Plenty of entrepreneurs have found virtual ways to keep revenue flowing through the pandemic, though it hasn't been easy.
While 90% of businesses have experienced a negative impact on their operations, women-owned businesses are more likely to report a very negative outcome (61%, compared to 53% of men-owned), according to the Indigenous Business COVID-19 Response Taskforce’s COVID-19 Indigenous Business Impacts Survey.
In fact, the survey showed women-owned businesses are more likely to have experienced more than a 50% drop in revenue.
One Canadian woman combined her desire to support fellow Indigenous small businesswomen and keep those sales coming during these challenging times.
Two months ago, Michele Young-Crook launched a virtual Facebook group called Shop Indigenous Holiday Market with the help of her colleague Vanessa Lesperance.
"For a lot of women, making products and selling them at trade shows is their only source of revenue. So, I thought it would be ideal to create an accessible virtual vendor style marketplace for women to display their products," Young-Crook said in a news release.
The virtual market has quickly grown from 30 members to almost 38,000 members.
"Supporting Indigenous business is one easy thing all people can do to act towards economic reconciliation," the news release states.
One local artist with her wares for sale on the market is Himikalas Baker, founder of Copperknot Jewelry, which offers handmade west coast pieces.
Baker is Squamish Nation on her dad's side and lives in Capilano. She has Kwaguilth ancestry on her mother’s side.
"It is going great with this new page," Baker said of her current sales. "I have sold quite a bit through it."
Normally, her work is sold at trade and vendor shows.
That is impossible now due to the pandemic and is less lucrative than selling direct.
"It has been really tough going that route," she said.
Check out the market at “Shop Indigenous Holiday Market” on Facebook.
Find more of Baker's work on her site at www.copperknot.ca.
