Women share ideas and business success

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Delegates to the second annual Aboriginal Women in Business Conference showed they are as interested in community building as they are in building successful businesses.

"Have the zeal of a missionary," said speaker Vicki Antone, who talked about her community development experience. "It's love that keeps us going. I love my community and I love to help other people."

Organized by Milestone, an event-planning company based in Ohsweken, the June 16 to 18 conference offered workshops about creative thinking and networking skills, information on government programs and inspiring personal stories and advice.

Cathy Morningstar Flynn had the opening spot on the agenda.

In the employment market, she said, "We are playing their game. This game is new to the Aboriginal community." Flynn, an Ojibway from Mississauga First Nation who leads a self-employment training workshop in Toronto, said Aboriginal women's "common shared history is empowering."

Success for Aboriginal women in business, she said, depends on doing something you love.

"In taking risks," she added, "there is anxiety but there is also excitement."

Renae Hill (Oneida of the Thames), Heather Garlow (Onandaga, Six Nations), Cindy Lapp, and Frances Cordero de Bolanos, provided information on government programs such as Aboriginal Business Canada and the Canadian Heritage Aboriginal Women's Program.

To interest lenders in funding your business, "you have to prove everything on a piece of paper," said Hill, who works with the Southern Access Centre for Native Business.

Frances Beauvais "works closely with national Aboriginal organizations" she said, and her priority is "getting remote Aboriginal communities connected."

Beauvais believes it is better for Aboriginal on-reserve communities if business owners keep the heart of their enterprise on their reserves.

The Aboriginal Canada Portal Web site, according to Beauvais, helps them do that by increasing awareness of Canada's Aboriginal population and the products and services they have to offer.

A job centre is now a part of the Web site, because, said Beauvais, "the number one question is employment."

Delegates enjoyed a fashion show organized by Donna Bomberry, who shared her experience in direct marketing of a clothing line. Direct marketing "is not for everyone," she admitted, but "it's well worth looking into."

Web site designer Deanna Dunham said a young entrepreneur may have difficulty being taken seriously, but her company now serves 54 clients and has five employees.

"Conferences like this are fantastic for us," said Dunham.

Sherry Moreau (Anishinabe) led a business ideas workshop, and Joanne Absolom (Ojibway, Marten Clan) had everyone laughing with a "musical chairs" networking exercise.

Absolom (whose Ojibway name means "Woman Who Walks Leaving Footprints") said, "Get outside of your comfort zone. It's amazing what you can do when you do that."

It was pointed out that entrepreneurs don't have to do it alone.

"Mentoring," said Ann Cooney (Mohawk, Turtle Clan), provides "relationships, knowledge and wisdom."

Brenda Nadjiwan (Chippewas of Nawash) manages the Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative.

This program aims to link Aboriginal job seekers with business and industry, and to raise awareness of Aboriginal issues in the workplace, so that Aboriginal people will be more likely to stay with a company that hires them.

Nadjiwan spoke about employment barriers, such as employers not having "demographic knowledge" about the Aboriginal people they hire.

Also, she said, "Aboriginals don't do well in interviews. Aboriginals don't talk about themselves. Humility is one of our seven teachings."

But, Nadjiwan added, "Someone has to do the listening-we listen well. It comes from an oral tradition."

She explained how the vision statements of modern corporations are syncronized with Aboriginal values.

"Aboriginals," she said, "have always nderstood the value of vision, as future memory. We have the community and spirit where the corporations are striving to be."

Right now, she's working with employers in Timmins and Wawa who are losing young employees who go seeking better opportunities in the large cities. They believe the trend would be reversed if the jobs were there for them at home.

"Aboriginal young people want to stay in the North," she said, "and can provide the workforce.

"What the world needs is an injection of spirit," Nadjiwan concluded. "The spirit is ours to share."

Rikki Hill delivered the opening prayers each day and The Lost Dancers from Six Nations

performed Thursday evening.

Barbara Helen Hill was master of ceremonies. She told delegates "Operating from the love is what will keep our communities going... Everyone here has talked about sharing within your community."

Plans are already underway for the 2005 conference.