Owning, managing and getting a small business off the ground is not easy.
This is especially true for Indigenous business owners, who often face unique obstacles, including limited access to resources, funding and support networks that are available to other business owners.
Despite these challenges, Indigenous businesses make a significant contribution to the Australian economy. In Queensland alone, the government procured $376 million in goods and services from more than 550 Indigenous businesses between 1 July 2023 and 31 March 2024.*
While there has been 69% growth over the past five years – from 2,709 in 2016 to 4,584 in 2021,* the number of Indigenous-owned businesses in Australia remains relatively small. According to a Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT) spokesperson, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous business owners is still quite vast. Of Australia’s 2.1 million businesses, only 12,000–16,000 are Indigenous-owned.**
This October, Indigenous Business Month celebrates 10 years of showcasing the talent and depth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs. This year’s theme, ‘Making Our Mark’ invites Indigenous business owners and allies to celebrate their ways of doing business and consider how they make their mark in and through their business and leadership.
“This Indigenous Business Month, we have the opportunity to highlight and pay tribute to the relentless work of First Nations businesses across Queensland, and the marks they have made on our society,” says Minister for Employment and Small Business, and Gubbi Gubbi man, Lance McCallum.
“The Miles Labor Government is committed to supporting First Nation business and we’re backing them with a $250 million Queensland Small Business Strategy, which outlines approaches to Closing the Gap including the establishment of the Queensland Business Network.“
By providing strong support and connections for First Nations businesses across Queensland, we can continue to build strong futures for both these businesses and our state.”
As part of the Queensland Small Business Strategy, the Queensland Indigenous Business Network (QIBN) is an Indigenous-led statewide representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs, including both startups and established businesses.
QIBN is a membership-based organisation with government committed to funding the first four years of operation. This seed funding will be offset with corporate sponsorship and sourced revenue as QIBN becomes self-sustaining over time.
This network will also provide for up to five local Indigenous business hubs across Queensland, offering business mentoring from First Nations business experts through a cultural lens. This community-based support will include engagement activities, workshops to increase capability, and networks to share information and procurement opportunities.
The Queensland Small Business Strategy has also increased support for TAFE Queensland’s One Business Program to further assist Indigenous business owners and operators to establish culturally appropriate and targeted mentoring.
MZB Empowerment owner Bernice Hookey is a trainer for the One Business Program in Townsville, using her skills and expertise to assist other businesses in their successes, and says the One Business Program is designed to create more pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“It’s about the delivery of an Indigenous program by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people,” she says.
“In a sense, the information is not limited, it’s just a matter of where you go to access it.
“If it’s not an agency or standalone Indigenous business that is already doing the type of stuff to support other Indigenous businesses to get up and running, it’s about meeting people and knowing the pathway to get up and running.”
Bernice also helps facilitate Black Coffee Business Yarnz in Townsville – a monthly networking event for Indigenous business owners to meet and connect.
“It’s a place where you feel it’s culturally appropriate meeting up with other Indigenous businesses, because sometimes you can go to networking events, but if you’re the only Indigenous one that’s going, how do you connect and approach people?” Bernice says.
“The Black Coffee events are usually held between 8am and 9am, and coordinating the event, what I’d do is say ‘look, let’s sit around in a circle and let’s just give a quick blurb about who we are, who our mob is, and what our business is about.’
“It’s great for Indigenous businesses to kind of have that network of people who, you know, share cultural values, but it’s just about building relationships.
“You could be an Indigenous business that’s either just started up, or you can also be an Indigenous business that has an idea to start a business or has just moved into the region and you just want to be able to connect with other business service providers.
“Black Coffee is a national footprint, and I’ve been able to, along with many other Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander businesses who attend, connect up and meet.
“It’s also invitation for non-indigenous people, that’s where the opportunity is, and I think it’s a really good opportunity if there is potential for getting work out of it or connecting up to yarn further.”
Bernice says both the One Business Program and Black Coffee Business Yarnz are great ways to not only connect with people and see how their businesses may complement each other, but also gives the opportunity to meet with government bodies.
“When Government agencies attend these events as well, that’s an opportunity for them to share what’s an up-and-coming event for you to attend,” she says.
“The investment of it is your time, and it’s that opportunity for them to share contact details, or connect on LinkedIn to watch what you’re doing, and it provides an opportunity to open pathways up to other avenues.”
Connecting and gaining knowledge about how other businesses can support each other can help all of us make our mark amongst Indigenous businesses this Indigenous Business Month.
*Source: Department of Employment Small Business and Training.
**Source: National Indigenous Australians Agency.
Images Supplied
Main Image: Stan Huen, Reuben Richardson, Donnika Williams, Bernice Hookey, Daryl Chong and Mick Prien
