#1: Building an Innovative Business and a Healthy Mindset

Facilitator: Lindsay Beaulieu;  I Love Microgreens

Innovative and inspirational Métis businesswomen Lindsay Beaulieu will share her unique cultural journey and entrepreneurial lessons in this interactive workshop. Lindsay’s experience in building I love Microgreens will provide the foundation for this workshop with lessons on how to think and brainstorm innovatively, pivot when necessary and face competition confidently while maintaining an attitude of abundance. A healthy mindset is the foundation for genuine entrepreneurial innovation and this workshop will discuss how to build a resilient approach to business that includes tapping into Métis cultural strengths such as sharing, creativity, and tenacity.

#2: aen voyaazh (a journey): Growing a business from one person to a collective

Facilitator: Alicia Hibbert

In this session, Alicia will share her journey over the past few years of establishing and growing Edified Projects from just herself to a collective of sole proprietors. She will cover opportunities and challenges building a company while working full-time and share how the team has developed ways of working that are grounded in reciprocity, relationality, and respect. As a tangible takeaway for participants at any stage of entrepreneurship, Alicia will share how to use agile project management tools to support decision-making, prioritization, and planning processes; especially in those early phases of constant change and competing opportunities.

#3: Decolonizing your Brand: 

Facilitators: Robyn Ferguson and Melaina Goos, pipikwan pêhtâkwan

Robyn and Melaina will dive deep into values, ethics, symbolism and storytelling in this custom workshop. By embracing Indigenous storytelling, pipikwan pehtakwan will guide workshop participants through a short exercise to begin uncovering your brand. From there, we will discuss how colour, symbolism and storytelling is used in graphic design to provide Indigenous organizations and people with brands that are authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

#4: Ribbon Skirt Cultural Teaching

Facilitator: Alexa Lizotte; Desert Métis Creations

Join Métis artist and entrepreneur, Alexa Lizotte, as she dives into stories of the ribbon skirt and the importance it holds in Métis communities. Alexa will take you on her journey as an entrepreneur who has had ribbon skirts and beadwork as her anchor through the years. Alongside stories, participants will be engaging with the teachings to make a doll-sized ribbon skirt in this workshop.