Meet Morgan Phillips, a creative in the publishing industry who draws inspiration from her love of writing, her children, and her faith to create her business.

Name: Morgan Phillips

Company Name: God Talks With Kids™

Industry: Publishing

Years in Industry: 3 months!

Location: Tulsa, OK

Website: godtalkswithkids.com

Instagram: @godtalkswith.kids

How long have you been in the industry/practicing your craft? I’ve been a writer since I knew how to put a sentence together, but my formal training started with a degree in editorial journalism. I started my career in marketing and public relations, and for the past eight years, I’ve worked for a local publishing company writing and editing stories about Tulsans. God Talks With Kids™ is the first product I’ve self-published; I wrote the content, and my sister-in-law @sadeeschilling, illustrated each card. GTWK merges three of my passions: writing, my children, and my faith.

How did you get started in the industry? GTWK is based on a tool created by my late mother-in-law, Shannon. When her children were in high school, Shannon gave them each a set of index cards secured with a binder ring. The cards held her favorite Scriptures, excerpts from meaningful devotions, and personal notes. Shannon passed away from breast cancer at age 46. All these years since her death, my now-husband has kept and cherished those cards as one of the few remaining connections to his sweet mom. Our oldest daughter was 4 years old when I began using Shannon’s Scripture cards on the way to preschool to talk through biblical truths and combat her blossoming anxiety. However, it was clear some of the concepts were beyond her understanding. Then, God planted an idea. What if I created a similar tool with children in mind? Something that helped children learn answers to the basic questions of our faith: Who is God? And who am I? Shannon’s oldest daughter, Sarah, is a gifted writer/illustrator of children’s books. Considering the product's inspiration, I knew there was no better person to create its artwork. I am so proud to be continuing my mother-in-law’s legacy in some small way. 

What industry changes have you seen since you began? How have you adjusted to those changes along the way? When I launched God Talks With Kids™ on Feb. 1, 2020, I had no idea that a month and a half later, we would be in the midst of a global pandemic that would shut down schools and businesses. In many ways, it was a terrible time to launch a product. However, it turned out to be an excellent time to introduce families to GTWK, a tool that combats fear and anxiety through teaching biblical truths while encouraging quality time between parents and their young children. In an era where we’re all trying to avoid germs, the product is waterproof and washable — a factor I thought at the time would be a nice differentiator in the market, not a convenient weapon against a virus. Because the product is sold through my website and shipped directly to customers, I’ve been able to maintain and grow sales despite the shutdown. Though I didn’t plan to offer free shipping for an extended period, I’ve decided to keep it for the time being while everyone is navigating this crisis. The biggest disappointment business-wise has been the postponement of local events at which I plan to do “pop-up” sales, but we’re looking forward to these happening later this summer and fall.

Are there any mistakes you made early on in your business that you learned from/ what taught you the biggest lesson when you began your business? One lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way is to advocate for my customers, even when it’s uncomfortable and I might be perceived as overly critical or “too high maintenance.” We had printing issues for our first run of products, to the point where I had to return nearly one-third of the inventory to my printer. I just did not feel comfortable selling those copies because they did not meet my quality standards. Though the printer did reprint the copies, he politely declined to work with me for the second run. I’m currently still looking for a new printer, but I have faith God will provide just the right company who can print a consistent product at a reasonable cost.

What advice would you give to another entrepreneur in the creative industry? The best advice I’ve heard recently was from Jeff Martin, fellow Tulsan and the co-founder of @magiccitybooks. He said on a podcast, “You have to have the audacity to ask.” So far I’ve put this into practice by asking other small business owners and local influencers to collaborate, and some of these partnerships have hugely benefited my business.

What was the biggest quantum leap you made in your business? For me, the biggest leap so far has been simply getting started. I’d never developed a product before and did it on my own and with my own financial resources. The idea for God Talks With Kids™ came to me two years ago, and I immediately began work developing content and hired the illustration work. However, I stalled for several months when our family experienced some major personal losses. In addition to managing my grief, juggling a day job and raising two young daughters left me exhausted. In late 2019 I felt healthy enough to pick things back up and launch GTWK. The response to the product and others we’ve rolled out at godtalkswithkids.com has been over and beyond what I could have expected. God is so good.

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