Introduction
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a long tradition of trade. Trading routes criss-crossed the continent and there was regular overseas trade with people to the north. Protocols and agreements governed this trade, as trade and business practices govern present day commerce.1
These days Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are working in many different situations including home-making, raising families, working for Indigenous community organisations, government departments and throughout the private sector.
Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are working full time in business ventures they have started up, or are combining their business with part time work for someone else, other Indigenous business women have bought an existing business.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are a very diverse group. We are salt water women living on the coast, freshwater women living inland; we live in big cities, big towns, small towns, former reserves and outstation communities in rural and remote areas. Some Indigenous women have big families who need their care, time and attention; others have families who might help out in the business in different ways.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's business ventures are equally diverse including the arts, craft, law, media, writing, retail, catering, cultural services, training services, dating services and chauffeur services to name just a few. Indigenous women are also represented in a diverse range of business types for example: small business, e-business, work from home, mobile business, or operating a franchise.
If you are thinking about getting started, or are already up and running in business, this Toolkit provides information to inspire and inform you. Most importantly, six Indigenous women share their experiences and tips on how to get started, balance family and community obligations, manage the many demands of business life, and when and where to get help.
Yarning with Indigenous women in business
What inspired Terri Janke, solicitor, Terri Janke & Company, to go into business?
I thought having my own practice would give me more flexibility- I thought it would offer me more choices and freedom. I had two young children at the time. I thought it would offer me work/life balance opportunities. I also wondered why there were so few Indigenous solicitors going into private practice. Being a member of the NSW Law Society helped, and I met many solicitors who had set up their own firms. My business is flexible, and we bring together legal solutions, cultural protocols and Indigenous empowerment. We do a range of things, legal and non-legal and we care about people.
What inspired Dr Anita Heiss, author, poet, cultural activist and social commentator, Curringa Communications, to go into business?
I love writing. I established my research and writing consultancy Curringa Communications in 1994 because I wanted to be my own boss and to begin writing books, and I wanted to be able to construct my day any way I wanted it to look. I wanted complete control over the jobs I took on and those I said ‘No' to, without guilt. Originally I started doing research, but I don't do that work so much anymore. I prefer to focus on work that is related to, and broadens my writing career, because writing is what makes me happiest.
What inspired Rayleen Brown, manager and caterer, Kungkas Can Cook, to go into business?
My main inspiration is from both my parents who taught me to be independent from an early age as I am the oldest of 6 children. My other main inspiration was from a group of Indigenous women who worked in the schools throughout the western desert, who were keeping language and culture strong by developing resources in their community schools who had us in tears after our first bush job.
Kunkgas Can Cook is a catering business with a difference. We blend bush tuckers with western foods and when people are game they can try the real thing! We are teaching our clients to embrace the first foods from the first Australians and I am proud today that I employ all Indigenous workers.
What inspired Kim Smith, owner/manager, Honeysuckle Cottage, an online quilting and patchwork business, to go into business?
I wanted to move my children to the bush for a good, healthy life. So, we moved into this area. It's also close to my extended family which is important me, my husband and our children.
I was a long arm quilter, doing my quilting at home as a hobby. I was so passionate about quilting. It was my passion that got me the business. I am a stitcher who bought her dream business!
My business is Australia's first online patchwork shop! So we take orders from all over the world. We also have tours that come to the shop and we do morning teas. I love making people feel welcome, and making their visit a really happy and fun experience.
I also really want to blend the historical side of stitching with Aboriginal culture. I am going to work with Aboriginal artists who are currently making sketches for new quilting ideas.
What inspired Suzanne Thompson, director of three cultural product and service companies, to go into business?
Since a very young age I have always aspired to have my own business. My parents had a café in Barcaldine for 9 years. I remember being taught in grade 6 how to cook and prepare meals for our customers. It was my brothers and my job to go to the café after school for a couple of hours while mum and dad had a rest.
At the age of 15 I started my hairdressing apprenticeship in Barcaldine. At that time it was not a supported thing for the Australian Hairdressing Society to accept Aboriginal hairdressers, so my mum had to go in to bat for me (as well as my boss). From that experience I was determined to show them that I could do anything life had in store for me. I went on to manage a Webster and Wood Hairdressing shop, known as Price Wave, in Mackay at the age of 19.
I have also been inspired in more recent years by ‘Oprah', I remember thinking that if she can do it so can I. So I tell all of my family and friends to just call me ‘Ochre' not ‘Oprah' he he he!
I'm my own boss and I can decide how to manage my time and when to complete projects. I also get to talk to people and share our beautiful culture and to give them a better understanding of how deadly we really are.
What inspired Sharon Williams, owner and managing director, Thulli Dreaming, to go into business?
My inspiration to start the business came from my family and my passion for my culture. I was hungry for more involvement in culture and to share culture with my children and everyone else. At the time I was working full time in management positions and I had a desire to have my own business and work for myself – to do something that I was passionate about.
At the time I could see that there weren't a lot of Aboriginal products or services available in the city. I always knew that there was interest in Aboriginal culture from the tourist markets, but I also thought that schools would be a continuing basis of work opportunities as there are always children in schools who need to learn about Aboriginal culture.
The business started with two services and over the years, as I learnt more along the way, I expanded and added more products and services.
