A RANGE of Indigenous businesses from across Sunraysia gathered at the Powerhouse Precinct on Tuesday to yarn about business ideas.
The Indigenous Business Expo was a two-hour-long initiative to connect more than 100 people with business coaches, and give them inspiration to get started as entrepreneurs.
Several support agencies including Asuria, Many Rivers, Indigenous Business Australia, the Australian Taxation Office and National Indigenous Australians Agency were on deck to provide guidance, while others shared their success stories.
Michael Gilby from First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation spoke about how the organisation had grown from a mere idea to now employing 35 Indigenous people, running a native nursery production facility and Australia's largest native seed bank.
The corporation had also recently received a contract for 10 rangers to commence pre-preparation work at Lock 11 Island, ahead of the Trail of Lights installation next year.
Meantime, Chris Clark and Nick Burke from Indigenous Project Management, a private company which originally specialised in plumbing, spoke about how they are now venturing out to electrical and building industry.
Working alongside BHP, they secured a contract to build dozen of cabins at the Carrapateena copper mine near Woomera in South Australia.
One of the most recent beneficiaries of the knowledge and guidance of the local support agencies is Kelly Mitchell, who started up her own business, Noongah's Cleaning Service.
It launched a year ago after eight months of guidance from Many Rivers, and Ms Mitchell now employs nine people.
"I see a lot of struggle in the community, I was one of them, it's very hard to find work when you don't have any qualifications," she said.
"You walk into business and look for a job and you don't have that confidence.
"But there's no such thing as you can't, because you can."
Since launching, Noongah's Cleaning Service now has contracts to clean offices at the Buronga substation at Arumpo Road, the First People of the Millewa Mallee, and various other locations in tandem with MDAS staff.
"I wanted to do that with my family so whenever I'm gone I've got something behind left for my kids, so my kids can say my mom had done this, she had set that up," Ms Mitchell said.
This year's Indigenous Business Expo was arranged by a mix of indigenous business support agencies, and Mildura Rural City Council.
