Spring launch planned for business directory

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For someone with no formal training in information technology, Keith Muzyka is spending a lot of time on business ventures in cyberspace.

Muzyka is owner of Coffee Dot Com, an Internet cafe in Saskatoon, which he's been operating for three years.

And for almost as long, he's been running Canada's Aboriginal Directory Services, a company in the process of putting together a comprehensive directory of Aboriginal businesses from across the country.

Muzyka and three other full-time employees have been working to gather and verify information for the directory. A target date of March 2002 has been set for publication of a print version of the directory, as well as for the official launch of a Web-based directory.

"I had approached Industry Canada for a list of Aboriginal companies in Canada, and they couldn't provide me with one. I then approached Indian Affairs, and they couldn't provide me with one. I approached the Business Service Centre-they couldn't provide me with one," Muzyka said. So, finding that the information he was looking for didn't exist, he decided to create it himself.

"My intent for the directory was to promote Aboriginal businesses across Canada in a positive light. To set them as a role model to non-Aboriginal firms, as well as to show the positive sides of the businesses to our youth that are growing up, and there's more and more coming into the cities. And I wanted to have something so that they can look, and say, 'Wow, look at all the successful businesses that are run by Aboriginal people.' Because you don't really hear the positive stories. You normally hear the negativity, like what SIGA's been going through."

The biggest challenge he's faced in trying to put the directory together has been gathering the information. So far he's been concentrating on tracking down Aboriginal businesses on the Internet, and also through a Web site businesses can visit to register themselves for inclusion in the directory.

Muzyka also plans to do a mail-out to tribal councils across Canada, asking them for leads on where to find Aboriginal businesses, as well as asking for information about any tribal council-run businesses that haven't yet been registered with the directory.

"It's a free service. It's not costing anybody any money to register with us," Muzyka said. "I'm not doing this to make money. I'm doing this to promote businesses."

Muzyka is funding the directory project with his own money, and is hoping to be able to recoup some of the costs by selling advertising in the printed version of the directory.

So far, about 4,800 businesses are listed in the directory, with companies from right across the country included in the listings - about one-fourth of estimated number of Aboriginal businesses that currently exist in Canada.|

The companies already registered come from all sectors of business.

"They come from every walk of life, pretty much. Like we've got them from trucking, we've got doctors, lawyers, construction workers, construction companies, paper companies, like you name it. Computers, everything."

Although some businesses he's contacted about the directory have been hesitant to get involved, questioning what he plans to use the information for, for the most part the response has been "very positive," Muzyka said.

"Everybody seems pumped about the idea."

While the Aboriginal Business Directory will be useful both to consumers wanting to take their business to Aboriginal companies and for Aboriginal businesses wanting to network with other Aboriginal businesses, Muzyka also hopes it will help celebrate Aboriginal business successes.

"Just to show to people all of the successful Aboriginally owned businesses that there are.

Because I know, walking into ABC (Aboriginal Business Canada), you see all these posters and things like that on the wall of some airline company or some big trucking company, and things like that. Then you sit back and go, 'Well, where's the rest of them?'

Th Web-based directory will be searchable, so you can type in a business category or location, and search the listing for businesses matching your search.

In addition to providing a directory of Aboriginal businesses, Muzyka hopes the directory Web site will also have a number of other useful features.

"The realms are infinite right now," he said.

Among the ideas being considered for the site would be links to other organizations such as the Aboriginal Youth Network and ABC, which can provide advice and assistance in starting up a business.

"We've also thought about, every company gets their own static Web address. So we can fancy that up for them as well for a charge that we're thinking about introducing. So that they can put a picture of their logo or whatever. They can have a more detailed services category or whatever. They can do some more boasting about their own company if they wish," Muzyka said.

Although the directory's Web page is already on-line, it's not up and running yet.

"We haven't really submitted it to search engines, but they're finding us already. And that 's a bad thing, because we put the Web site up so that people could visit it, make sure the information that we have is accurate. We're not really submitted to the search engines until March."

Businesses wanting to get a listing in the print directory have to have their information in to Muzyka by Dec. 31. There is no submission deadline for inclusion in the Web directory, which will be updated on a continuous basis.

For more information about Canada's Aboriginal Directory Services, visit the directory Web site at http://www.1stnations.ca, e-mail your queries to admin@1stnations.ca, or call Muzyka at 653-3342.