Local semi-finalist in business competition

One of Kahnawake’s own has been named as a semi-finalist in Pow Wow Pitch, an entrepreneurship competition pegged as the “Dragons’ Den” of the Indigenous business world.

“I’m truly proud of myself for getting here, for taking a chance,” said Kahnawa’kehró:non Molly Huntington, owner of Roots and Patterns. She designs clothing, accessories, and wallpaper, printed with her hand-drawn illustrations that are often reflective of the cultural traditions that have shaped her as an artist.

“It shows me that Roots and Patterns has real potential, and that my dream of building a successful, culturally-rooted business is possible.”

Huntington first heard about the Pow Wow Pitch competition when working at local business Sequoia Soaps. Michaelee Lazore owns the brand, which specializes in bath and body products, and was the winner of the Pow Wow Pitch competition in 2016.

Lazore was also a judge for the competition in 2021 and was honoured with an Indigenous Entrepreneur Award presented by the organization in association with Shopify in 2022.

Her involvement in the competition was a big inspiration for Huntington in deciding to apply for this year’s Pow Wow Pitch. For Lazore, it’s exciting to see other Indigenous entrepreneurs in the community spurred on by her success.

“I think it’s great that young entrepreneurs from Kahnawake are participating. For a while, I was trying to encourage other Kahnawake businesses to participate, and they were all too shy,” she said. “I’m so glad Molly didn’t let that stop her, because I feel that is the hardest part, getting over those small fears that everyone has.”

She said the competition opened doors for her and provided mentorship and guidance to grow her business into what it is today.

“It was a really great experience,” she said. “It really helped me think about my business and compile it into a one-minute pitch. That’s harder than you think.”

Hundreds of Indigenous entrepreneurs apply for the competition, developing a one-minute pitch to judges for the chance to win cash prizes ranging from $500 to $25,000, with the winners to be announced at the Elsipogtog Powwow on August 30.

For her entry, Huntington submitted a video submission of her pitch, which she re-shot about 30 times until it was perfect.

Pitches are assessed on a number of criteria, including whether the candidate can convince judges that they’ll follow through on their business goals and the community impact of their idea.

Nearly 150 semi-finalists have already been selected, and anyone can vote for the People’s Choice award on the competition website.

Huntington said she’s excited to take part in the competition, and dreaming big of where she’d put prize winnings if she secured an award.

“It would mean everything. I have specific plans, I plan on upscaling my business, I would be able to upgrade my branding and marketing, and build a stronger online presence, I would be able to expand my collections and get my name out there,” she said.

A financial boost would also allow Huntington to attend more markets, a valuable way to connect with other entrepreneurs and potential customers, as she most recently found out at the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik.

“I can meet my audience and find my people. There are so many interior design markets in Canada I can attend to get my brand out there,” she said. “I just don’t have the resources to get there. So, this would be a huge start.”

She said she’s especially looking forward for mentorship opportunities and constructive feedback that might come from participating in the competition.

“One of the hardest parts of being an Indigenous entrepreneur is figuring out where my work fits. Not everyone connects with or understands what I create, and that’s okay, but it makes it challenging to find the right audience,” she said.

“I’m still learning which spaces and people really see the value in what I do. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m proud to keep showing up and sharing my culture through my designs.”

Voting for the People’s Choice category can be done at powwowpitch.org/vote.

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