Ink Sommelier to the Fountain Pen Community, sits down for a heart-to-heart with Fountain Pen Geeks. Providing his most in-depth interview to-date, Brian amiably shares details of his upbringing, openly lends insight into his decision making process, and happily relates stories from the road that led him to the world of pens, paper and ink. Brian’s gracious nature is both candid and honest. So put your feet up, grab a snack, and prepare to meet an old friend – perhaps for the first time.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:42:39 — 223.4MB)

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Brian Goulet and Family

Meet the Goulets: Rachel, Ellie, Joseph, and Brian

 

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  • http://www.gouletpens.com Brian Goulet

    Thanks for having me on, Eric. I'm honored to be the first 'Geek of the Week'! I know I went on for quite a bit and nearly 3 hours is a lot for anyone to listen to, but it's the most comprehensive start-to-finish story about me and why GouletPens.com is the way that it is. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks!

  • http://monkeyphotomcr.blogspot.com/ John the Monkey

    It is a long interview, granted, but it's fascinating – I really enjoyed the "journey" towards the current Goulet Pen Company, and hearing about Brian's approach to the business.

    It's a great interview too, enough intervention to provide structure, but not so much that Brian can't tell his story.

    Thanks to both FPGeeks and Brian for taking the time to do this!

    • http://www.gouletpens.com Brian Goulet

      Thanks! We didn't plan for it to be so long, but then we didn't plan for it NOT to be so long, either! We just went with it…I like to do things that way sometimes, it was a very natural and inspired conversation.

  • Cryptowolf

    Eric, thank you for the wonderful interview of Brian. Your team always has high sound quality and terrific insights on our hobby.

    Brian, you do so much for the community and I really appreciate you taking the time out of your life to share your insights. I enjoy all the things you do for the hobby. Please keep providing great customer service. The little touches, such as the handwritten invoice notes, make a different.

    • http://www.gouletpens.com Brian Goulet

      Thank you! I'm honored to be a part of this great community, it really is unique from anything I've been involved in before. If we're able to keep up the little touches right now during this time of rather intense personal need, then I'm pretty convinced that we'll be able to keep it going as long as we want. It is hard sometimes to quantify things like handwritten notes, answering emails personally, and posting comments on blogs (like this one!)…I just have faith that it's the right thing to do and that it is paying off for all parties involved. Clearly, it is and I'll continue to put in the extra effort that I'm known to do.

  • Karen

    Thank you to Eric and Brian for the investment of your time in this interview. Brian, you had discussed ink reviews and the inclusion of videos. I have always enjoyed your videos. They are very well done, and have been very instrumental in my fountain pen hobby.

    However, your opinion is valued in the community and your photography is very consistent, as you mentioned. I would much prefer to hear what you have to say about an ink and see your accompanying photos, rather than not have that information at all because it doesn't have an accompanying video. (I'm laughing the "lowering your standards" remark, and, truthfully, I don't think that a review without video would be considered "sub-standard" by any means.)

    I think you may already have a few ink or pen reviews out on your blog site that are not accompanied by video and I have gotten a lot out of them. In the end, I think you know what a majority of your customers are looking for and that you do a very nice job of "kicking the tires" while conveying that information for your readers.

    I hope this feedback is helpful.

    Thanks again to FPGeeks and Brian for your investment in the FP community.

    • http://www.gouletpens.com Brian Goulet

      I really appreciate your feedback, Karen! The ink reviews to me have been a two-year battle of 'lowering my standards'! There is really so much to talk about with each ink, I could easily spend an entire week testing all of the different facets of each ink's properties and posting pictures and videos galore….but that clearly isn't a practical use of time! I am finally finding a method that is a good compromise between being good and valuable information as well as something reasonable for me to produce. Look for much more to come from me in 2012, as you've already seen me posting more!

  • http://lucas-writes.blogspot.com/ Lucas

    Thank you so much for this interview! The Goulet Pen Company is a huge part of why I got into fountain pens, and I have been nothing but happy with their service and product.

    • http://www.gouletpens.com Brian Goulet

      That's wonderful, Lucas! I'm glad we've been able to contribute to your writing enjoyment, that's everything we set out to do.

  • Juan Felipe

    Talking about standards. With this interview you have set the bar way to high.

    I can't imagine what will come next.

    I love what FPGeeks is doing to the hobby. I am so happy it is Tuesday just to hear the new podcast.

    And as for Brian, congratulations your story it is amazing, your model is working perfectly and your (family and team) effort will make the difference.

    The nice thing about Goulet Pens is that the two pens I have on my list and the ink I am looking for are in stock in your store, so you have to be doing something really well about choosing what to stock.

    Any news about the TWSBI italic nib, or should we include it as a planet in Eric's Planetary TWSBI Launch System.

  • Josh Shanks

    Thanks to both Brian and Eric for a great interview. It was long, but at no point did I ever consider fast-forwarding or ending it. I just had to break it up over several drives. :) Great stuff.

  • http://www.soliloquyinblue.com Michelle Smith

    I've spent most of my workday listening to this interview and have enjoyed it very much! I'd already been a fan of the Goulet Pen Company, but now I'll have to make FP Geeks a regular destination as well!

  • http://fpgeeks.com Eric Schneider

    I read the above comments as they came in, but I somehow missed the number of "thanks" that were thrown in my direction. It was my pleasure to play a part in this interview. Believe me, all thanks belong to Brian who took a chance on this crazy new Geek of the Week idea. He didn't even hesitate. He loved the idea immediately and made himself available on very short notice.

    Brian, thank you for the absolutely excellent interview. I really can't wait until we can do it again!

  • Travis Ramsey

    Brian is the best, period. I wouldn't buy ink / paper / his selection of pens – from anyone else if they paid me! Cannot say enough about this guy, his service, and dedication to his passion and product.