As a young man, Nathan Faulk has had a fascination with guns. Struggles in school and poor decisions in his young adult life led him to working in the oilfields where he matured and began making better life choices. After working in the industry for 20 years, Nathan became dissatisfied with the work. Mentally struggling, he realized it was time to make a career change. His love of guns, always in the back of his mind, led him to explore the idea of owning his own firearms business. He reached out to an old friend who too had left the oil field industry in 2021.
Corey Connally grew up involved in athletics. He played college football at TCU and received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. After college, he worked in the mortgage industry, but felt out of place and unfulfilled. A friend introduced him to the oilfield industry when fracking was making itself known in this area. Connally joined the oilfield workforce eventually working in several different states.
Life in the oil industry for both Faulk and Connally was challenging and demanding, but ultimately not what either of them wanted long-term. “The pay can be really good, but even with a six-figure income, we both wanted something different,” said Faulk.
Connally always wanted to be an entrepreneur. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but when Nathan approached me about this opportunity, I was all in,” said Connally. Prior to this venture, they had looked at potentially going into the trucking business and other opportunities as well, but nothing resonated with either of them. Connally is not as passionate about guns as Faulk but views this venture as a great business opportunity. It doesn’t hurt that they both know people who are into guns and are happy to advise.
Faulk and Connally secured a location in September 2021, following all necessary guidelines and completing all necessary paperwork and the former oil field workers became entrepreneurs. OGUNS DFW Firearms officially opened for business in October 2021. Located in Everman, Texas, their store offers a variety of firearms.
OGUNS is one of only five African American firearms retailers in Texas and based on their research, of those five, is the only one that sells both online and from a brick-and-mortar retail location.
Their customers are both first-time and existing gun owners. When asked who their target client is, they replied simultaneously, “Responsible adults!” Changes in the market has more women now purchasing firearms and the OGUN owners emphasize gun safety and education, especially when children will be in the vicinity of the firearm. The goal of the company is not just to be profitable. They want to engage with their customers, get to know who they are and make sure that each client understands gun safety whether they are an existing or first-time gun owner.
Faulk and Connally both feel they will be successful in their chosen line of business. “The keys to starting our business were knowing and connecting with the right people who could advise and share information with us and stocking enough inventory,” said Faulk. “I would advise anyone wanting to start a business to have a passion for what you want to do,” he said.
Asked about their projections on how soon they believe their business will be successful and profitable, Faulk said they are already trending towards making a profit and don’t expect to miss the income they had from working in the oilfields. “We learned a lot about life and ourselves in the oilfields, and for that we are grateful, but we don’t miss it,” said Connally.
Faulk and Connally are both excited about the challenges of starting and growing a business but have another reason to be thrilled. Both are looking forward to working normal business hours and spending evening with their families – a far different lifestyle from working in the oilfields.
Visit OGUNS DFW Firearms:
311 Thomas Place, Suite B, Everman, TX 76140
https://ogunsfirearms.com/