I meet lots of people through my business and they really appreciate the services and Aboriginal culture. I work around my children as well, and a lot of times my children come to work with me on weekends or evenings as they often perform as well. They love performing and it's a really important way for them to be proud of their culture.
I would say there is a lot of hard work that comes with starting and running a business, and it takes up a lot of time, but if you are committed, "Go for it." There are so many opportunities out there and I feel now is the right time for our people to be in business more than ever! It is rewarding and a powerful tool for yourself and your family! And don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help!
Some issues for Indigenous women
As for all business people, issues such as the market, the economy, skill base and the capital (finances) required for business are essential questions for Indigenous women considering business.
As for all women, Indigenous women have obligations to their families and communities.
While individual Indigenous women all have different circumstances, there are some particular issues that can impact specifically on Indigenous women as a group.
Location and services
In the cities and larger towns today, all the necessary communication, finance and transport connections for business are easily available.
But many Indigenous women live in rural and remote areas and often these areas have less access to the essential business services such as postal, phone and banking services. Often, women may have to travel long distances to access these services, or they may only be available weekly or fortnightly. Time schedules and deadlines can become upset by bad weather which can temporarily close down systems such as telecommunications and air and road transport.
Costs can be higher in rural and remote areas. Delivering or picking up goods can cost much more in a rural or remote area because of the cost of transportation. Attending meetings, trade fairs and conferences can have the added expense of getting from rural and remote areas to major airports or train stations, as well as ordinary fares and accommodation.
These conditions do not need to stop Indigenous women from getting started or continuing in business, but they can require additional planning and support so that business women located in rural and remote areas can deliver their goods and services on time.
Kim Smith is manager, online quilting and patchwork business Honeysuckle Cottage
Kim's business is located in rural New South Wales, and while she has had enormous benefits from the expert advice and mentoring she's received, she says, "Being in the bush has some problems. It can be hard to get access to people with skills, who are willing to travel, and being able to pay those people can be difficult."
Cultural and family obligations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a diverse range of cultural and family obligations throughout the year. For instance, ceremonies, sorry business, volunteer work in community organisations and commitments to support family and community are priorities for Indigenous women that all take time, energy and money.
Most businesses also have particular events and obligations at specific times of the year. For instance, many businesses are busy just before the end of each financial year in June. Other businesses might be associated with seasonal issues like harvest or shearing. Still others may require attendance at trade fairs, conferences and networking events.
These demands of business, culture and family do not always coincide and mean that Indigenous women are often managing demands on a number of different fronts. Cultural obligations are foremost for Aboriginal and Torres Strait women and need to be factored into considerations about the pros and cons of business and incorporated into planning for the business year.
Self-employment can mean a more flexible workplace for women. Being the boss can mean that you can take time out for cultural and family obligations but it can also mean ‘the buck stops with you' and it can sometimes be difficult to get away from the workplace to attend to other important obligations.
Also, business and particularly companies have their own goals, protocols, rules and structures, which may not always be compatible with those of your family or community members. However, Indigenous business women have come up with many ways to combine family, culture and business.
Access to capital (money to get started or expand)
Many Indigenous women do not have easy access to money to start or grow their business. This can be for a number of reasons. The current and historical disadvantages suffered by Indigenous people means that there has been a lack of well paid employment to create a base of savings. The economic disadvantage also often means that families have not had the opportunity to build up wealth. This can mean less access to inherited property or money.
The business may not generate enough cash flow to provide a stable income especially when starting out, it may take some time to start making a profit. Family and cultural obligations may mean that income has to stretch further. However, large extended families can also mean more helping hands, more encouragement to succeed and sometimes financial assistance from family members.
Planning
Indigenous women especially in rural and remote areas may need to make plans about how they will operate their business successfully, manage their family and community obligations and overcome some of the difficulties of distance. These obstacles should not stop Indigenous women who are passionate about their business idea, but need to be factored into planning.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have some great skills for business. Many are enormously creative, enthusiastic, resourceful, innovative and determined in their business lives. They come from a long tradition of traders and entrepreneurs, have substantial support available and, with a bit of forward planning, can combine family and cultural obligations with happy fulfilling lives in business.
If you are interested in starting a business or looking for new ideas for your business, these Fact Sheets give useful information and guidance. We also hope that you will be inspired by the experiences of the Indigenous business women in this Toolkit.
Useful resources
Indigenous and Women Business Specific Resources
Australian Government
- Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)(www.iba.gov.au) provides support, programs and information to Indigenous business people.
Contact your local IBA office on 1800 107 107 or email IBA (enterprises@iba.gov.au).
Calls to 1800 numbers from your home phone are free. Calls from mobile or public phones may be timed and charged at a higher rate.
New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
Northern Territory
- The Northern Territory has information for Indigenous business people and information about programs it offers (www.nt.gov.au/business).
Western Australia
Tasmania
South Australia
- South Australia provides information for business people. Their "Doing Business in SA" provides information on starting a business, growing a business and specific information for micro, small and large businesses. (www.southaustralia.biz)
- It includes links to funding and grant opportunities.
- For further information please refer to Fact Sheet 3 on Support and Mentoring.
Non-Government
- How to Start a Successful Aboriginal Business in Australia by Neil Willmett published by Brolga Publishing, 2008