Scott Beaudry and Theresa Chu with Barley Labs, photographed Monday, Nov. 4, 2013 in Durham, N.C., is one of four finalists in the Intuit Small Business Big Game competition sponsored by Intuit QuickBooks that could win a commercial during the Big Game. Vote for your favorite small businesses at www.SmallBusinessBigGame.com. Join the conversation: #TeamSmallBiz

NEW YORK — Small businesses that produce dog treats, toys, eggs and compost are vying for a chance to have a commercial during the Super Bowl.

The four companies are finalists in a competition held by software maker Intuit, which will pay millions of dollars to give the winner a 30-second spot in the game Feb. 2. They were selected by Intuit’s 8,000 employees. The winner will be chosen in a vote open to anyone who visits the competition website www.smallbusinessbiggame.com through Dec. 1.

The finalists are Barley Labs, of Durham, N.C., which makes dog treats out of barley; GoldieBlox, based in Oakland, Calif., maker of engineering toys aimed at girls; Locally Laid Egg, a Duluth, Minn., egg producer; and POOP — Natural Dairy Compost, a Nampa, Idaho, fertilizer maker.

All four businesses are young. Dairy POOP was founded this year, while the others were launched in 2012.

Barley labs makes treats from grain left over from beer brewing, while POOP uses cattle manure to manufacture fertilizer. GoldieBlox’s products are blocks and other toys that teach girls about engineering and construction. And Locally Laid Egg produces eggs from hens that live in pastures rather than in coops.

Nearly 15,000 small businesses entered the contest during the summer. Intuit employees voted for the 20 best, and that field was winnowed down to four. To make the final four, a small business had to prove that it could handle the bump up in business that a Super Bowl ad could give it.

Super Bowl ads are usually run by huge companies and brands like Budweiser and Chevrolet, not small businesses.