Indigenous Business Month is about building a strong Indigenous business sector, showcasing success stories and advancing conversation from the perspective of Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses.
Indigenous Business Month celebrates Indigenous ingenuity across the many businesses in urban, regional and remote areas of Australia. This year’s theme is 2020 INVIGORATE, BUILD, MAINTAIN – Keeping our Sector Strong. It is an initiative driven by the MURRA Business Master Class of Melbourne Business School. The idea is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs, as well as those in the community considering business as a career.
Last year saw the inclusion of three new awards that recognise the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to their community and Australian society. It includes the 121 Award, which awards businesses involved in buying from and supplying to fellow Indigenous businesses to build the sector by mutual support.
At present, Indigenous people make up 3% of the Australian population and yet only 0.5% of total business owners. Supply Nation, an organisation who facilitate the success of Indigenous businesses, state that an Indigenous business is 100 times more likely to hire Indigenous staff and are 54% more likely to sponsor local sports teams and cultural events. The flow on effect from supporting Indigenous business to Indigenous communities is clear, with many more people benefiting along the way.
COS® are proud to have a strong association with the Indigenous community as an active member of Supply Nation. Supporting start-up entrepreneurs to contribute to their local communities, COS® carry a broad range of Indigenous workplace supply products and is the exclusive distributor of the Muru range; a Supply Nation Certified business committed to creating a pathway for ongoing Indigenous prosperity. Muru means “pathway” in the language of the Bidjigal people, which is fitting for a business committed to giving back to Indigenous communities through a substantial portion of their profits.
A second award for Indigenous Business Month is that of Digital Inventiveness. Recognising that communities and businesses are connected through digital expression, this award celebrations cultural creativity and technological development. Muru Group CEO, Mitchell Ross, has a wealth of experience in IT and business and the company work closely with Indigenous communities to help with computer literacy and mentoring programs. The idea is to develop sustainable employment opportunities for those in remote communities.
Supporting the community
Muru is one example of how purchasing business products can provide direct social and economic support to Indigenous communities. But Muru aren’t the only ones making a difference. Companies such as Yaru Water and Indigenous Beverages Australia are deeply invested in creating better outcomes for their communities through the sale of their products.
Yaru Water have set up their own not-for-profit foundation to forward a portion of their profits from bottled water sales to establishing health improvements for Indigenous communities, promoting cultural awareness nationwide, and closing the gap for health inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Some of their projects include access to safe drinking water for Aboriginal communities and improving eye health in conjunction with the Fred Hollows Foundation.
Indigenous Beverages Australia are proudly 100% Indigenous Australian owned. Supplying Waddi Springs water and Waddi Specialty Coffee, they are run by a Gooreng Gooreng heritage family. Their collaboration with services across a variety of business sectors has allowed them to direct a portion of their profit towards Indigenous Community Volunteers and Livin, two charities focused on providing opportunities and support for Indigenous and wider Australian communities.
Tomika Johnson, the director of Indigenous Beverages Australia, notes that for every dollar spent supporting Indigenous businesses, between $4.68 to $10.90 is created in social value. A crucial part of closing the gap, supporting Indigenous business provides opportunities and positive change for both those in the business and the communities they support.
For such a small proportion of the Australian population, Indigenous Businesses have a lot to offer, both in the business sector and for their own communities. While October is a month to celebrate the achievements of Indigenous Businesses, it’s the everyday actions of consumers that contributes to their success. By consciously choosing supplies and services from Indigenous businesses, we can ensure the ongoing advancement of the sector and the communities that benefit.
