We recently connected with Sophia Wyrick and have shared our conversation below.

Sophia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

In June of 2020, my Uncle Andy suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke that changed his life forever. Due to extreme medical expenses, and the potential need to sell some of his belongings to pay for his therapy, I decided to start a fundraiser selling pet bandanas. On December 6, 2020 I posted a TikTok video explaining what the fundraiser was for and the products that I was selling. A few hours after posting the video, it went VIRAL. Within a few days, we received hundreds of orders for dog and cat bandanas that raised enough money to help Andy with his medical expenses.

After surprising him with the funds, I saw how happy it made him. It brought a smile to his face during a really tough time. That’s when I got the idea to then turn the fundraising idea into a small business that could give him a purpose again. Little did we know what would happen!

Now just over two years later, we’ve sold our products in 13 countries and every state in the US! Andy suffered right sided paralysis so he draws and designs all of our t-shirts left handed after the stroke. He also writes every customer a thank you card which helps him improve his motor skills. He helps to package every order and loves to stay busy with the business.

We’ve also had other huge accomplishments as well: We’ve been featured on multiple news stations, we received a distinguished award for what our business represents from WRTV, we’ve donated a percentage of proceeds to help other stroke survivors, we’ve been featured in magazines and global social media networks, we were on a business competition documentary series, and most importantly it’s given Andy a hope and purpose during his new way of life.

What started as a fundraiser has now turned into a small business with a big mission! It’s amazing what social media can do for the good. We are a living example of that and we’re forever grateful for all of the love and support we’ve received. Throughout stroke recovery, EVERY MOMENT MATTERS.

Sophia , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sophia Wyrick and I am the founder of Alex And Andy. Alex And Andy sells pet products with a purpose! Andy is my Uncle, who suffered a stroke in June of 2020, and Alex was his dog who I fostered throughout Andy’s stroke recovery.

In June of 2020, my Uncle suffered a severe stroke that changed his life forever. After thinking about having to sell some of his hard earned belongings to raise money for his medical care, I came up with the idea to fundraise for him. On December 6, 2020 I posted a video on TikTok selling pet bandanas to help come up with extra funds for his medical expenses. The video went viral and we quickly raised enough money to help with his medical care. After seeing how happy this made Andy, I decided to turn the fundraising idea into a business that could give Andy a purpose again after his stroke.

Alex And Andy sells pet products with a purpose. We specialize in reversible, slide on the collar and tie on dog and cat bandanas. We also sell matching accessories, so the owners can match with their pets. Andy also draws all of our shirts left handed, which is impressive due to him having right sided paralysis and having to learn how to do things left handed. We carry multiple other products as well that we’re very proud of.

Our bandanas are really unique and unlike others on the market. The dog and cat bandanas are reversible, so the customer and their PAWsome pets get two bandanas in one. We also have a unique design in sizes XS-XL so all dogs and cats can strut around with a purpose. Our slide on the collar bandanas are PAWfect for any pet. You simply take the pet’s collar and slide it through the hole in the bandana – so it never gets chewed, torn up, or broken.

Alex And Andy is more than a small business – it’s been a lifeline. We’re different than most companies and that’s what makes us unique. The business was started based on an unconditional love and connection between a human and their pet. What started as a fundraiser has now transpired into so much more. Our business literally gives Andy a purpose again and helps him to take his mind off his current situation. It also inspires other individuals going through difficult times that anything is possible. A popular saying we have on one of our shirts says “Grow Through What You Go Through”. Andy is definitely a testimony of this.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

This is one of my favorite parts about our story! Our business originally started as a fundraiser and truthfully I thought we’d sell no more than 20(ish) bandanas. Boy was I wrong! Here’s the funny thing – I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO SEW and had no sewing machine or experience. To say we had to “Put The It In Grit” is an understatement. After our video first went viral, we sold HUNDREDS of bandanas. My husband, who was my fiancé at the time, was the one who actually taught me how to sew from what he remembered in a high school class years ago. We quickly ran to the store and bought a cheap sewing machine and materials to begin fulfilling the orders.

When we first got started, I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped in quickly and learned the basics of sewing to simply get the orders out that we received. I would sit at the sewing machine for 15 hours a day, 7 days a week sewing hundreds of bandanas a week from multiple videos going viral. Those long days and nights taught me more about myself than I ever knew possible. Throughout all of this, I also had two hip surgeries at the age of 22 while sewing bandanas every single day. I was in more pain that I’d ever been in and knew changes had to be made if I wanted to continue to grow the business.

That’s when I made the decision to look for manufacturing to help assist me in making the bandanas. There was no way I could continue on with the business sewing hundreds of bandanas a week by myself. Thankfully I found a great team who could assist me with production. It took a while to find the right fit – however we’re grateful to have the help! One lesson I learned was to wait for the right team before making a decision. It was important to me to find a team that could produce high quality products in our unique design and style. Now two years later, we’ve produced over 12,000 dog and cat bandanas and we’re continuing to grow! This wouldn’t have been possible without the help!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Our business was built on resilience and still to this day rings true. For starters, Andy suffered right sided paralysis along with a complete loss in the ability to speak. He has had to relearn how to do things left handed and works daily on therapy to help improve his physical and mental strength. He was right handed before the stroke and now has had to learn how to write left handed. He has quite literally had to fight for his life back and every day makes improvements, with a huge thanks to our business giving him a purpose again.

While Andy has worked hard every day after the stroke, I’ve also experienced some difficult times as well. Going through two hip surgeries at the age of 22 was a huge curveball for me. I needed my hip to sew and to produce our products which made pumping out hundreds of orders a week an extremely painful process. How ironic is it that Andy and I went through physical rehab at the same time. In a weird way – I think it was meant to be. That experience gave me an eye opening outlook on life and he continues to inspire me every day.

Another huge event that we experienced was the loss of Alex, Andy’s dog who our business was based on. One day, our world was changed in the blink of an eye. After having to rush Alex to the hospital, we found out he was suffering from severe Gallbladder cancer and tumors that was undetected until the last day he had on this Earth. Letting him go peacefully was the hardest decision we ever had to make, along with losing a huge piece of our business. He was like our business partner and was the world’s greatest bandana model. Losing Alex brought Andy and I closer, although I didn’t think that was even possible.

Throughout this experience of growing a fundraising idea into a business, we’ve experience many trials along with great triumphs. You’re never going to know it all – in fact every day we’re learning new things. What has been the hardest time of Andy’s life has now also turned into a beautiful piece. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of many amazing people who turned into great customers supporting our mission.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alexandandypetbandanas.com/
• Instagram: alexandandypetbandanas
• Facebook: alexandandypetbandanas
• Other: Email: alexandandypetbandanas@gmail.com or info@alexandandypetbandanas.com