“Believe in yourself. Be kind to one another, be kind to yourself.” These are words of wisdom shared by Pisim SB. His traditional name is Poor Child Stands With The Sun, his English name is Richard Smallboy. He’s from the Maskwacis Cree Nation, and he’s from the Martin clan. Professionally, Smallboy is an entrepreneur who owns a fashion business that works to build capacity for Indigenous youth to enter the fashion industry. He also owns an entertainment business that focuses on creating connections for BIPOC people. In each business, the goal is for entry to industries to be safe and equitable for participants. Otherwise, he is a working hiphop and R & B artist, he delivers youth workshops, is a speaker and consultant.

His advice to those thinking about starting their own business is, “The hardest part is getting started. One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard before was that a vision without action is merely a dream ... .anything that you can visualize, anything that you believe in your mind that you can achieve… Start putting pen to paper, getting organized, doing some research. It actually is quite easy in Canada to register business. It probably takes around 30 to 60 days, depending on how long the process processing time is for them, and it's really just about getting that first business number and then starting to look for funding, and really just mainly finding a passion."

The three questions Pisim SB recommends asking oneself as an aspiring business owner are, “What is something you could do every day that you could never get tired of? And then, how can you bring that to the world and turn that into a business?... And most of all is, how can you give back?”

Thinking back to what motivated him on his path, Pisim SB says he fell into everything. Someone told him he couldn’t model and he decided to show them he could. He was trying to fill a gap in the fashion industry through his company and it became bigger than he imagined. When it came to music, he was around it his whole life, with his uncle Rex Smallboy having been part of War Party in the 90s, one of the first Indigenous hip hop groups. It turned into a healthy outlet and a passion. Now, he’s working towards his law degree, starting with a one-year criminal justice program.

Reflecting on the obstacles he’s faced, Pisim SB was homeless as a teenager and he learned skills that helped him in his businesses. Stress management has been one of his biggest obstacles. “There's going to be so many points that you're going to feel like giving up, and you have to push through that. The main piece of that is, is believing in yourself, believe in the journey, believe in the process, and just keep moving,” he confides.

“All of the adversities that you face in your past are kind of the things that prepare you for your future. So as long as you can keep forward thinking, and you keep thinking about what you need to do, and keep moving, despite the stresses, despite the hurdles, despite the the adversities and how hard it gets and whether you feel like it's going to be too hard, or maybe this is not for me, I think that you really just have to believe in yourself and believe in what you're doing,” Pisim SB continues.

To maintain his mental health, Pisim SB has turned to his culture. “Ceremony is something that has saved my life, something that I've really turned to whenever I'm in need, and even when I'm not in need. Every day I'm doing I'm doing ceremony in some shape or form,” he shares. Otherwise, he writes, exercises, and is mindful of the media he consumes and the company he keeps. He focuses on a healthy body and mind and a clean home to live a clean and healthy life.

As far as inspiration goes, Pisim SB looks to life. “Life is our biggest teacher, and for me, it's my biggest inspiration. My best music comes from when I'm going through hardship, or when I'm inspired by something that really kind of grabs at my heartstrings,” he says. In fashion, he likes to upcycle and create high fashion and one-of-a-kind pieces. He loves losing himself in creating pieces at his sewing machine.

If Pisim SB could share a message with his younger self it would be, “Take care of yourself. You have to be number one, because oftentimes we get lost, especially as Indigenous peoples trying to take care of our families….But when you take care of yourself, you are taking care of them, because the healthiest version of you is going to provide the best results for when you're giving care, affection, to the people around you.” He would also say to invest in himself, and to stay away from drugs, alcohol and the street life.  He would encourage healthy boundaries and he would say “Find something you're good at and just nourish that… If you really nourish that throughout your journey, you never know what it could turn into, especially if you believe in yourself."

Looking five years down the line, Pisim SB hopes to be practicing law in his own firm, with his other businesses being self-sustaining. He hopes youth will be running the business and that they will continue the legacy.

In closing, Pisim SB has a message for youth, “Understand that life is a journey, and you have to trust the process. Even in those times when you feel alone, you're not alone. Your ancestors are always with you. Those who have passed before you are always with you. In times of need, what was left for us was ceremony, it was our way of life, and that's what's always going to be there for us, and that's what's always going to help us into the future. What was left for us is so important that we don't forget that, and that we hang on to that and do our best to preserve that and grow with it. Just keep going… live with humility and take care of one another and take care of yourself, and really just persevere through all of it, and trust the process. Because as long as you follow that formula, you will do great things."

A multi-disciplinary entrepreneur, hiphop artist and aspiring lawyer, Pisim SB has created multiple businesses by working hard and believing in himself. With businesses focused on creativity and capacity building, Pisim SB is creating space for others to succeed and shine in the work he does. With a heart for justice, his eyes are on the prize and he’s working towards his goals every day.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.