Rising Stars: Meet Alexandra Sanford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Sanford.

Alexandra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
This is one of those questions that is always hard for me to put into a quick concise response because there are so many twists and turns that brought me to where I am today. My journey is filled with so many leaps of faith, mistakes, and nights spend lighting candles and writing down my intentions and biggest dreams. 

When I graduated USC with a BA in Psychology, I was spit out into a world with barely any job prospects. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that working in that particular niche just wasn’t for me. I had just spent 4 years studying and training for a life I no longer wanted. I was already disappointed in myself for not figuring this out sooner, and I knew I was probably going to disappoint my parents, but realistically, how are you supposed to know at 17 years old exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life? 

I ended up interning at a few different places doing marketing and copywriting, even though I had no experience with it. My favorite motto at the time was “lie & try” and I stuck with that for years and still kind of live by it when trying new things. After some time, I moved to West Hollywood, when I landed my first real adult job doing social media marketing for a luxury vacation rentals company. I viewed it as a steppingstone for whatever was going to come next. I didn’t have a plan at the time, but I knew I wanted more. What that was, I figured I would find along the way. 

I ended up starting my own Digital Marketing Agency and doing social media marketing & photography for a roster of brands and restaurants. After a few years, it was time for my next shift. In 2015, my mom and I started a business together, Twig & Stone. We sell one-of-a-kind + handmade home decor, floral pieces, apothecary items, apparel, and more! It was such a fun journey building this brand up with my mom, and this is a business that I still have today. I lost my mom in February of this year (2024), and I’m blessed to still have this business and continue our legacy together. I feel her spirit around me every day. 

I was still running my Digital Marketing Agency while building up Twig & Stone but doing social media for other people’s brands and some demanding, even verbally abusive, clients was getting old. The slow period that came with the Covid Pandemic shifted me into another direction, which is pretty much how I got to where I am today. 

I’m the type of person who always loves to do multiple things at once. It was also at this time where I really realized that I love doing my own thing and the energy I was spending on building other peoples’ dreams could be better focused on mine! I really hit the ground running with Twig & Stone and also started putting energy into developing my lifestyle and interior brand, Simply Sanford Co., which I run with the help of my incredible husband, David. Simply Sanford Co. has given me the opportunity to share my home and show other people how you can elevate your space little by little and on a budget. I’ve also created design boards and executed a few projects for some clients moving into their new homes. 

I have found my sweet spot in running two businesses that are both mine. I wake up every day grateful for where I’m at. All I ever wanted to do was to create beautiful things and live a soft life. In high school, I, like so many other people, was sold the college dream. We were pushed into lives and loans that we didn’t want. Sometimes, I think how much farther along I might be if I had just skipped college altogether and started my journey as an entrepreneur way back then. At the same time, I know that I was meant to learn and grow along the way. How could I have any regrets knowing that I finally made it? 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it was a smooth road by any means; however, things always seemed to fall into place exactly when I needed them to. When I look back now, I can see clearly how everything had to happen exactly the way it did, even if it felt like things were falling apart at times. 

When I closed my agency and started up Simply Sanford Co., there were a lot of people in my life who, straight up, didn’t get it, and I would say that some of them still don’t get it. I know that taking photos and videos around the house, to the outside eye, looks like it’s easy work, but it does take a certain level of skill, skills that I learned by lying and trying. It wasn’t until I landed my first big partnership with Target that they started taking me seriously. 

In the first 2 years of working on Simply Sanford Co., I really wasn’t landing many partnerships or making much money with it at all. It’s not as easy as it seems to build a brand from the ground up, but I knew that it was possible. I truly felt that if I just kept working at it, it would slowly start to pay off. My husband is, and has always been, my number 1 fan. There was many a night where I would stay up late with anxiety, wondering if my leap of faith was just one huge mistake, and he was always there to reassure me and let me know that he’s got me, no matter what. Sure enough, I started getting seen by the right people, and brands that I already loved started emailing proposals to work with me. 

Am I exactly where I want to be on my success journey? Yes. Could I go farther? Hell yes, and I intend to. 

I’ve learned to be grateful for where I am in the present, knowing that everything I want will find me at just the right time. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I mentioned before, I am the type of person who likes to do multiple things at once. That way when one business is in its slow period, you still have the other to fall back on! 

I own two businesses, Twig & Stone LLC and Simply Sanford Co. 

Twig & Stone is a one-of-a-kind home decor, apothecary, and spiritual adornments shop, I like to describe us as a kind of “witchy” one-stop-shop. I started Twig & Stone with my mom in 2015 and it has kind of just blossomed from there! We are most known for our floral pieces, witch bells, and rainbow makers. We also share easy spells and rituals to help others learn to manifest their dream lives. 

Simply Sanford Co. is an interior + lifestyle brand focused on budget-friendly finds, DIY inspiration, and overall home interior inspiration. I believe that our homes have a huge impact on our mental well-being, and everyone deserves a space where they feel safe and at peace in. There’s so much you can do on a small budget that can really make a difference and I try to share those tips and tricks as often as possible. I always tell people to just focus on one little corner at a time, bring in some easy mood lighting, and you’re halfway there! 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
You absolutely have to take risks, whether you’re an entrepreneur or not. My 20s were just one big risk after another. Throwing my degree away, changing jobs, starting businesses, closing businesses, saying I could do something I didn’t actually know how to do and then googling it later, it’s all part of the journey! 

My mom always told me to not be afraid of jumping without a net, that everything would always fall into place. And for me, it always did. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://twigandstonedesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twigandstone
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/simplysanfordco
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplysanfordco?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc