We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophia Wyrick . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophia below.
Hi Sophia , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Throughout my life, I’ve always been one to want to help others. It’s deep within my nature and who I am to my core. As I transitioned from high school to college, I knew I wanted a career that would help others while providing meaningful memories and moments in someone’s life. I always said I wanted to have a job that gave a sense of purpose to someone, while giving them a voice when they felt like they didn’t have one. It’s ironic that I’m now doing exactly that.
When Uncle Andy had a severe stroke in June of 2020, I truly knew he would need a purpose and something to keep pushing him forward throughout his new journey in life. Prior to his stroke, he was a very driven individual who stayed busy, loved to work around his house, helped others, and was passionate about his job. Andy was the type of person who needed to have a purpose to keep going and needed to stay busy.
After speaking with his sister about having to possibly sell some of his belongings to pay for his medical care about his stroke, the idea came to me to start a fundraiser called “Alex And Andy” – named after Andy and his dog Alex, who I was fostering while Andy was recovering. I wanted to sell pet bandanas to raise money for Andy’s expensive therapy and medical needs. It took off, went viral, and we raised money to help with those expenses.
Once I told Andy about the fundraiser, I saw a glimpse of hope in his eyes. It gave him some excitement and joy, which is when we decided to turn the fundraiser eventually into a small business to keep him active!
I think I found my purpose because it was based on a deep connection and love I have for my Uncle. I wanted to help him in anyway I could…and here we are now.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Alex And Andy originally started as a fundraiser for my Uncle Andy, who suffered a severe stroke in June of 2020. Alex And Andy is named after Andy and his dog Alex, who I fostered when Andy was recovering from his stroke. The fundraising idea came about after having a hard conversation about potentially having to sell some of Andy’s hard earned belongings to pay for his therapy and medical needs after his stroke. I didn’t want that to happen so I dug deep into ideas that could help him during this time. That’s how Alex And Andy started.
After posting a video on TikTok explaining Andy’s story and selling pet bandanas to raise money for his care, it took off and instantly went viral. We sold a lot of pet bandanas and raised money to help offset expenses Andy endured for his medical needs. After telling him about the fundraising idea and giving him the funds (which was a surprise), we both decided to take it a step further and create a small business out of the idea that could keep him busy during his long days of recovery.
Now three years later, Alex And Andy has taken off more than we could’ve ever imagined. Andy LOVES our business and has such a deep passion for what we do. He works so hard everyday and it brings me such joy to see him engaged and interested in what we’ve created.
We specialize in reversible pet bandanas, shirts drawn left handed by Andy (after suffering right sided paralysis), and other pet themed products for all of our dog and cat lovers out there! We’ve created such a huge community on TikTok and other social media platforms where everyone is welcome and loved. The business and story has gone globally – reaching over 18 countries and being sold in every state in the US.
Uncle Andy’s story and resilience has truly touched the hearts and homes of hundreds of thousands of people across the world.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the most important piece that started all of this was having such a deep connection and passion for someone/something that I loved. When you’re determined to make something happen, you’ll do anything you can to make that goal or dream achievable and attainable. Although our journey is slightly different in how we got started with our business, it all goes back to how driven I was to help Uncle Andy during such a hard time in his life. I think the first skill or quality would be passion – if you believe in it enough – you CAN achieve it.
Another quality that I think is important is to have grit. We had a saying in the beginning called “Put The IT in GRIT”. If you want something bad enough, you’ll do anything you can to make your dream or goal a reality. During the beginning stages of Alex And Andy, I worked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, for MONTHS. I put everything I had, physically and mentally, into growing this idea so it could give Andy a purpose and be something that he could rely on. That hard work has gotten us to where we are today.
The third thing that has been impactful in our journey is the profound community of support Andy and I both have. This journey has been really hard but very worth it. Andy is going on four years of his stroke recovery and we are three years into our business. There have been very long nights and days (both personally and professionally). Having a community of support to rely on, whether that be a family member, friend, co-worker, stranger, etc. is so important during your time of achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
From my (Sophie’s) point of view –
Without a doubt, this journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my husband, Blake. From the very beginning, he has been my rock. After the idea of Alex And Andy took off, he was there from day one to support Andy and I.
*Fun fact – my husband was actually the person who taught me how to sew our pet bandanas. We sat at the kitchen table and he taught me the basics of sewing from what he remembered in a class from high school. I still remember that day and it is a moment I will cherish forever.
Without his support, I truly don’t think we would be where we are today with our business. He encouraged me to pursue my passion in this endeavor and to leave my prior full-time job so I could focus on helping Andy and building this business. He has stayed up with me throughout many long nights and early mornings helping with whatever is needed for the business and never saying no to any favor I’ve needed. There have been many tough times throughout the past three years of growing Alex And Andy where I felt like I couldn’t continue on. Growing a business has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. There are many things that go on behind the scenes with entrepreneurship that people don’t see and I am just so grateful my husband has had my back from the beginning.
My husband has been our biggest cheerleader and there are no words to express how blessed and grateful I am to have someone who believes in me and loves me so much, as well as loving Andy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alexandandypetbandanas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandandypetbandanas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandandypetbandanas
- Other: TikTok: @sophiarae98
