Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Price.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started Sophos Survival as a dream in 2015. I was working multiple other jobs at the time, and I really wanted to create a company where I could live my passion. I grew up in Springville, UT with the Wasatch Mountains as my playground. I have always loved the outdoors, emergency preparedness, and survival gear, so I decided to start a company that included those elements.
At that point and until Jan 1, 2020, Sophos Survival was a side-gig. I didn’t know how to start my own business or build a website, but I dove in and figured it out (with the help of a lot of youtube videos). Over the years, the itch to run with my survival business full-time got stronger and stronger. During the summer of 2019, I convinced my wife Laurie to let me dive in and do it. I quit my other jobs and started working on it full-time on New Year’s Day, 2020.
Things quickly developed, I opened my retail store on the main street in Spanish Fork shortly thereafter, and here we are, two and a half years later, growing and having a blast!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We opened our retail doors right when Covid was shutting everyone else down. I didn’t ask permission, I just felt we were one of those “essential businesses” and signed a lease. Covid (among other crazy events such as the earthquake in Magna, an election year, civil unrest & rioting, water boil-alerts, etc) has been both good for us, and has created many hurdles. Product availability, materials and product cost increases, transportation cost increases, supply chain interuptions, increased interest rates, inflation, and other factors have made it challenging to keep our high-quality products on the shelves. In order to keep products in stock, we’ve had to take leaps and risks to forecast product demand and order products far enough in advance to meet those needs with a lot of uncertainty about when they will arrive or if they will even arrive at all.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sophos Survival. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sophos Survival was started with the goal to help EVERYONE become more prepared for “life’s adventures.” It is your one-stop-shop for emergency preparedness supplies, survival, and outdoor gear.
When I say “life’s adventures,” I mean anything from the need to administer basic first aid to one of your kids after they crash on their bike, the need to perform CPR on someone, defend yourself or your home, loss of income and a need to provide the necessities for your family, or perhaps something more serious like a natural disaster.
We are here to help you gear up, get the training you need, and BE READY for those “adventures.”
Sophos is a Greek word which means “wisdom” and was originally used to describe expertise in a particular knowledge or craft. The reason I chose this is because our goal is to TEACH and INSTILL emergency preparedness, survival, and self-reliance as an attitude and way of life, not just sell a bunch of survival stuff. Of course, good quality gear and supplies are very important (and a big part of our business), but we believe a ready mind is your most valuable tool.
My background is in aviation. I started flight training in high school and have been a professional pilot for 15 years. Aircraft pilots spend a significant amount of time on emergency procedure training. They study these procedures to know WHAT to do in case of an emergency, and they study the aircraft systems to know what’s behind those procedures – basically HOW stuff works. Then they PRACTICE so that when something goes wrong, the procedures are automatic and they can respond is calmly, wisely, and immediately.
When you combine that KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING, and GOOD QUALITY GEAR together, that is true preparedness, and that is what we are here to help people do.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Visit our store, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube), visit our website, or call us!
Sophos Survival
244 N Main St
Spanish Fork, UT 84660
801-885-9318
sophossurvival.com
@sophossurvival
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sophossurvival.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophossurvival/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophossurvival1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sophossurvival
- Other: https://linktr.ee/sophossurvival
Image Credits
Isaiah Price
