Anishinaabe entrepreneur details importance of small businesses at Indigenous business forum
By Sam Laskaris
TORONTO – Michael Jacobs likes to practice what he preaches.
Jacobs, a citizen of Curve Lake First Nation, is the CEO of Cambium Indigenous Professional Services. His company aims to boost First Nation economies via knowledge exchanges, cross-cultural capacity-building efforts, and technical expertise.
Jacobs was also a speaker at the recent Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) forum that was held in Toronto on February 26.
Jacobs was a panellist for a session titled Shifting the Focus: Why Indigenous Economic Development Should Champion Small Business.
Jacobs told forum attendees that his company employs 20 First Nations members and offers $2.2 million a year in salaries that goes directly into the community.
Jacobs said there are mutual benefits for First Nations and their local entrepreneurs when they collaboratively join forces. And those benefits are especially valuable in terms of equity positions, when First Nations are seeking to build their wealth.
“Within that, there’s an opportunity to build economy as well,” Jacobs said.
But that can potentially also lead to some problems. Jacobs, who is also the co-chair of the CCIB, said concerns can pop up for First Nations that are eager to utilize their own members for various business initiatives.
“How does the economic development side of it cater to that without it looking like you’re being preferential?” Jacobs said. “There’s only going to be a certain number of entrepreneurs within your community.”
Jacobs also said it is vital to include as many local First Nations members as possible for business opportunities that arise in their territory. But he believes it is even more important that these positions include senior executives and not just those doing entry-level positions.
“If we’re still bringing in apprentices in 5-10 years, we’ve failed,” said Jacobs, who is also the chair of the board for the Curve Lake Community Economic Development Corporation. “We need to be bringing in our senior people that are going to be decision-makers that are going to automatically assume Indigenous inclusion. It’s a real important part.”
The forum panel Jacobs participated in was aimed at showing the need for Indigenous economic development departments to put a focus on small- and medium-sized businesses. That’s because while major projects tend to be the ones that generate most of the headlines, First Nations often can benefit perhaps even more by supporting smaller local entrepreneurs.
Jacobs was joined on his panel by Paul Rice, a Chief on the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, and Jennifer Taback, co-CEO of Design de Plume.
Rice spoke of the spinoff effects that can be created by several of the small businesses in his First Nation, which is located a 15-minute drive south of Montreal.
And Taback, a member of Shawanaga First Nation in Northern Ontario, discussed how she expanded her business that she launched 16 years ago. Design de Plume is a Sudbury-based company whose services include graphic design, branding, websites, strategy, and marketing.
The panel was moderated by Shannon Sutherland, CCIB’s vice-president of marketing, communications, & events.