Let’s be honest… sometimes talking about financial issues can feel pretty far away from our everyday lives. It can feel like the way we spend or save has little impact on the things we want to see happening in our broader community. It can feel as if all of the good we try to do for ourselves may not be having an impact in the future. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reality is, that every time we make a decision to invest in ourselves or invest in other First Nations businesses or initiatives, we are forming stronger links to each other, we are lifting each other up and ultimately, we are mending holes in a financial system that has historically disadvantaged First Nations people.

Money talks, and when we spend money with Aboriginal owned businesses, we are saying that we support each other and that we want to continue seeing a thriving marketplace in which First Nations people are able to make use of cultural knowledge, creativity, ingenuity and skill to create a better future for all of us. We are allowing the incredible depth of skill First Nations people have to shine, and saying that we value that.

However, in doing this we need to ensure that the way we spend our money really does go back into the pockets of First Nations people, and that it does continue to benefit the growth of Aboriginal businesses. This will ensure that there is both opportunity to create new businesses and grow those that already exist and provide a product or service. Because as I’ve learned from personal experience and research, there is a ton of gammin businesses out there trying to make a dollar off First Nations design and culture.

What to look out for

When looking to spend money with a business that is claiming to provide Aboriginal items or services, always have a look at their mission statement and if they don’t have a mission statement that covers some basic info, maybe shoot them a simple email that asks a few things. These questions could be really simple and might look like these examples.

• “Are you an entirely or majority First Nations owned business?”
• “Do you employ entirely or a number of First Nations staff?”
• “Do First Nations artists or makers receive fair credit and payment for their work?” and so on.

A First Nations-owned business will often be proud about these aspects of what they do, and will either show it or be happy to answer questions like this. The things you have to be careful of is when a business seems to intentionally ignore these questions, or vaguely describe the authenticity of what they do.

You can also use tools such as Trading Blak (link), an Aboriginal-owned and operated space that support and promotes First Nations-owned businesses of many different types. Trading Blak is a great way to discover new businesses and spend ethically, but also to make sure you’re doing this in a way where there is no ambiguity around where your hard earned money goes.

In the end it’s up to us what we spend our money on, but one thing is for certain, investing back into First Nations people is always going to be a smart choice for our collective future.

Like every article on TomorrowMoney, this is not personal financial advice.