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The time is now for
She Rises Collective.

Indigenous women have experienced economic oppression.

Evidence of this is seen as early as 1779 during the Sullivan’s Expedition/Campaign, when George Washington order troops to destroy Haudenosaunee corn fields, apple orchards and villages as an act of agricultural warfare.

We must capitalize on the upward trend seen recently of women owning businesses despite the following statistics:

  • Smaller share of total businesses
  • More growth, but less revenue
  • In most cases, slower growth
  • Revenue disparity

Native American / Alaskan Native Business Women Stats

Sources:
 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report  by American Express
Minority Business Development Agency Fact Sheets

Of 28 million businesses in the U.S., women own 39%.

Alaskan Native businesses account for 1.4% of those. In other words, we own just 161,500 companies.

Our revenue is half that of other women-owned businesses.


While caucasian-owned business revenue has grown, ours remains the same.


We have the lowest growth of all women-owned businesses of color.


And the second-lowest number of all race/ethnicities.

Source: American Express 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report

Trends in number of firms, employment, and revenues for women-owned businesses by racial/ethnic group.

NUMBER OF FIRMS:

Race/ethnicity2019 Number of Firms% Chg
2014-2019
Annual % Chg
2014-2019
% Chg
2018-2019
Share of All Women-Owned Businesses
All women-owned firms12,943,35321.3%3.9%5.4%100%
All minority-owned firms6.417,40742.8%7.4%10.2%50%
African American/Black2,681,17949.8%8.4%11.6%21%
Asian American1,369,34837.4%6.6%9.0%9%
Latina/Hispanic2.346,19039.6%6.9%9.5%18%
Native American/
Alaska Native
180,31625.5%4.7%6.4%1.4%
Non-minority owned firms6,525,9465.6%1.1%1.1%50%

The Disparity Between Non-Minority and Minority Woman Owned companies is increasing.

Closing this revenue gap would create 4 mil new jobs and $981 billion in revenue

SOURCE: 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report by American Express

She Rises Collective
must provide Indigenous Women in Business with:

  • community through networking and mentorship
  • educational opportunities including financial literacy, business plans, and marketing
  • connection to resources and organizations
  • access to startup funding – loans and venture capital
  • representation in the business world and change the narrative of Indigenous Women in Business
  • inspiration through role models and mentors that change perceptions
  • equity through pay that encourages successful women entrepreneurs 

“To be sure, centuries of colonization and subjugation on this continent have greatly affected Indigenous communities, particularly women.

On top of high levels of unemployment and poverty, Indigenous women are at greater risk for gender-based violence and discrimination, and all of these factors also come into play when considering professional barriers against Indigenous women.

On top of this, when it comes to career aspirations, statistical evidence links minority representation in a profession to the success rate of minorities in that field. And, historically, Indigenous representation has been lacking.”