To build a long-term, self-sustaining Tribal economy, a Tribe must have solid Tribal enterprises and a base of businesses owned by Tribal members.

• Do the businesses in your Community provide all the services the Community needs?
• If there were more businesses, what products and services should they provide?
• Could the enterprises in your Community provide more and better service to you?

An entrepreneur is a Tribal member who starts his or her own business. Entrepreneurship can be taught. AXIOM can teach it. Our entrepreneurship program is taught over a period of several months to give participants time to absorb the information and test it in their own businesses (if they have already begun their businesses). Our instructors are experienced entrepreneurs themselves who draw on many years of hands-on knowledge.

Tribal members must have adequate training before they get thrown into Tribal enterprise manager positions; otherwise, they may not yet have the skills necessary to make the enterprise successful. Our hands-on training programs are designed to “teach and do” at the same time. Instructor led sessions can be structured in a variety of ways. A mentor can be assigned to your enterprise manager. The mentor becomes both outside technical assistance and a sounding board for key management decisions. Bi-weekly or monthly coaching sessions can keep the enterprise moving forward during that critical start up phase while your manager gets the training he or she needs. In a short period of time, the manager no longer needs the mentor and the enterprise is up and running. Group sessions can be a very effective way to introduce new material and get the program kick started.

CAPACITY BUILDING Entrepreneurship Training Financial Literacy Training (FLITE)™ Workshops and Seminars Project Management Research