28 Oct ‘Actions Today, Impact Tomorrow’ Indigenous Business Month with Curijo CEO Belinda Kendall

To celebrate Indigenous Business Month in October, we sat down with Curijo CEO Belinda Kendall to explore the theme of “Actions Today, Impact Tomorrow” through series of questions to share our learnings and inspire others, making our collective future as Indigenous Business Leaders even more successful.

Is there a person whose actions have a positive impact on your business journey?

There have been many people who have impacted my business journey and surrounding yourself with support is the key. When I first started in business, Flic Ryan was my support. Flic is an Aboriginal awesome woman who was a huge impact and shared her knowledge of business. My business partners Tina and Darren have had a huge impact, working together and sharing along with working through challenges has supported my growth in business. Another person who has impacted me in business is Michelle Evans, her support and knowledge sharing has been awesome and her approach is fabulous to assist with confidence.

What is their impact? ACTIONS TODAY. IMPACT TOMORROW.

As above, the sharing and relationship impacts me today and tomorrow. The sharing of business knowledge and support impacts me tomorrow and ongoingly to keep me going on my business journey.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a business owner and what are the tools you’ve developed to help you?

The biggest challenge for me is confidence, coming from working in operations at various levels into corporate has been a massive change. There are many tools that assist in development for me, these are the conversations and being challenged through to formal business learning which formally begun through participating in the MURRA Indigenous Business Masterclass.

What tips do you have for someone starting out in business?

Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and are patient. Make sure you do your research and have the correct business model that works for you and what you are trying to achieve.

What are the most important skills to develop to support business success?

There are so many skills needed and I don’t believe that any one person has all the skills required. It is about your business network, so having skills to pull together a strong network is important along with continuing to develop individual skills and knowledge in business across all components is key. Being relationship-based to build a network is fundamental.

If you were to start a business again, what would you do differently?

I would have my plan on paper and not just in my head, when I first started as a sole trader I just did it and I feel that if I had a plan written out which had all the areas of business it would have been a lot easier.

What actions do you think are important for business to take today, impacting tomorrow for the better?

Having a vision and plan and leading through role modelling. It is about being able to give back through various ways to family and community.

Where do you draw your inspiration from today as business owner?

I draw inspiration on a daily basis from my family, wanting to leave a legacy for them and be a positive role model showing that you can do anything you put your mind to. I draw inspiration from my late parents, they were hard working and business owners who paved the way for me. I am inspired to achieve to the best of my ability.

What do you think business will have to do better to succeed in future?

All businesses must focus on people, without people there is no business. Self-care is fundamental. I feel that social impact is so important and incorporating this into your business assists in being a successful business alongside supporting change for others.

How do you support People and Country through your business?

We work in various areas to support people and country, we provide a lot of pro bono support, sponsorships, employment opportunities and sharing knowledge, the work we do supports people from grass roots through to supporting policy change. It takes contributions in all areas to support people and country.

What is your impact as an Indigenous Business today?

I believe that our business impacts in many ways, it is about providing opportunity for employment, sharing knowledge and experience to support other Aboriginal businesses, being a part of Aboriginal business networks, the work we do in Aboriginal Affairs supports change and giving back through sponsorship. Casinos in Queensland: https://aussie-online-casinos.com/land-based/casinos-in-queensland.html These are a few of the ways we impact and we identify ways of impact ongoingly.

Who else needs to take action to support this impact?

All Australians need to take action to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business and communities. We constantly work towards social change for the better, as an Aboriginal business we support change for all communities across Australia. Working together to improve outcomes is everyone’s business and we need to look at needs, truly listen to those needs and walk alongside. Organisations can implement many strategies to support action for change whether it is Government, corporate through to small business, all need to challenge western constraints and bring humanistic approaches back that have been lost due to greed.

How can we support the next generation of Indigenous Business leaders?

We must share our knowledge and support our younger generation in business as we are paving the way for them just as the people who have come before us have done for us. We mustn’t be selfish, sharing and caring is required.

For more information on Indigenous Business Month visit: https://www.indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au/