Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour

American Indian Business Leaders National Conference
Chandler, AZ
April 1, 2011

After an early bird flight, equipped with complementary screaming baby surround sound, the team arrived in Phoenix. A short drive under the desert sun brought us to the Wild Horse Hotel and Casino in Chandler, Arizona. Mo Smith, Executive Director of the American Indian Business Leaders (AIBL), welcomed us. As part of their 11th annual national conference, EET’s goal was to help the Native Indian population gain exposure to entrepreneurship and help develop the Native students’ leadership and business capacities. We also hoped that the Tour would serve as a great networking opportunity for the Native students in attendance.

Our keynote speaker was Angelica Chrysler. Angelica is half Native American and half Mexican American. Having a strong knowledge of the challenges facing the Native population, Angelica spoke to the crowd of over 200 individuals about how she overcame these challenges and created a thriving business (Devoted2Beauty).

Panelist and sponsor, CEO of Standing Rock Energy Drink Bob Harrison, joined Native comedian Tatanka Means and the National Director of Native American Affiars for the US Small Business Association Clara Pratte for an intensive panel discussion. Many questions focused on how to utilize entrepreneurship as an option for financial freedom in the Native community.

Following the jam-packed event, we enjoyed a few laughs courtesy of 49 Laughs (an all Native comedy group). The AIBL team and the folks at Standing Rock Energy raved about the event and hope to see us at next years conference!

We’d love to see you too AIBL…
Thank you for an amazing event!