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Episode 26 // Financially Fierce Founder: Kendal Netmaker
Championed by our friends at Community Futures Manitoba
#FinanciallyFierceFounder, Kendal Netmaker, is one of our country's leading entrepreneurs from Sweetgrass First Nation. Founder of Neechie Gear and author of Driven to Succeed, Kendal's been named one of Canada's future business leaders by Canadian Business and Future 40 by CBC Saskatchewan, among others.
Despite numerous accolades, Kendal's success wasn't handed to him—he had to fight for it. Growing up on the reserve, surrounded by poverty, his childhood wasn't an easy one. Raised by a fierce, hard-working, single mother Kendal learned to make every penny count. However, reverberating throughout his home and community was the message, "life is difficult for people like us—we'll be struggling for a lifetime". This was the belief he grew up with until one exacting moment. changed his life forever.
Kendal's genius is his ability to change the narrative and transform his trajectory. If you're plagued by a story or a belief that's sabotaging your success, this is one story you'll want to listen to and learn from.
Episode Timeline //
[00:00] Introduction of the episode
[01:40] Introduction of #FinanciallyFierceFounder, Kendal Netmaker
[05:37] Kendal’s early life and influence on his financials
[08:55] Mindset challenges and conditioning
[14:59] Learning about money management
[16:48] How Kendal changed his mindset
[20:45] Impact of Covid on Kendal’s business
[22:11] Importance of investing in education and how to choose where to invest
[26:15] Kendal’s retail business and launching his speaking career
[26:58] Kendal's rationale for choosing 'speaking' as a vocation
[28:43] Kendal’s monthly finances
[29:42] Retaining clients versus looking for new ones
[31:57] Automating and systemizing business processes
[33:03] Contact details
[33:43] What #FinanciallyFierce means to Kendal?
Founder’s Take //
Mindset Challenges + Conditioning
What’s brilliant about Kendal is his ability to “see” the pattern. The pattern that sabotaged his success and stunted his financial growth. Behind this pattern was a destructive mindset of struggle and scarcity, unintentionally bequeathed by his loving and self-sacrificing mother. Kendal chose to break free, and launch a new trajectory, not just for himself but for his people.
He shares an important message with us today which is this—regardless of where you come from and whatever challenges you face, you have the power to enact change.
Learning How to Manage Money
Kendal’s upbringing, though challenging, proved a huge advantage for him in terms of learning strong money management skills. While growing up, he observed his mother budgeting a welfare check with pen and paper; a fierce financial habit that taught Kendal the meaning of fiscal stewardship and responsibility. He became a master of leveraging available resources, budgeting, and utilizing money intelligently.
Kendal, who now coaches others, shares with us the approach he takes with his clients: "Before you spend or run to the bank for a loan, first think of what resources you have, use them to their full potential, and then use a cash injection."
Investing in Your Education
Making an investment in education requires you to first identify what the goal is. Once you've decided the purpose, then comes the question, from where (or whom) should I learn?'
Kendal elaborates on his strategy in this episode, but at the heart of it are these words of wisdom:
“Learn from someone who is an expert in their field; someone who has built their own business success and has helped others along the way.”
Success and Scale in a Service-based Business
If you want to grow and be successful in any service-based business, endeavour to work with people you've worked with before. Retain your clients instead of looking for new prospects every time. Serving them well and exceeding their expectations, creates long-term win-win situations—rather than frantically hustling from one to another.
Mic Drop Moments //
BOOM! There it is! I promised you intel to blow your mind and build your bottom line.
Here are a few of my favorite mic drop moment's compliments of
#FinanciallyFierceFounder, Kendal Netmaker.
Alternative lending “solutions” are crushing indigenous economic eco-systems.
There’s no way out from under a 46% interest rate. Companies like Payday Loans, Cashco, Money Mart offer loans with exorbitant interest rates attached. In fact lenders in Canada can charge up to 60% interest, according to the Criminal Code of Canada. Their target clientele: roughly nine million Canadians with lower credit ratings who can't secure loans from traditional banking institutions.
Condition your mind by letting go of beliefs that no longer serve you.
Start by identifying what those beliefs are. Is money easy to come by, or hard? Does it slip out of your hands? Is money the root of all evil? The number of Founders who cringe at the idea of making a profit, or hide their success from others in fear of being judged, is staggering.
Seize opportunities that align with where you're going.
Money loves speed and decisiveness. Know what you're looking to build, seize the opportunities that align with those goals, and do so quickly.
Those were some of my favs. Drop me a comment below and let me know what landed with you!
The Bottom Line //
Kendal on becoming financially fierce...
“Financially fierce to me is being okay with the money you earn. Being okay to spend it in a way that serves you and the people you love. If you're meant to have more, then use it to help the people around you for bigger impact.”
Feeling Financially Fatigued? We've got your wake-up call!
Today, we're reaching out to you directly, Founders at all stages of business, to experience what it feels like to become Financially Fierce. To stop hiding from the numbers and instead… choose to OWN them!
We want to show you, based on YOUR numbers--not OURS, not only what’s possible when it comes to building your business, but what’s necessary; including how to pay back the Covid benefits your business received.
You have a 15-month runway to build a plan and get your debt paid.
About the Founder // Kendal Netmaker, Founder, Neechie Gear
Kendal Netmaker is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and gifted keynote speaker who is on a mission to empower and motivate people worldwide by sharing his story that regardless of where you come from and what challenges you face, you have the power to enact change.
From Sweetgrass First Nation, Kendal and his siblings were raised by their single mother. Life wasn’t easy for them, growing up on the reserve surrounded by poverty and few chances for opportunities, but one moment would change their life forever.
Kendal has a natural gift; he’s a master storyteller who weaves his real-life experiences into motivating lessons that everyone can use in their own lives. His heartfelt stories are impactful, and he speaks professionally to thousands of people each year on resilience, leadership, and the power of telling your story.
He is a leading entrepreneur whose passion to succeed is contagious. To date, Kendal has founded and invested in 5 businesses. One of them is Neechie Gear® – a lifestyle apparel brand that gives back a percentage of its profits to go toward funding underprivileged youth to empower them to take part in sports. He is the author of Driven To Succeed and won over 25 business awards, including being named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40® and runner-up at the YBI Global Entrepreneur of the Year.
Kendal lives with his wife and two children in Saskatoon, SK, where he continues to run his company. He delivers virtual and in-person keynotes, as well as executive leadership coaching to organizations.
About the Champ // Community Futures Manitoba
Community Futures Manitoba Inc. (CFM) is an association representing 16 Community Futures organizations (CFs) established throughout rural and northern Manitoba.
Community Futures operates across rural and Northern Canada as a grassroots-driven program created to strengthen rural economies by enabling entrepreneurship and assisting in community economic development. The goal of each CF is to assist the communities in their region to develop their economic potential.
Connect //
GAB LAB CHAMP // Community Futures Manitboa www.cfmanitoba.ca // 1.888.303.2232 // info@cfmanitoba.ca
GAB LAB HOST // Taunya Woods Richardson taunya@nailthenumbers.com // 1.844.844.3660
FINANCIALLY FIERCE FOUNDER // Kendal Netmaker www.indigenousconsulting.com //
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