Editing The Pen Addict 661/transcript (section)

== Community Support and Job Opportunities ==

* No, at the... When it got out, you know, everybody was here. I was wondering about, you know, the fact that I was unemployed. And that included folks that wanted to talk to me about jobs. So as soon as, you know, the community heard about it, you know, the companies heard about it as well. So at that point, I had a pretty good feeling that I was going to, A, have the opportunity. And B, I was 100% committed to staying in the industry. Because what kind of a fool gets this sort of outpouring and then leaves this community? Like, I'd have to be an idiot. Like, there's no way. So no matter what, come hell or high water, I was staying in this community and continuing to serve these folks that lifted me up in a way that I will never experience again the rest of my life. And that in a way that most people live and die without experiencing. Like, hell, I'm going to leave that. So I was fully committed at that point to staying in the industry. And I was pretty sure that I'd get an employment opportunity. So I knew that at some point, I would be behind the camera, again, talking about pens professionally. So I was like, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, in order for me to maintain sincere and genuine excitement for these products, I can't be doing content about pens on the weekends and throughout the work week. Like, that's just, you're going to, I don't care how much you love something, you're going to run dry. So, and of course, I have a ton of other hobbies too. So I have no shortage of things to get nerdy about. So I basically just said, you know what, I'm going to, we'll do that professionally and we'll do other crap recreationally. Love it. Love it. It's, yeah, it's a perfect setup, honestly. It's ideal. And I'm not just saying that because I don't want you to take my job from me. Oh, right. I'm not organized if I don't have my stuff together near enough to even hold a candle to you, Brad. I'm just joking. I'm just joking. All right. Well, let's talk about this next phase because you eventually got a job. But first, before we do that, I have a job to do. And that is to read this ad from our wonderful friends over at Kenro Industries. So this episode of The Pen Antic is brought to you by Esther Brook. If you're looking for a pen and accessory set that's playful, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted for everyday use, look no further than Esther Brook. Esther Brook relaunched in 2018, breathing a whole new life into an already iconic American writing brand. Since the relaunch, Esther Brook have focused on beautifully crafted products that blend heritage with modern storytelling. And they're known for creative materials, creative packaging, and meaningful collaborations that speak directly to writers, journalers, and pen lovers. As I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, their newest launch is a collaboration with Helen of The Coffee Monsters Co. Helen is known for her whimsical illustrations and global journaling community. For this collaboration, Esther Brook and Helen of The Coffee Monsters Co. have created a special edition Estee fountain pen. It's presented in a cafe latte-inspired resin, which I think is beautiful and exclusive to this release. It also has a custom blended grip and ring section for tonal and textural touch, unique to this edition. And this pen includes a specially engraved emoti nib, also designed just for this collection. It's packaged in a beautiful box featuring exclusive artwork and a sticker sheet designed by Helen herself. So I've had this pen for, I don't know, going on a month now. Not only do I love the pen, I love all the accessories that came with it. I use the stickers that came with that shipped in the pen box. I'm literally using the blotter paper as we speak in writing my notes for this episode. So not only do I love the pen, I just love Helen's design aesthetic. So you can also grab some of these other items that complement your new Estee perfectly. Like I mentioned, the coordinating ink, the Coffee Monsters Co. ink. It's a warm brown blend, perfect for the pen. Or how about a set of blotter papers to round out your writing experience? All designed with Helen's art and everyday journaling in mind. This special Estee pen will be available to begin buying April 9th, which is past us now. It's available. Just go to estabrookpens.com to get yours. That is estabrookpens.com to grab your special edition Coffee Monsters Co. pen.
