The Vision: Innovating wellness
Contrary to popular belief, entrepreneurship is not just about starting or owning a business. Small business owners don’t just own an entity; they lead with the mindset of identifying problems and risks to innovate a solution.
For many entrepreneurs, this mindset is shaped not only by choice but by individual experiences and values. This was the case with Sean Moore, the business owner of SM2 Health & Apparel.
From a young age, Sean had an affinity for hustling, taking on the paper route at ten years old, mowing neighborhood lawns, and ending up as a top sales associate at a leading Maryland-based clothing company at age sixteen. The common thread through all of it: there was a need, and he could see the opportunity to provide solutions of his own.
That same entrepreneurial mindset came into focus in his early career, and his business idea struck while preparing for a race. As he worked to get back into shape and, most importantly, defend his title in the quarter-mile race against his youngest brother, pain became a constant tax on movement.
After two knee surgeries in college, he cycled through every solution imaginable. He relied on homemade ice packs, bulky wraps, and cold compression devices for more than a decade.
One night after a run, juggling melting ice packs, wiping water off the floor, and preparing to head out again, the disconnect became obvious for Sean. Pain relief existed, but it didn’t fit real life.
He had a simple but powerful idea: What if pain relief was built into the clothes you already wear? No mess. No extra gear. No trade-off between recovery and living your life. That insight became the foundation for SM2 Health & Apparel, created to empower people to move through life’s adventures with confidence, style, and less discomfort.
Challenges: Scaling alone
Growth for Sean meant navigating a complex logistical landscape that often favors established, largely known brands. SM2 operates on thinner margins, paying a higher price per unit than major competitors.
His financial pressures escalated with the realities of global trade, such as import tariffs, which squeeze the bottom line before a product even hits the shelf.
Without the ability to order in massive quantities, unlike large corporations that fill entire shipping containers, Sean’s inventory often occupies a fraction of a shared load, making it more susceptible to transit delays or loss.
An insurance claim can take six months to process, a devastating timeline for a business waiting on inventory.
“Initially, we were hoping to launch both our jacket and pant collection, but with the tariff hike and investors waiting to see more traction, I am only able to manufacture our pant collection with the goal of getting product state-side, showing demand, securing investor capital, and increasing our order volume to drive down the overall per unit costs.
“While it’s not ideally what I envisioned, my goal is to stay focused, embrace the small wins, and make the most of it.”
Since the company’s inception in early 2025, Sean focused on materializing his vision, managing supplier and investor negotiations alongside his personal life.
While his Kickstarter campaign was a success, the transition to physical production still faced technical hurdles, like supplier issues that pushed back his production timeline.
Sean’s journey into the manufacturing phase required more than just grit; it required capital. He successfully secured relationships with high-caliber manufacturers who typically service major brands, but moving from prototype to production required a financial bridge.
The solution: The Credibly Small Business Award
One night at 2:00 AM, fueled by music and the determination to find alternative funding, Sean was scouring platforms to identify potential opportunities.
Ultimately, Sean came across the Credibly Small Business Award. What stopped him wasn’t just the grant itself, but its mission: to unlock the potential of small businesses by helping them grow without taking on debt.
Realizing he met the criteria, he stayed up for hours refining his application, shaping responses that captured both the ambition of the vision and the realities of the journey.
“I didn’t know what would come of it,” Sean recalls. “I just focused on being honest, detailed, vulnerable, and I prayed.”
At the end of 2025, after applying in September, SM2 had been awarded $20,000 as the second winner of the Credibly Small Business Award.
For Sean, this meant validation of the brand’s potential, which many institutional investors look for before committing capital. Financial backing was one of the remaining hurdles for production, so the award would help kickstart the launch of SM2.
“Being selected by Credibly came at exactly the right moment in my founder journey. I had just received what felt like my 65th ‘no,’ or ‘check back once you have more traction.’ At the same time, I was finally gaining clarity around our messaging and refreshed visuals, while quietly trying to figure out how to cover the cost to bring them to life.
“So when the call came, I paused. I smiled. And I reflected on everything that had led up to that moment. It felt like a signal to keep pushing, to keep taking my shot, and a reminder that it was time to move faster.”
Looking ahead: The future for SM2
The funding will be strategically used for two core areas: driving brand clarity online and production support materials.
- Inventory & production: Approximately one-third of the funds will be allocated to production support, including finalizing trims, updating tech packs, and completing material testing to ensure fit, performance, and durability.
- Marketing materials: A significant portion will be invested in refreshed visuals, two customer-persona videos, and a refreshed website—designed to clearly articulate the brand and effectively reach our first 1,000 early adopters.
“This grant through Credibly is a big step…the goal is to support us in receiving 300 units by mid-year so we can obtain early sales, share with fitness influencers, share with investors, and allow us to host in-person activation to begin building a community of active millennials who are struggling to manage joint pain.”
The Credibly Small Business Award is providing the crucial, unencumbered capital needed to help SM2 move beyond the pre-production phase and finally realize the moment the founder has been waiting for since February 2025: being in full production and shipping product.
“It’s the small wins that make it feel like you’re on the right path. You keep believing and keep moving forward. And so I think Credibly is paying a big arm in that, and we’re gonna definitely see some amazing companies out of this.”
