The month has been one amazing journey!
After winning the FedEx Small Business Grant we have been spending time with some incredible media outlets, telling them the Sword & Plough journey, sharing where we started, how we grew, and where we are going. Our media highlights this month included The Today Show, NBC Latino,The Nightly Business Report on PBS, Fox32 KDVR, Colorado’s Own Channel 2, Martha Stewart, and She is Fierce Blog.
We also announced that we have teamed up with the Speakers Boutique for speaking engagements. Speakers Boutique offers a variety of impressive speakers from diverse backgrounds and we are pleased to work with them. We can’t wait to hopefully share our story with you at your next event!
We already have a few speaking events planned! Our next one is today, June 1st in Boise, Idaho with Mission43! Mission43 is a partnership of the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation and four premier veterans organizations designed to give veterans and military spouses in Idaho (the 43rd state) the resources for a successful transition after leaving the service. By bringing together these world-class organizations, Idaho's post-9/11 servicemen, women, and their spouses have the resources to excel academically, in their next career, and in the community.
This month our co-founders, Emily & Betsy, were honored to join the Mission Continues in San Francisco, CA for Armed Forces Day. Sword & Plough donated $1,000 and over 50 of our popular sunglasses cases to the 50 women veterans who attended the Women’s Leadership Summit. The focus of the summit was how women veterans can successfully transition into the civilian workforce after leaving the military. In addition to the engaging panels, all of the women volunteered with a service project that helped beautify the India Basin Shoreline Park.
When we weren’t at speaking events and media interviews this month, we were working on our new Denver showroom display (our grand opening will be in the month of June - details to follow!!!), traveling to visit our veteran owned manufacturers, and visiting veteran and artist Shanna in Kentucky. Shanna and her partner Fred make all of our jewelry out of repurposed bullet casings. Our jewelry was a big hit for Mother’s Day and we are thrilled to hear your feedback. Keep posting pictures - we love seeing and knowing what you think!!!
It won’t be long before Father’s Day and we have a few suggestions for what your dad will love this year. Our best sellers around Father’s Day are all under $80 so if you haven’t found that perfect gift for Dad (or for the Grad in your life), check out our belts, cufflinks, travel kits, and collection of wallets. For Sword & Plough student fans, we are proud to announce a 15% student discount.
This month we were excited to expand Sword & Plough’s presence by partnering with Shop Seventy West. Shop Seventy West is a mobile boutique in the Denver, Colorado area. Next time you’re in town, keep an eye out for this cool new fashion truck and check out its offering of Sword & Plough products!
We welcomed more Brand Champions to our program in May and were pleased to announce our first Brand Champion of the Month, Dawn Boyle. The Sword & Plough Brand Champion position is a part-time, remote sales and brand ambassador role. It is a grassroots way to bring Sword & Plough to the heart of your community, expand S&P’s impact, and for us to give back to our amazing supporters. It also allows you to see the products in person before you buy. Check out the event in Tulsa, Oklahoma that Brand Champion Kayley Nammari attended this past month. We have Brand Champions in 37 states and are actively looking to employ more. If you would like to know more about the program and be considered, we would love to share details! In addition to Brand Champions, we are also looking to hire sewers, a logistics associate, a quality assurance finishing associate, and blogging interns.
Thanks for all your support! We look forward to updating you next month!
Cheers,