* Our thanks to Estabrook for their support of this show and all of Relay. That reminds me, I need to go buy the ink. I don't have the ink yet. I have a brown ink thing, Drew. I didn't think I would ever be into brown inks. Now we're talking. Yeah, we're, hmm. Well, I guess, gosh, that makes sense, given your name. Are you a brown ink person? I mean, I am. I have two brown inks that are new that I haven't even inked up yet. I got one at Jenny Bick in D.C. It was my first dominant industry ink, and I cannot remember what it was. But it's a nice earthy brown, and I am excited to try it. And then I got a Colorverse 50 States ink. It's like the Montana ink, I think. And that's a brown, and I want to use that too. So I don't know. I'm behind on my browns. I know. I know. That's been like a year or more thing. Brown and burnt orange. Like two colors I never really got into. And those are my shades now I use them. Ooh, burnt orange. Yeah. I like that. I mean, I'm literally wearing an orange hoodie as we're talking today. But it's like bright orange. Like I was always into bright oranges. Yeah. And just like really colorful oranges. And now I'm into like browns. Yeah. I'm down with some browns. Yeah. Let's do it. All right. So at what point did Right Side Holdings, aka Retro 51, for all of you that don't know, there's essentially now a holding company called Right Side Holdings that owns Retro 51. And they had bought Farnie's Pens. I really don't know how those played out. But how did they first get in contact with you? And what were those conversations like? Yeah. Well, first of all, it is kind of confusing, the whole Retro Right Side thing. So Right Side Holdings owns Retro 51. And they also own a distributing company. And they also own Farnie's Pens now. So that's like the big dogs. But Farnie's isn't not directly owned by Retro 51. Right. But yeah, Jeff from Right Side reached out to me. I had met Jeff a few times at a couple different pen shows. And he called me and said that he was looking to acquire a company and wanted to know if I might be interested in being in it.
* And would I sign an NDA? I was like, oh, OK. Sounds serious.
* So I did. I was like, yeah, sure. Tell me about it. I thought he was going to be like, you know, hey, we've got this new pen brand that was dead in the 80s. And we're going to revive it. And we'd like for you to make videos about it all day, every day. So I was expecting a brand that he bought, not a physical store in D.C. So when he said it's Farnie's Pens, I was like, wait, like Farnie's Pens, the store? Because that's like not what I thought. I was very shocked. And when he later was like, yeah, I just need somebody to more or less run it. I'm like, hang on. That's not what that I'm not that. I what? So, yeah, it was a shock, like big time. Obviously, I didn't even know it was for sale. Technically, it wasn't for sale. Like they, Farnie's never opened it up. It was just, it was, they directly approached Right Side about the opportunity. So no wonder, you know, no one knew about it. Yeah. So yeah, I was taken back. It was an opportunity that I did not think would be a possibility for sure. Was the conversation early on, even though maybe they, when you're, they're having these conversations, they haven't officially bought Farnie's yet, but it was, you know, in the works was the conversation with you that you would essentially have free reign. This would be, you know, your store to put, you know, your stamp on and, you know, obviously there's, you know, guardrails and guidelines and budgets and all that stuff. But were you given like an, an open concept, if you will, to come in and make this yours?
* Um, in a way, I, I think that they knew that it needed to be adapted and the previous owners also knew that it needed to be adapted. They had taken it as far as they could take it and they weren't able to just kind of like break through the barrier of, you know, 21st century relevance. And that's a big part of why they were looking to pass it along. And a big part of why Jeff and, you know, Adam and Joe at right side wanted to involve me. They felt like I would be a good person to help facilitate that adaptation, if you will. Um, and they knew that I, you know, more or less had a good head on my shoulders. They, we had met and they talked about that. We talked at length and realized that our values were pretty symmetrical and that, you know, we both wanted the same things and felt that businesses should kind of be, we both agreed on just kind of like general business ethics and practices and stuff like that. So once they knew that I was more or less in line with them and they, I think they already knew that. Um, again, like I, if you, I think folks mostly know me, I don't, I bet I don't cost as much on videos and stuff like that. But other than that, I am, I am me. I don't, I don't have a different version of me that I put out there. So honestly, if you think you know me, you probably do. So there wasn't really any surprises there, but, uh, they felt like I would be the right person to steer the ship. You know, I can't do everything. I'm certainly, I'm more of a jack of all trades sort of person, but I know how to identify broken things. And I know at least the path they need to be put on to make them better. Even if I cannot directly fix everything and make everything better, I can, you know, more or less find the right way to get the ball rolling.