This article was written by Madeline G., a marketing communications supervisor.

At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, I started a small business, Paw Yeah Pet Bandanas. Just like many people, I went home to my parents’ house for a little while when things began shutting down and working from home became a requirement. This was the time when masks became a regular wardrobe staple. I borrowed a sewing machine, picked my sewing skills from high school back up, and sewed over one hundred masks to donate.

I had some scrap fabric left over so I made bandanas for everybody in my family who had a dog. We started doing weekly Zoom calls and I loved seeing everybody’s dogs with the bandanas I had made! The business grew from there. It grew out of a very anxious time in everybody’s lives.

Reynolds has given me the ability to balance my full time job with my passion. I was already well into my career when I began this bandana business and I have been able to balance it well. After my hours at work are done for the day, I am still able have a life outside of work, which has enabled me to run this small business. I remember my burnout in college and I have never felt like that with Reynolds.

The community at Reynolds, with my past and current coworkers buying bandanas from me, has meant a lot. They’re not just coworkers, they’re also friends and they will support you in every way. My two jobs, Reynolds and my small bandana business, have brought me joy in different ways. It has really created a happy life for me.