Doing business with an Indigenous worldview takes success beyond the bottom line – The Globe and Mail
In 2019, Jenn Harper, the founder of the popular cosmetics brand Cheekbone Beauty, turned down a $125,000 offer from Vincenzo Guzzo on CBC’s Dragon’s Den in exchange for 50 per cent of her company.
Shortly after her episode on Dragon’s Den aired, Ms. Harper, who is Ojibway, spoke to Fashion Magazine about her decision. “There are a lot of things I won’t do [with my business]. For example, a lot of investors would want us to take our cultural practices and put them [up] for sale,” said the St. Catherines, Ont.-based entrepreneur. “I would worry about working with a non-Indigenous investor, that they would push us to commercialize our spiritual practices that way.”
Reflecting now on why she turned down the Dragon’s Den offer, Ms. Harper says, “It is important to weigh all the costs and look at the long view; sometimes it means making decisions that protect our communities. Unfortunately, many investors wouldn’t agree with this idea, so who we partner with is critical.”
