What are the top 3 values you hold with respect to developing Indigenous leadership?
1. I am very determined – it drives me when
people tell me that I can’t do something.
2. Brotha Boy is based on innovation – I like to
see the look on people’s faces when they walk
into the shop and go “wow”. When they look
at something different and love it.
3. Being able to truly empower others – one of
the trainees we had graduated 2 years ago and then he became the BrothaBoy Manager. He looks after the lot. And now he is launching his own fashion label internally within BrothaBoy and we will continue to support him with business mentoring and business infrastructure while he gets established.
That is the end game right there.
Who inspires you the most?
To be honest with you, I’m heavily influenced by hip-hop artists in America.
They were artists first and then they took their art (music) and created business empires with strong brands linked to their identities – when you do something like that, you can then continue to support yourself and work with others for the rest of your life.
In terms of successes like those, Australia is about 40 years behind the African Americans so I think it’s a great place where we can learn and keep pushing those boundaries here in our own country.
Take someone like 50 Cent, for example. To come from where he was and get to where he is now is amazing.
I also do what I do for my Community – everything I do is based on doing good for the mob.
I want to impact the youth space by growing sustainable businesses that get that engagement and participation from the start.
I love to figure out what works in business, what doesn’t work and where those grey areas are to look at new opportunities to launch something new.
Watching other young people come into this space is really rewarding.
What are 3 key factors that will make an impact in the development of Indigenous leaders over the next 5 – 10 years?
1. Being very aware of the grey areas in life – it’s not
all just black and white.
2. Definitely not relying on government funding and
grants. We need to make sure we have
3. Understanding cultural differences – for the
broader community to understand and embrace those differences not just try and make us all the same.