nervously asked if she would consider leaving that secure career and joining her fledgling business, her mother’s answer was immediate: yes, she would. Cameron was stunned. She warned her mother there were no guarantees. The business could fail. She could lose everything. Yet her mother remained committed, and her positive response remains one of the defining moments of Cameron’s life. “You gave up your childhood to help me raise my family,” her mother told her. “Now it’s my turn to help you raise yours.” The memory still moves Cameron deeply. “It was the best gift she could ever give me,” she says. OVERCOMING BARRIERS Building an Indigenous-owned busi- ness in Canada came with barriers few other entrepreneurs encounter. Access to financing was limited. Mentorship opportunities were almost non-existent. Banks often demanded collateral that Indigenous entrepreneurs living on reserve simply could not provide. Even within Indigenous spaces, Cameron frequently found herself needing to prove her legitimacy. For years, she pursued contracts that required her to jump through extra hoops simply to demonstrate that she was capable of delivering. She recalls investing hundreds of dollars in product samples for one major opportunity, only to lose the contract after being subjected to additional requirements not imposed on other companies. Still, Cameron refused to quit. That determination was tested again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtually over- night, the events and promotional products industries ground to a halt. Conferences disappeared. Orders stopped. Employees had to be laid off. For the first time in her entrepre- neurial journey, Cameron wondered how she would survive. Rather than surrender, however, Cameron adapted. Transforming existing inventory into an e-commerce operation, she launched what would become Indigenous Nations Apparel Company (INAC). The quick pivot generated enough revenue to keep the business afloat and eventually evolved into an entirely new company. Despite her challenges and extraordi- nary success, Cameron remains focused on the future. “I don’t believe in failure,” she says. “Failure is the decision to stop trying. And I will never stop trying.” For Cameron, entrepreneurship has never been solely about building wealth. It has always been about building opportunity, creating jobs and supporting families. Most importantly, it’s about proving that Indigenous busi- nesses not only belong in Canada’s economy; they help define its future. If Canadians want to understand what reconciliation truly looks like, Cameron believes the answer is simple. “If there’s an Indigenous business out there that has a product or service you need, support them,” she says. “That is what reconciliation in action looks like.” COMBATTING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION Michelle Cameron operates one of the largest Indigenous-owned promotional products businesses in Canada. Growth and success do, however, come with their unique challenges. As first reported by CBC News, Cameron alleges that fast-fashion giant Shein reproduced numerous Indigenous designs without permission. It was more than just an attack by a huge global player on one successful Indigenous entrepreneur. It proved a cautionary tale for every Indigenous artist, designer and creative business owner. Cameron built Indigenous Nations Apparel Company (INAC) by investing years of work, cultural knowledge, and collaboration with Indigenous artists whose creations carry deep meaning and provide direct financial benefits through royalties. Yet as her experience demonstrates, global corporations and online marketplaces can reproduce Indigenous designs without permission, recognition or compensation, often leaving creators with few practical or affordable options for legal protection. The alleged appropriation of designs connected to significant, sensitive issues such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls underscores the profound cultural harm that accompanies intellectual property theft. Cameron’s experience serves as a powerful reminder that as Indigenous art and fashion continue to gain international recognition, stronger protections, greater public awareness, and meaningful respect for Indigenous intellectual property rights are urgently needed to ensure Indigenous creators can share their cultures without fear of exploitation. 44 A CCIB PUBLICATION Fall 2026 CEO SPOTLIGHT Indigenous Nations Apparel Company, one of Cameron's three companies, sells authentic Indigenous clothing and giftware
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