American Indian Business

American Indian business is booming. The number of American Indian– and Alaska Native–owned businesses increased by 15.3 percent from 2007 to 2012—a time when the total number of US businesses increased by just 2 percent—and receipts grew from $34.4 million in 2002 to $8.8 billion in 2012. Despite this impressive growth, there is an absence of small businesses on reservations, and Native Americans own private businesses at the lowest rate per capita for any ethnic or racial group in the United States. Many Indigenous entrepreneurs face unique cultural and practical challenges in starting, locating, and operating a business, from a perceived lack of a culture of entrepreneurship and a suspicion of capitalism to the difficulty of borrowing start-up funds when real estate is held in trust and cannot be used as collateral. This book provides an accessible introduction to American Indian businesses, business practices, and business education. Its chapters cover the history of American Indian business from early trading posts to today’s casino boom; economic sustainability, self-determination, and sovereignty; organization and management; marketing; leadership; human resource management; tribal finance; business strategy and positioning; American Indian business law; tribal gaming operations; the importance of economic development and the challenges of economic leakage; entrepreneurship; technology and data management; business ethics; service management; taxation; accounting; and health-care management. American Indian Business also furthers the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in the study of American business practices in general and demonstrates the significant impact that American Indians have had on business, as well as their cultural contributions to management, leadership, marketing, economic development, and entrepreneurship.

What is the First Step in Developing a Successful Business Relationship with any American Indian Tribe? Understanding that relationships come first and business comes second! That pearl of wisdom and others is what you will take away from Working in Indian Country. It is the definitive work on how to successfully build trust and long-term working relationships with tribal leaders. Born out of nearly twenty years of working with American Indian tribes both as a federal official and as a seminar facilitator, Larry Keown's Working in Indian Country lays a foundation for relationship building based on redefining your leadership role through understanding history, trust, respect, honor, and tribal sovereignty. There is little doubt you will experience a paradigm shift in how you currently think about working with American Indian Tribes. Whether you are a government or corporate official, work for a non-profit organization, or merely have a personal interest about Working in Indian Country, this book will serve as your bible and should always be at "arms length" in your personal library. "Every organization dealing with American Indian tribes should have a line of top- management people who are familiar with the contents of this book." Jeff Sanders Chair, Dept of Sociology et al. Montana State University - Billings

By 2009, reverberations of economic crisis spread from the United States around the globe. As corporations across the United States folded, however, small businesses on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) continued to thrive. In this rich ethnographic study, Courtney Lewis reveals the critical roles small businesses such as these play for Indigenous nations. The EBCI has an especially long history of incorporated, citizen-owned businesses located on their lands. When many people think of Indigenous-owned businesses, they stop with prominent casino gaming operations or natural-resource intensive enterprises. But on the Qualla Boundary today, Indigenous entrepreneurship and economic independence extends to art galleries, restaurants, a bookstore, a funeral parlor, and more. Lewis's fieldwork followed these businesses through the Great Recession and against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding EBCI-owned casino. Lewis's keen observations reveal how Eastern Band small business owners have contributed to an economic sovereignty that empowers and sustains their nation both culturally and politically.

A comprehensive resource on the formation of tribal business entities. Hailed in Indian Country Today as offering "one-stop knowledge on business structuring," the Handbook reviews each type of tribal business entity from the perspective of sovereign immunity and legal liability, corporate formation and governance, federal tax consequences and eligibility for special financing. Covers governmental entities and common forms of business structures.

At one time Native American businesses were mostly dependent on tourism. The twentieth century marked the opening of numerous casinos on Indian reservations across the United States. Today these and many other Native American businesses—both on and off the reservations—are thriving. Despite powerful setbacks including a worsening economy, many Native Americans have managed to turn adversity into achievement. From office supply companies to restaurant chains, these businesses make up a growing part of the US economy in the twenty-first century. Many Native Americans who have enjoyed professional success now work to open doors for other tribe members to create better lives for themselves and future generations of Native people.

As American Indian Nations continue to grow and thrive in the twenty first century many have engaged in significant expansion of their business practices. Unfortunately, there are few resources to assist a practitioner in forming successful tribal contracts despite the fact that many tribal governments enter into hundreds of contracts a year. This book strives to provide such a resource. The book provides a general background that every practitioner should be aware of when either engaging in business transactions with tribes or providing representation to tribes when they contract with outside entities. It covers various areas of federal Indian law that have a significant impact on these relationships, and chapters written to give a practitioner an understanding of basic principles of tribal economies, contract drafting, and federal contract law. Also included are several sample contracts designed for tribes, including a professional services contract, a general consulting contract, and a master agreement. Book jacket.