Reagan Johnson, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship double major, is the founder of Devoted Ministry, a faith-based brand designed to help college-age women deepen their relationship with the Lord.
What is the story of your business? How did it start?
Devoted started out of a desire to help high school and college-age girls grow in wisdom and deepen their faith. I originally started doing this by talking about the Lord more frequently on my YouTube channel that I had been posting on for the past couple of years. That desire grew deeper, though, and throughout the end of sophomore year, I was full of ideas, and the Lord made it clear he wanted me to take a step forward and actually start something. So over summer break, I wrote digital devotionals and then began creating physical products and investing money into inventory once I built my website and had established a social media.
What has been the most challenging part of launching your business? How did you overcome this?
Growing awareness for my business has been the hardest part. I always want to write more Bible studies and create more products, but it is hard to invest the money if I’m not generating revenue from sales of my current products. I haven’t fully cracked the code on this, as brand awareness takes time to develop, but both consistently and strategically posting multiple times a day on multiple media platforms has been a step forward for me.
What is the goal behind your entrepreneurial pursuits? What do you envision for your business?
I would love to continue growing Devoted after I graduate and eventually make it my full-time job. Combining the creativity and excitement of developing new products and shipping them out across the country, meeting girls where they're at, and helping them live a life all in for the Lord is something I will always be passionate about. I hope to eventually get my products in stores and develop communities throughout high school and college ministries through brand ambassadors.
Does your business have a social mission or purpose? If so, explain how your business is redemptive in a Christlike manner?
Devoted is fully rooted in the idea of helping girls live a life all in for the Lord. This is done by providing Bible studies that push them to think deeply about what Scripture says and how it affects their lives, as well as other products that help them walk in remembrance of the Lord daily. It’s important to me that these girls learn to delight in a close relationship with the Lord and don’t see reading their Bibles as just another item on their to-do lists.
How do you see your company having an impact on the Samford and/or Birmingham communities?
I have been fortunate enough to sell my products at Samford through sorority and SGA events. It has been so encouraging to get to talk to people who have either used my products or follow my social media. Through deepening their relationship with the Lord, these girls will have an overflow of love and joy from the Lord that will have a great impact on Samford's campus and beyond.
Learn more about Devoted Ministry :
