ABSN Manitoba

Participants’ Views

In the interviews and focus groups conducted for this evaluation, participants provided a great deal of additional information about ABSN Manitoba and the following sections summarize their views.

Resource Provision

In general, the ABSN program in Manitoba provides Aboriginal entrepreneurs with useful business information, practical assistance for developing necessary skills, and referrals to other service providers. The amount of information available to entrepreneurs has increased considerably thanks to ABSN Manitoba, but there continues to be a need for specialized Aboriginal business information. Similarly, although funding for education and training activities has increased, these activities need better marketing. Some participant responses include:

... there are business resources that are out there now because of ABSN that never were... and probably would not have been.

They need more broad-scale teaching opportunities.

And if the entrepreneur’s doing it themselves but with guidance from ABSN and the Business Service Centre, that’s huge. They can get off on the right foot.

[on referring clients to ABSN] ... when you’re talking to clients, my first referral is, you need to go there first, because that’s where all the information is. Then you can start going through your other networking. It’s a beginning point.

User Characteristics

ABSN Manitoba has helped Aboriginal people become more aware of their options in business; they are no longer required to leave their communities in order to find a well-paying job. In addition, ABSN has initiated the process of improving the confidence of Aboriginal entrepreneurs and their personal empowerment in the business environment, and this encouragement needs to continue in order to maintain these gains. Comments include:

... not a lot of people know all of their options... But if you know that another career choice is being entrepreneur, well, that’s an option. If you don’t know that option is there, you’re just gonna, what are you gonna do? You’re gonna move to Winnipeg where there’s lots of nursing jobs, right? And you’re going to be removed from your community when maybe you could’ve been an entrepreneur and a leader for your community, right?

I think that being an entrepreneur or business is now becoming embedded in that group of people where that language was never used at all when I was a child, or very rarely.

Knowledge is power, but knowledge also gives you confidence to be successful in what you’re trying to achieve.

There is an increasing level of awareness of the ability to undertake self-employment, growth their confidence to undertake it (and foster their entrepreneurial spirit) and provide a support function to get it going.

ABSN Manitoba has devoted a large portion of its resources and attention toward educating Aboriginal youth about possible options for the future; as a result, some youth now see entrepreneurship as a viable alternative that will allow them to remain in their communities. It is easiest to effect change on a large scale by influencing youth first, because the results will eventually affect all areas of life. Some examples of comments include:

You’ve got all these youths that need direction, that need opportunities, to get involved in something that’s worthwhile.

... when you look at the demographics, the stats on the population, it’s young people is the majority of our population and they’re the ones that are starting to look at starting up businesses, getting information, you know, maybe especially out in the communities and linking the rural to urban...

We find it easier to work with the youth who don’t have all the old attitudes. We can affect more change that way. There are some very personable young people!

Aboriginal entrepreneurs’ needs are changing and ABSN Manitoba will need to remain current in order to ensure maximum impact. Aboriginal businesses are becoming more integrated with the mainstream, possibly because the number of programs targeted only at Aboriginals is decreasing and entrepreneurs are recognizing that non-Aboriginal society provides a new market. Furthermore, due to an increased desire for business expansion, there is an increased need for individuals to build their networks. In order to meet the new needs that accompany established, growing businesses, participants suggested that ABSN should change to a support model, providing support when necessary rather than providing information or direction. Some responses include:

This program has/ will continue to see a change, to more of a support model, will move away from generating entrepreneurship to supporting it. For example, the business plan competition—there is more interest than there was five years ago. They need to shift to more pre-care and after-care, financing for clients.

... a new generation of Aboriginal businessperson is emerging that is going to have to be more competitive and more mainstream…

Cultural barriers coming down to a degree, there is not the stigma there use to be to have an Aboriginal-run business.

Community Factors

The communities in which Aboriginal people live influence their attitudes towards business and the opportunities they have, but many Aboriginal communities lack resources. Despite this fact, however, there is a need for Aboriginal entrepreneurs to remain in, and contribute to, their communities while having a well-paying job. Aboriginal clients are more likely to access services from Aboriginal-run programs than from governmental programs; there is a need for targeted business services in order to ensure that useful business information is reaching these entrepreneurs. For example:

People don’t want to leave their communities, so they look around for their natural resources, so there’s a lot of stuff, tourism, in the community now.

I think also the realization that in a lot of Aboriginal environments, self employment and entrepreneurship are going to be really the opportunity for people, you know, we’re not establishing large manufacturers, you know, big employers, in a lot of locations. And the reality is that’s how they’re going to have to live.

It’s important to make that distinction because a lot of people on reserve or in First Nations communities don’t want to have to come into the city and they don’t want their youth to come into the city. They want the youth to have opportunities on reserve so I think that that’s important and I think the maintenance of that.

A lot of services up until now have been provided by governments and in the last few years or the last year there’s more of a push, at least an awareness, that Aboriginal people are better served by doing things themselves...

Programming

Participants suggested that ABSN Manitoba should take several factors into consideration. First, it is easier to help a person effectively through face-to-face contact, particularly if a personal relationship exists. Providing services in a variety of locations, and not only the ABSN sites, allows service delivery to be more effective and helps to build relationships. Clients often knew the person who delivered ABSN services but not the program itself. Second, in order to ensure that information can be easily disseminated, the technological infrastructure should be improved to provide Internet access and electronic equipment to communities that do not have access currently; this process has begun, but remains ongoing. Participants noted that:

[on outreach] It’s easier to move one person than twenty students. But it just shows a lot of willingness to reach out and teach and share.

