Celebrating 10 years of Indigenous Business Month

The three entrepreneurial women met at a MURRA Indigenous Business masterclass at the Melbourne Business School. MURRA was established by Dr Evans who today holds an Associate Professorship in Leadership at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne.

One could call it serendipity that the three entrepreneurs came together at the masterclass, and Indigenous Business Month was born.

‘It came out of a desire of our MURRA cohort to give back to the community by showcasing Indigenous Business Excellence through a month- long celebration each October,’ says Director, and Co-Founder of 33Creative, Mayrah Sonter.

‘We saw the need to celebrate our ways of doing business, support one another and share in knowledge and business successes. We also saw the importance of allies in our communities to demonstrate their commitment to supporting Indigenous business.’

Director of Iscariot Media, Leesa Watego says Indigenous Business Month is a collective movement that celebrates and showcases the diversity and excellence of Indigenous business across Australia. 

‘We have so much to celebrate and a month provides ample opportunities for businesses and allies alike to find ways to connect, celebrate and engage Indigenous businesses.' 

The past 10 years the month uplifts Indigenous businesses enabling greater visibility through showcasing and creating great momentum for self-employment in communities. 

‘We are a far cry from times when owning our own business was out of grasp and now we are seeing families with businesses, young people starting up online businesses and creatives with multiple businesses,’ says Mayrah.

Dr Evans says the decade has flown past! It has been a wonderful experience to help foster these important conversations and create space for Indigenous businesses. She firmly believes that the path to Indigenous self-determination is economic independence. 

Leesa Watego agrees, ‘Indigenous businesses are vehicles of self-determination, created by Indigenous business leaders, making our mark for what Indigenous business excellence is all about.

Indigenous businesses take on a life of their own, asserting their mark by bringing Indigenous ways of working into the business ecosystem.

'We know, as our longest living culture demonstrates, that 10 years is but a small corner within a larger, continuing tapestry of doing business in this Country. 

Yet over the last three decades the Indigenous business sector has grown, has flourished and is brightly adding to our collective story.'