Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Doug Murphy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Doug, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

In the end, everything comes down to money. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a school, other than life, but that being said, the educational system does not spend any time educating about how to handle and manage money as a mandatory piece of the curriculum. This is crucial in a couple of ways, one being time. Time is a large component to achieving the financial stability people desire through learning about compound interest early on. The trickle down effect of this strategy could change the world. Sounds like a big statement but the presumed outcome has this potential. Another is mental health, statistically money is one of the top 5 causes of divorce and suicide. Can you imagine a world where a slight shift in the education of finances to our youth could help keep a marriage alive and suicide rates down? The consequence or rather the benefit for a company keeping people in the dark about money is the medication prescribed to manage depression and anxiety and “help” people, would be profits from the money made. A problem was created, i.e. not educating people about money leads to a profitable solution from companies like offering medication to cure the problem they helped create. You’ve probably heard this before but it’s just one mans perspective on how the educational system can financially prepare students for a more fulfilling and healthy life.

Doug, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Doug Murphy the owner of Plasticgod art and toys. We design and manufacture limited edition collectible vinyl and plastic toys based on pop culture icons. Our slogan is “Icons That Pop!” The journey that started in 2000 was with pop culture icons depicted as plastic minifigures as 2D illustrations printed on canvas blocks long before the iPhone, Emojis, Funko Pop, NFTs. A summary of that journey can be read on the “About” page of our website. https://plasticgod.com/pages/about This organically led to taking what was made in 2D to 3D with our focus on licensed vinyl figures. Our brand is artist owned and created, so every design is from the mind of the artist, with the passion and enthusiasm of the artist who happens to be me. I personally get really excited about the next project and hope everyone else enjoys what we put out.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We use our own platform and would only consider 3rd party sellers as a way to extend our reach but never as the main outlet. It’s simple logic really, a 3rd party aka a middleman, takes a cut, you always want to cut out the middleman to increase profitability as best you can.

Any advice for managing a team?

You have to be the example for others to follow. If you come into work authentically excited about the project, this is going to rub off on the atmosphere and psyche of your employees. Include everyone in the process and let them have a voice, let them know they are valued. You want to create an environment where it’s a joy to come into work or work from home to excel.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plasticgod.com
• Instagram: plasticgodofficial
• Facebook: plasticgodofficial
• Twitter: plasticgod