11 Indigevisor Case (Part 2)

Nadine Bernard is a Mi’kmaw entrepreneur who grew up in Unama’ki (Cape Breton). On a journey to advance in her career, Nadine encountered a series of events that highlighted the underrepresentation of Indigenous people in workplaces. Now she draws on a lifetime of experiences in various workplaces where she advocated for increased cultural awareness and competency. Through her involvement in several organizations, she discovered a need that many businesses had – lack of understanding of Indigenous representation and cultural awareness. This resulted in the creation of Indigevisor, an Indigenous cultural consulting company. The steps she followed while setting up Indigevisor as a business are outlined in this case as well as the factors she considered while creating her business plan.

BACKGROUND

After losing her husband, Nadine found herself in a situation where she had to provide for her family alone. Nadine decided to seek employment in the banking sector. This marked the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey. She found there were almost no self-identifying Indigenous people working in the banking industry. She learned that low representation was related to cultural bias and systematized racism in the banking industry but also in multiple fields.

She then decided she wanted to help local organizations to become more culturally aware. So, she began volunteering on advisory boards and committees. Nadine knew that businesses often ask their boards of directors for advice about unfamiliar subjects. They also sometimes form committees of people who have subject matter expertise to give advice about operations. Although people working on committees are not employees, they are given access to a lot of information about a business that customers might not have. Nadine enjoyed sitting on boards because she was able to share information about Mi’kmaw communities and culture while also learning about different business sectors by meeting with employees.

DISCOVERING AN OPPORTUNITY & MAKING A PLAN

Nadine became aware of a common theme in many organizations, there wasn’t enough Indigenous representation. However, she began to see how business operations could be either negatively or positively influenced by equity programs and policies. Many organizations needed assistance in creating Indigenous inclusion plans and strategies that would have a positive impact on everyone. This discovery inspired Nadine to create a business that assisted organizations to become more culturally aware.

However, to be successful, Nadine would need to create a plan and decide the right steps to take. This is especially important because Indigenous cultural consulting is relatively new. Since there are not a lot of people in this business yet, it may be hard to determine the viability of the business.

BUSINESS PLANNING: KEY CONSIDERATIONS

As Nadine prepares to chart the course for Indigevisor, there are several critical factors she must consider.

Mission, Vision and Goals

First and foremost is the clarity about Indigevisor’s mission and vision. Nadine created the company because, in her own words, she saw a “deficiency in the involvement of Indigenous people in the development of infrastructure in Canada and especially in Nova Scotia.”

To Nadine, success isn’t just something to be achieved but a legacy to be left. Her legacy is influencing the next generation of people. Through Indigevisor, Nadine aims to create opportunities and support for not only companies but also for people who are looking towards finding their goals. Nadine’s work through Indigevisor is aimed at influencing the next generation of people to have equitable opportunities.

Target Audience & Services

Nadine created Indigevisor to support organizations in need of Indigenous representation. In the past, she has worked with advisory boards, financial corporations, labour unions, community councils, municipal and provincial government organizations. A lot of her work has also been around construction or architectural projects.

Nadine has offered a wide range of services to organizations that she has worked with. Some services include:

• cultural awareness training to staff, so they would understand Indigenous clients, partners, and employees.
• recruitment and retention advise, helping businesses to think about how they can connect with diverse cultural groups.
• policy review and recommendations, helping businesses to look at their training manuals and employment policies to see if there are ways to better accommodate staff and clients.

She also knew, there was room to grow and expand by offering other services directly related to increasing Indigenous representation in organizations.

Start-up Funding and Funding Options

Capital is often one of the central concerns for any start-up. From her experience in the banking industry, she knew that banks would be looking for a certain amount of assets from potential borrowers. As she had no significant assets to speak of, Nadine opted to fund the company using money she had saved over time. Although she could have applied for financial assistance or loans, she wanted to be independent and grew her business slowly over time. She did not apply for external financing or loans to get her business started.

Funding her business by herself allowed her to maintain full control over her business operations without the need for external influence or obligations that loans or third-party investors might bring. However, some risks are associated with this approach, and Nadine also needs to be aware of them. If Nadine had decided to opt for external funding, she needed to analyse the different funding options available to her and the corresponding requirements.

Pricing

Being very new to the business, Nadine had no knowledge on anyone that could help her build a consultancy and be competitive with her pricing. Initially, she priced too low and found it hard to get into the construction community in Cape Breton as an Indigenous woman.

Branding and a Business Identity

How did her career journey shape her identity – highlight that it wasn’t just aimless transitions, but that the transitions paved the way for starting Indigevisor.

Nadine’s career journey is a testament to her resilience and adaptability, shaping her identity in remarkable ways. The transitions in her career path were not aimless; instead, they were crucial stepping stones that eventually led to the birth of Indigevisor.

Nadine’s path to overcoming systemic barriers draws from several teachings from her Mi’kmaw culture, such as collective work, humility, honesty, integrity, and strong work ethic.

“If we all work together, we are collectively experts. We are experts that build on respect, humility, honesty, and wisdom.”

Nadine believes in communal leadership and shared wisdom as the foundation of Indigevisor. To create an identity that reflected this, she hired a sales consultant to help her with her branding.

The advice she was given was to present her offer without mentioning that she was an Indigenous woman to avoid any potential biases from clients. She did not take that advice, instead her identity and teachings became a central component of her brand. She explains,

“The matriarchal fundamental philosophy is that as a communal leadership as shared wisdom, as women who lift… I wanted that to be what Indigevisor stood for.”

CONCLUSION

As Nadine develops Indigevisor, she needs to develop a plan for the business. What steps does she need to take? What factors should she consider as she plans her business?