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I feel like I say this every week, but this week has been crazy! We just launched our website last Friday and have been handling a lot of feedback and trying to fix bugs as we can. We’re really excited about it, thought we’re really busy. Much like moving from a cozy, homey apartment to a large, unfurnished house, there are a lot of logistics to work through and we are still ‘unpacking the boxes’ so to speak! We’re also running right into holiday season here, our busiest time of year, and there are so many new pens coming out! It’s very busy and crazy exciting.This week I talk a lot about our new site, the resurgence of fountain pens in recent years, the future of flex nibs and why we never see permanent orange inks!
1) Sherah Epic Yap- Facebook – (17:53)
What do you think are the reasons for modern resurgence and the growing interest in fountain pens, and how can such a movement be sustained?
  • the internet
  • YouTube, blogging, FPN
  • hard to say what the future is, but I’m an optimist


2) Analise A.- Facebook – (22:07)
Any plans on making the wish list feature on the website shareable?

  • that is something that the new site will get us, just not yet
  • on the roadmap!

3) Mikey M.- Facebook – (23:15)
Why is the goulet pen company so awesome?

  • just look at our values
  • bottom line, we CARE.

 

4) Ben C.- Facebook – (26:35)
Hey Brian! First, thanks for the tips on starting a business. I am reading The E-Myth Revisited and find it very insightful! I do have a very quick question though. I want to get my doctoral advisor a gift for helping me earn my degree; he really likes the weight of my platinum preppy, but I wanted something with a more executive look. Any suggestions? Thanks again!



5) Matthew B.- Facebook – (29:53)
What do you think about the possible increase of flexible nibs in the fountain pen market, Noodlers seems to have started a revival and now it seems Stipula and Wahl-Eversharp and others are marketing nibs with some flex. Do you think this will be a growing trend?

  • I hope so!
  • this was Nathan’s goal, and it’s working

 

6) Aaron D.- Facebook – (36:47)
You asked a while ago what we thought if you started carrying more Waterman pens. Are you still looking into carrying Waterman.

  • I’m certainly open to it
  • lots of new products right now, plus the website, very ‘noisy’
  • what would you want me to carry?

 

7) Pamela H.- Facebook – (39:10)
Why aren’t there any orange permanent inks? Chemically impossible? I’d love a water proof orange ink!

 

8) Gordon English – Facebook – (40:53) 
Will you be doing a Conklin review soon now that you carry them? What is the eta for the Durograph?

  • I plan to, but we don’t have the green one yet and won’t for several weeks
  • I’ll wait until I have all 3 colors then review it
  • eta is right now, they’re available (though they do sometimes disappear from the site, bug)

 

9) Vincent Tang- Facebook – (42:52)
Kind of a specific question, but I recently got a Midori traveler’s notebook and the leather seems to feel a little more.. plasticky than I anticipated. Is it normal for the leather to have very fine dimples on it? And will it loosen up with time?

  • that’s because of the tanning, it’ll feel better over time
  • it’ll loosen up, get more character
  • not sure what dimples are
Thanks so much for spending time with me this week, I really appreciate it. Thanks so much for continuing to ask questions, and I’m sorry to all those whose questions I couldn’t answer today. Be sure to check here if you have any old Q&A’s that you missed. Have a great rest of the week!QOTW: Tell me about a recent major milestone (5 years or more) that you’ve hit in your life.


Write On,
Brian Goulet