DBA graduate wants to remove barriers for Indigenous entrepreneurs

Indigenous entrepreneurs face systemic barriers which can hinder their success and ability to open or maintain a business. Discrimination and colonial practices, inadequate infrastructure in remote communities, a lack of culturally relevant business support and intergenerational trauma are some of the limiting factors impacting Indigenous entrepreneurs in Canada. 

First Nations Entrepreneurial Support Organizations were created to mitigate the risks of Indigenous business ownership, by offering financial support, culturally relevant business advice and education opportunities. However, these organizations also have their weaknesses, as recent Doctor of Business Administration graduate Tasha Brooks has experienced.

Brooks launched a consulting business in 2019, after completing her Master of Business Administration from Vancouver Island University. At the same time, she was working as a Term Prof. for Indigenous Studies at VIU and juggling a role as President of the Quw'utsun Kw'atl'kwa Enterprises Ltd. Board of Directors. 

Despite her impressive resumé, Brooks was unsuccessful in her attempts to access funding from FNESOs for her small business. 

“I’ve tried numerous times to access these supports and have never been successful,” says Brooks. “I wanted to explore if this is a common story or if there’s some areas that could benefit from this research.” 

Her dissertation revealed the gaps she experienced are widespread, and though almost $130 million in funding support exists across all FNESOs in the country, the majority is not accessible due to the barriers Brooks identified. 

Brooks conducted in-depth case studies of three FNESOs – two on Vancouver Island and one outside the province. To get the full picture, she started by interviewing the staff at each organization, before speaking with Indigenous entrepreneurs within the organization’s catchment region. Different findings emerged from both sides of the conversation. 

She found that while partnerships and relationships are a strength from the organizations’ perspective, that was also a weakness that came up in her interviews with the entrepreneurs. For a successful funding application, entrepreneurs need support from their First Nations band, whether in the form of a council resolution or business licence. According to the entrepreneurs Brooks spoke with, to gain that band council support is not always a straightforward process, because of a lack of clear process between the FNESO and the band. 

“If that relationship was strengthened between the entrepreneurial support organizations and First Nations bands, I think that would really streamline the whole application process,” says Brooks. 

Brooks wasn’t surprised that financial support emerged as a strength, as one of the organizations involved had the capacity to provide millions of dollars of support per application. However, like any other loan, entrepreneurs need to provide an equity requirement to be eligible, which proved to be a barrier for many of the entrepreneurs she spoke with. 

She also found that systemic barriers, stemming from the Indian Act, are working against entrepreneurs in this process. For example, the reserve system prevents Indigenous entrepreneurs from using their land as collateral for the application’s equity requirement. 

To counter existing systemic barriers, Brooks noted FNESOs make a point to embed cultural practices into their operations, prioritizing relationality and connections with entrepreneurs and First Nations bands in their catchment. Another strength of the support organizations, she recognized, is their ability to host workshops, conferences and other education opportunities to try to mitigate some of the barriers Indigenous entrepreneurs are facing. 

In her capacity as Assistant Professor in RRU’s School of Business and member of the Indigenous Scholars Circle, Brooks says she looks forward to adding to this research. She’s interested in quantifying how much support is truly needed to help all Indigenous entrepreneurs across Canada, and looking at how the application process could be improved for accessibility. 

As a mother to a four-year-old, Brooks was proud to complete her doctoral program while balancing family life. She shares this message to other moms: 

"I want to encourage other women who might feel like they have to choose between family and academics: You don’t have to choose. You can do both."

Brooks successfully completed her doctorate and walked across the stage at the 2024 Fall Convocation ceremonies.