Native Americans in Business

Native Americans, including Hawaiians, Alaskan, and American Indian natives add a lot of money to the US economy. This podcast covers how the Office of native American Affairs does it’s job to guarantee Native Americans of all sorts have adequate access to all the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs and services – thereby enabling them to exercise their entrepreneurial spirit.

Some highlights of the podcast:

Ron Johnson: The American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian populations are small. But it seems the entrepreneurial spirit runs large in these communities.

Clara Pratte: Yes, historically, American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians have always embraced small business ownership. At the time of European arrival in what is now America, there were thriving trade routes throughout this hemisphere. And commerce was not limited to North America. Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs traded goods between villages but also they navigated quite long distances to trade with other Pacific Islanders. And of course they quickly learned about international markets through their exposure to various travelers that came to their shores.

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Ron Johnson: What initiatives do you have specifically designed for Native Americans and tribal governments?

Clara Pratte: Well, for the last several months, my office has been engaged in extensive outreach in the Native community and this has included consultations, listening sessions and general outreach and education. In the upcoming months we will be providing more information on specific projects that we’ve just recently kicked off.

SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs: Engaging the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Native Americans
Featuring Clara Pratte, National Director of SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs

We’ll also learn about SBA’s government-to-government relationship with Native Americans.
( Transcript )

This is an excellent little introduction to what programs are available to small businesses owned by Native Americans. Don’t miss our other podcasts from the SBA here as well.