Leading from Country: Indigenous Women Leading the Change Towards New Ecosystems of Business
The Future Weavers initiative has launched a suite of materials spotlighting the Indigenous women entrepreneurs shaping new ecosystems of business and leadership in the Kimberley region.
At Violet Co Legal Consulting, we are proud to be part of a significant body of work that amplifies the leadership of Indigenous women in the Kimberley using business as a tool for cultural continuity, self-determination and systems change.
The Future Weavers initiative, a movement led by Natasha Short and her business, Kimberley Jiyigas, as well as Maganda Makers Business Club, has recently launched a suite of materials illustrating how Indigenous women are reorienting the systems of enterprise they have often been excluded from and becoming leaders in this space. Supported by the Menzies Leadership Foundation, Good Return and First Australians Capital, these resources reveal how Indigenous entrepreneurs are building new futures grounded in culture, kinship and Country.
Ecosystem Mapping: ‘Indigenous Women in Business’
Violet Co had the privilege of working with the Future Weavers initiative to develop the Ecosystem Mapping, titled ‘Indigenous Women in Business’.
This mapping serves as a visual and thematic summary of the ecosystem Indigenous women work with and within, which highlights the gaps, assets, and pathways for systemic change. The resource presents an easily digestible map of the complex landscape which Indigenous women entrepreneurs are navigating and changing. By understanding the challenges which First Nations women have had to overcome, and how these systems inherently exacerbate them, we can begin to help build towards the more supportive and effective systems that these entrepreneurs are innovating.
Read the Ecosystem Mapping: Indigenous Women in Business here.
The full suite of launched materials also includes:
A Narrative Analysis, ‘Engaging in the System’, offering a values-led reflection on how Indigenous women in the Kimberley experience — and are reshaping — the business and capital advisory ecosystem, and;
A Case Study Collection, ‘The Ecosystems They Navigate’, featuring in-depth stories from five Kimberley women entrepreneurs — candid, courageous accounts of venturing in community, navigating systemic barriers, and building legacy.
What these findings reveal…
These materials collectively reveal how the current systems intended to support Indigenous entrepreneurship are often fragmented, transactional, and actually harming the communities they are supposed to support.
Yet, despite these significant barriers, these materials also reveal that Indigenous women entrepreneurs are shifting the dynamics of these systems, leading with incredible determination and innovation, to develop culturally aligned business models that integrate sustainability, intergenerational wealth, healing, and care for Country.
As Future Weavers leader, Natasha Short, writes, “Wealth means more than money. It means creating forms of wealth that strengthen our community and culture. Self-employment gives us the freedom to apply our knowledge and connections in ways that align with our values and obligations.”
These businesses are not just economic ventures. They are acts of leadership — and tools for social change.
Systems change requires a systemic response
The Future Weavers initiative is not just presenting a report on these changes - they are calling for action, and inviting us to listen.
These resources make clear that supporting Indigenous women in business requires moving beyond transactional models and short-term programs. Instead, we must invest in long-term, place-based, trauma-informed, and Indigenous-led systems of support.
This means:
• Prioritising cultural knowledge as a legitimate form of business expertise
• Supporting the development of a Kimberley Indigenous Chamber of Commerce
• Addressing systemic gaps in capital access, training, and ecosystem coordination
• Investing in “personal smarts,” not just business and money smarts
• Understanding that business success in this context is defined by legacy, community benefit, and self-determination — not just profit or scale
How you can help
We invite you to engage with these powerful resources. Start with the narrative, explore the systems (especially the Ecosystem Mapping we authored), and share the incredible stories of leadership. By listening meaningfully and acting in solidarity, we can walk together towards reshaping business landscapes - to embrace complexity, value lived experience and support Indigenous voices to lead on their own terms.
“Business isn’t separate from who we are — it’s how we care for our families, uphold our knowledge, and stay on Country” - A Maganda Makers Business Club participant.
We are incredibly proud to have been part of the ecosystem of allies which brought these achievements to light, and to help promote the Indigenous women who are driving the future of business as a tool not just for profit, but for community, Country and purpose.
This work is a testament to collaboration and leadership, driven by the women of the Kimberley themselves, and could not have been possible without the deep commitment and joint efforts of partners like Kimberley Jiyigas, Maganda Makers Business Club, Good Return, First Australians Capital, Trust Waikato (NZ), the Criterion Institute and the Menzies Leadership Foundation.
Explore the full reports below:
🔗 Engaging in the System
🔗 Ecosystem Mapping Summary
🔗 Case Study Collection
