“We are using our brand as a platform for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women”
In partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation’s 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Initiative, Startup Canada is celebrating and spotlighting leading Canadian Women Entrepreneurs. Startup Canada was pleased to sit down with Devon Fiddler, Founder & Chief Changemaker of SheNative Goods Inc to learn about their journey and the impact of their work.
Devon Fiddler is a Cree Mother of two, from the Waterhen Lake First Nation, in Saskatchewan. She’s a speaker, influencer, thought leader, and program developer. Devon has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Aboriginal Public Administration from the University of Saskatchewan and has completed numerous leadership, economic development, entrepreneurship, and business certificate programs in the last nine years.
In 2016, Devon received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the under 29 category and was named one of the top 5 SheEO Ventures of 2016. Most recently, in 2019, Devon received the Trailblazers & Innovators Award through the Bank of Montreal.
SC: In one sentence, what does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
DF: Entrepreneurship is making innovative solutions to everyday problems, and doing it in a way that brings value and profit together.
SC: Tell us about your entrepreneurial venture and what role it’s played in your life.
DF: SheNative is a brand of handbags and accessories dedicated to elevating Indigenous women and girls. We are using our brand as a platform for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women. It’s about bringing Indigenous women to the forefront of our platforms because they’re often portrayed negatively in the media. We want to bring positive awareness to Indigenous women while inspiring women toward economic independence by building confidence and promoting mindset changes for all women.
I am also a side-hustler and do contract work with communities and organizations that want to engage Indigenous women or Indigenous entrepreneurs into their programming.
SC: What motivated or propelled you to become an entrepreneur?
DF: I was working a job as a Business Development Officer with Meadow Lake Tribal Council in Northern Saskatchewan to promote entrepreneurship, and guide First Nations entrepreneurs to resources to help them build small businesses. Through this experience, I caught the entrepreneurship bug and decided to start my own business. My mentor Kendal Netmaker was one of the key people who inspired me to create a social impact brand.
SC: What are you most proud of related to your venture?
DF: I am proud of the community that we’ve built online. Our community is about moving forward, and thinking positively, and working with non-Indigenous people.
I am also proud of all the Indigenous women that worked with us over the years. Working at SheNative is like a training ground for building essential work skills—they learn customer service, social media marketing, time management, inventory management, administrative and basic bookkeeping.
I also mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. A few ladies who worked with me wanted to learn how to start their own business, so I geared all their employment training based on things that they need to know when they start their own business.
SC: What inspires you to keep going?
DF: Entrepreneurship can be tough. During the tough times, I sometimes wonder why I do it. But then I remember my why—making a difference in the Indigenous community—and that’s what keeps me going!
SC: What’s the next mountain you’re climbing and what’s still left undone?
DF: I have recently committed myself to growing SheNative into a bigger brand in the eCommerce space. There are so many things that I want to do with SheNative and I’m still figuring it out.
I want to create a way for SheNative to be an entrepreneurial income source for Indigenous women. I’ve been playing with different business models of how this would work best; franchising, home parties, influencers. Retail doesn’t do as well in our area, so we need to adapt. We’re working on shifting our business model to be able to do that, and analyzing what will work best. Strategizing and building business models is probably my favourite part of being an entrepreneur because I get to work on something new.
Operations management is a whole other skill set that I need to work on. Also—I want to build charity events. I want to build an entrepreneurial group for and by Indigenous women entrepreneurs completely free of political, institutional, and organizational agendas.
There’s so much that I want to do, but I’m also a mom to two little toddlers, so I’m trying to pace myself.
SC: What has been your biggest learning along the way?
DF: Cash is king—and without a positive cash flow, doing business is hard. I have recently done a lot—and I mean a lot—of personal mindset work around money, and also educating myself on how to be a better financial manager.
I’m a hands-on learner—I need to learn by doing—so, I learned how to do my own books. Knowing how to do it yourself first is key to understanding how things work. Then, using the knowledge you have, you can then teach someone else how to do it, and you know what you’re talking about when you hire someone to do it for you.
That goes for anything—know your business well first, and set up processes for your employees to follow.
SC: Have you identified or confronted any systemic barriers through your journey (e.g. sexism, racism, ageism, funding, etc.)? How do you persevere through them?
DF: All of them! I think there will always be systemic barriers for Indigenous women, but it’s learning how to speak for yourself and stand up for yourself when it happens.
Early on, I didn’t speak up for myself. I stayed quiet when I felt I wasn’t treated properly. When working with certain organizations, I sometimes wondered if the others were treated differently. But because I decided to keep to myself, I will never know. I will only know what my experiences were.
I now speak more openly about barriers and things that I’ve had to deal with. For example, if I am speaking to a group, and if I feel like I am not resonating with the group—and often I know from the vibe that it’s in a racial context—I try to shift the topic to one the group might resonate with more.
I had a terrible experience when speaking to a high school in an area that has high racial tensions, and I heard snickering when I was sharing personal experiences. It was hard. I decided to shift the focus to entrepreneurship, and not talk about my experiences as an Indigenous woman. I made the decision to protect myself at that point.
It can be exhausting trying to share your point of view on certain topics like MMIWG or the Colten Boushie case. I sometimes just shut down, and decide that I’m not having that conversation. It’s a defence mechanism, I guess.
I persevere by surrounding myself with positive people as much as possible, and with other entrepreneurs.
SC: What advice do you have for those just beginning to embark on their entrepreneurial journey?
DF: Be brave. Entrepreneurship is not always easy, so you need to be committed to growing constantly, and making big, bold decisions on a regular basis. It’s got to become the new norm for you.
When starting, focus on keeping your expenses low, and having more revenue in the beginning. Take as many financial planning, bookkeeping, financial literacy, and money mindset courses as possible. It’s the key to surviving and thriving in business.
SC: Where can people go to learn more about your journey and organization?
DF: You can learn about SheNative on our website, and you can Google SheNative to find different past articles by us.
SC: What is your big vision for Canada and the World over the next 20 years?
DF: That Canada is a place that honours and respects Indigenous ways of knowing, and reconciliation is achieved.
SC: What do you think today’s entrepreneurs should be focused on for a better, brighter future?
DF: Ways to positively impact their community and solve community issues; people, planet, and profit can co-exist.
Are you looking for a community of empowered women entrepreneurs? Join the Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurs Network to gain access to resources, community events, and more!