Becoming IBIR verified was an easy decision for me, because being a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated business is not just a statement for marketing purposes — it is who we are, it is our lived reality, and it is something I take immense pride in protecting.
As an Aboriginal business owner, I have worked hard to build something real, I completed my trade and wanted something that creates opportunities, supports families, contributes back into community, and shows our young people what is possible through hard work, resilience, and self-determination.
For me, Aboriginal business is not a trend, a procurement box to tick, or a commercial advantage to be leveraged without genuine connection. It represents culture, identity, accountability, and legacy.
That is exactly why verification matters.
Too often, genuine Aboriginal businesses are competing in spaces where the definition of “Indigenous business” can be diluted, misunderstood, or manipulated. When businesses are not authentically Aboriginal-led, yet still benefit from opportunities intended to support our people, it takes away from those who have done the hard work, carry the lived experience, and are genuinely reinvesting back into community.
Being 100% owner-operated means full accountability sits with me. The decisions, the risk, the sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the responsibility to staff, clients, family, and community — that all sits with me. There are no silent majority shareholders, no token arrangements, no structures designed to look compliant while benefiting others behind the scenes.
For me, integrity matters deeply. If opportunities are created to support Aboriginal economic participation, then those opportunities should genuinely reach Aboriginal people and businesses in a meaningful way.
IBIR matters because it helps protect that integrity. It gives clients, procurement teams, and the broader market confidence that they are engaging with businesses that are authentic, transparent, and genuinely Aboriginal-owned.
To another Indigenous business owner who may be sitting on the fence, I would say this:
If your business is genuine, verification is not something to fear — it is something to stand proudly behind.
Protecting the integrity of Aboriginal business protects all of us. It protects future generations, it protects trust in the market, and it ensures the pathways being created today remain open for those who come after us.
As a community, we have fought too hard for visibility, recognition, and opportunity to allow those spaces to be diluted.
I am proud to stand behind being 100% Aboriginal owned and operated, and proud to support initiatives that protect the authenticity and strength of Indigenous business.