Who is the "customer" for the tribal citizen entrepreneurial ecosystem?
It’s important to understand firstly what you are producing or selling, and secondly who is in your market. To help with this, ask yourself: who is the intended beneficiary of the product or service I am offering? It is critical to firmly understand who lives in the community you are targeting, for this will inform who are you trying to sell to. Many reservation markets are ‘open’ which means your market may consist of both tribal and non-tribal members, forcing you to decide if you will sell to tribal members, non-tribal members, and/or both. Local market outlook - the people on the Reservation - is a good market to start selling to. After your local market is running well, you can focus on expanding. Usually, when sales start to flatline especially in the local market, I see Native entrepreneurs switch to an e-commerce model for their business. If you are selling goods, you should also consider whether you will sell only a certain product and how doing so could affect sales and profitability. Across all of this, always try to uphold community values.
Related Past Events:
The people of the Yakama Nation has had a deep connection to the forest and their land for countless generations. The nation is utilizing their traditional ways to advance community economic development through conservation, selling timber, and educational advancement. The nation is creating jobs, advancing the nation’s economic capacity, and providing educational opportunities for their members.