In 2013, Army 1st Lt. Emily Nunez Cavness and her sister created Sword & Plough with two big goals in mind: Make functional-yet-fashion-forward accessories out of repurposed military surplus gear, while also helping to empower veterans.
In the two years since, they've done just that, building a successful small business from a humble Kickstarter campaign while funneling hard cash from their profits into veteran causes and supporting dozens of veteran jobs.
Now they're ready to hit the big time with a chance to win a 30-second spot during the NFL's biggest game of the year.
Sword & Plough is among 10 finalists in QuickBooks' Small Business Big Game competition, rising to the top from among more than 15,000 companies that entered.
The winner gets a professionally produced commercial worthy of appearing during this season's Super Bowl. The air time alone is worth about $4.5 million.
To win it, however, they need your help.
The winner will be selected through online voting at smallbusinessbiggame.com. Supporters can vote once a day.
"This could be a huge game-changer for us," says Nunez Cavness, an Afghanistan veteran and intelligence officer currently serving with the Fort Carson, Colorado-based 10th Special Forces Group.
"To have an audience of millions learn about our mission would be such an incredible opportunity. We're really hoping the military and veteran communities will rally around us."
Theirs is a company worth rallying around; 10 percent of all profits help support veterans organizations such as Got Your 6.
"We love Got Your 6 because they're all about ensuring civilian employers understand veterans are empowering assets, not charity cases or — on the other side — all superheroes."
Meanwhile, half the company's full-time employees are veterans, and dozens more are supported with contract work.
Indeed, says Nunez Cavness, "since launching on Kickstarter in 2013, we have supported 38 veteran jobs, repurposed over 30,000 pounds of military surplus, and reached over 250,000 people with our message about the importance of strengthening civil-military understanding."
And, of course, if you want to get your holiday shopping started early, Sword & Plough also offers a 20-percent discount to all current and former service members.
