Getting the Word Out

recession decimated the corporate-gift-market accounts of the Goulet Pen Company, founder Brian Goulet sought out new ideas—and customers—at a fountain pen show near his Richmond, Virginia, home. “It was a revelation, seeing all these fanatical people in fishing vests with pockets stuffed with fountain pens,” says Goulet, who quickly realized that pen fans represented a community that he’d missed. He wrote a new business plan, going from pen maker to online fountain-pen retailer. He began to participate in online message boards and forums, and also