We had the good fortune of connecting with Cory Fourniquet and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Cory, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have dreamed of owning and running my own business since I was 9 years old. I used to “keep the books” of an imaginary business right there in my bedroom. Naturally, when it came time to go to college, I gravitated towards business classes and majored in Management. After spending over a decade as an analyst for a regional grocery store chain, I felt the time was right to make my dream a reality. With the help and blessing of my wife, some blood sweat, and tears, and many late hours my dream of being my one boss became a reality.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Whew, that is a tough one as I do so much. The core of what I create are video reviews and highlights of modern vehicles. It is a little odd to think of myself as a creative after spending 12 years as a corporate analyst. However, most of what I do is related to the content I create for the internet. Whether it be writing, photography, or videos, my audience has come to count on me to bring to life the newest vehicles in the automotive world in a time when they cannot pop into a dealership to see them for themselves. It is a very strange time in the auto industry with vehicle shortages, so my approach is to show off what I would want to see if I were shopping in the market right now. We have started, as of January 2022, showing off vehicles from a new point of view as well. Each week we post a review of the vehicle from my “Gear Head” point of view as well as a video with my wife’s “Female Consumer” point of view. The dichotomy of our process has really set us apart as I feel we give a wholistic view of every vehicle we test. This has not come without challenges. I am a full-time automotive journalist, but bringing in my wife to drive each car during the week we have it, while she juggles her full-time career and motherhood has been interesting at times. Many of our family reviews feature a glimpse into our real life as our four-year-old son rides in the back seat and sometimes shares more than is asked for.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of the great things about creating content focused on cars is that I have to drive them places. Especially early on in my channel, I tried to show off some of my favorite spots around Tyler, Texas. However, as the channel grows, we have had to focus more on the cars. This does not stop our appreciation of the city in which we live. We love local places like Don Juan’s on the Square for tacos, The Grove for a weekend brunch, and Stanley’s for some authentic Texas BBQ. Given we take a family approach to everything we do, we would also visit some of the over 20 city parks for our kid to play. If the adults need some time to just enjoy the beautiful weather outside the Caldwell Zoo or Tyler Rose Garden are both excellent places to get in some steps while staying outside. We find ourselves at the Zoo at least twice a month.
One of my favorite perks of the city are our miles of trails for walking, running, or bike riding.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, without a doubt! She deserves the biggest shoutout of all. It is not everyday your spouse comes to you saying they have an idea to quit their career of over a decade to post videos on the internet. Without Holli, GT: Garage Talk would not exist. It is not only because of her income which kept our family afloat during the early stages of our company, but her encouragement kept me moving forward when I needed it most. Add on top of that, she is now an integral part of our channel, reviewing each vehicle we are loaned to give her perspective on each. Somehow through it all, she has maintained her sanity while being along for this crazy ride of starting a business from the ground up. I am forever grateful she has partnered along side me for this journey because it would not have happened any other way.
Website: GTGarageTalk.com
Instagram: instagram.com/GTGarageTalk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-fourniquet-b126a4150/
Twitter: twitter.com/GTGarageTalk
Facebook: Facebook.com/GTGarageTalk
Youtube: YouTube.com/GTGarageTalk