I don’t know if you guys feel the same way, but if there was two or three [Coordinator’s name] kicking around, maybe that would be a good thing.

The clients feel that there is someone here that they can relate to. I take extra time to make sure they get the right information, I write it down in language they can understand.

ABSN has focused on awareness, now we need to turn to technical infrastructure. Right now, CMBSC website is accessible with neat functions, but many communities can’t access it.

It’s not only providing resources, but its also providing Internet technology that they may not have had.

Networking

ABSN Manitoba promotes networking for both individuals and organizations. Individual entrepreneurs need to develop their business networks in order to expand their businesses, while service providers enjoy learning about each other’s activities. Conferences should consider the needs of both individuals and organizations and involve both in order to be effective. Some examples of comments include:

... it’s fine to say that you’ve got a network, but you’ve got to know who to network with.

I think they [i.e. ABSN] provide a forum for that networking and, you know, sharing information.

I try to partner with everybody because it’s an opportunity to get involved in initiatives...

... these meetings are helpful because you get to see other organizations that I probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to hear about what they’re doing and what’s going on.

Issues

Participants identified several issues related to Aboriginal entrepreneurship and the ABSN program in Manitoba.

Awareness

While awareness of ABSN services has increased, participants suggested that name recognition with regard to the ABSN program is not necessarily present; people know what services are provided and where to access them, but are not aware of the name of the agency. For example:

There’s more awareness... in general, people have wanted to be in business or start something of their own but they’ve never known where to go or what to do or how do we even start.

I think they may not know that they know about ABSN when in fact that they do.

Funding

Participants commented that funding is the largest barrier for Aboriginal entrepreneurs and it is difficult to find sufficient funding to start a business. ABSN Manitoba attempts to help potential entrepreneurs come into contact with lenders and investors. Comments addressed that:

I’m starting from scratch with nothing at all and that has been a great obstacle. Whether it’s the Native community, White, Black, anything, that is a big, big obstacle is trying to find the funds.

[ABSN] just acts as a conduit to all these financial opportunities and pass it on.

Capacity building

Capacity building is essential for potential Aboriginal entrepreneurs. Inexperience makes it more difficult to find assistance when it is needed, to know where to look for information, and to build a network. In particular, students have a great deal of inexperience, but by providing potential entrepreneurs with experience at a young age, this problem can be circumvented in the future. Participants noted:

I think inexperience is a huge barrier.

Love to see an internship program where we can bring people in and give them the experience so that they can keep a coordinator for a while and have the students here and bring the experience out to the community and help out the communities.

ABSN linkages

There is a need for better linkages between the ABSN programs in the various regions and there should be a national ABSN coordinator to provide more direction. Some examples of comments include:

If we had quarterly meetings, we could share. There is a need for a national coordinator.

One of the weaknesses of ABSN nationally is that there is no Aboriginal business coordinator. They did try and did run two competitions but the individuals were subsequently whisked away to other jobs. What about a pan-Western coordinator? Don’t know. It adds another layer. If the four coordinators had a good network, it would encourage having a pan-Western meeting.

Stability

ABSN needs stable funding over a longer term in order to deliver services most effectively and to have program continuity. There is high turnover among ABSN Coordinators due to their inability to plan in the long term. This weakens the program by decreasing continuity, although it does promote transfer of skills to other organizations. Participants suggested that:

... you need long term funding to keep producing that positive spin off too, any kind of initiative, Aboriginal or not.

They have had huge turnover in ABSN staff—they are cherry-picked.

There is a lot of turnover, it happens often. There are contract positions and programs and they end suddenly. It is a term thing, a short-term fix. It is disheartening. What do you tell clients? These programs could be annual but clients could be left hanging if the program is pulled.

Suggestions for the Future

Participants in the focus groups and interviews provided a number of suggestions to improve the ABSN Manitoba. Some of their suggestions related to continuing current aspects of the program. In particular, they suggested that ABSN should continue to promote personal empowerment, to work with Aboriginal youth, and to emphasize the importance of a personal relationship between client and service provider. These program components were seen to be very important to service provision, which was seen to be excellent, and should be continued in the future.

Other suggestions dealt with specific needs or changes necessary to provide the best service possible and included:

Increased project funding over the long-term would permit the ABSN program in Manitoba to provide continuing, effective services.
Business information should be customized for the Aboriginal population and business services should be targeted to Aboriginal clients.
The program needs to adapt to the changing needs of its audience; in particular, ABSN should assist clients in integrating with non-Aboriginal business and should adapt its program to meet the needs of established, growing businesses along with new businesses.
ABSN should consider the networking needs of both individuals and organizations and attempt to aid both in establishing and widening their professional networks.
The technological infrastructure present in Manitoba, particularly in rural and remote communities, should be further improved in order to provide access to online information for clients in those communities.
ABSN should work to increase awareness of the program and name recognition among the Aboriginal population in order to provide effective service to a larger population.
Problems commonly faced by Aboriginal entrepreneurs should also be dealt with in order to promote Aboriginal entrepreneurship; specifically, Aboriginal entrepreneurs have problems finding individual funding and overcoming inexperience.
More networking across the four Western provinces would be helpful and perhaps there should be a national coordinator.

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