Meet Angie Saltman, President of Saltmedia from the Metis Nation of Alberta. Angie is a Pow Wow Pitch Prairies Semi-Finalist. We sat down with Angie to learn more about her, her business and her reflections on entrepreneurship. 

PWP: Angie, what motivated you to start your business?

AS: I have always been a self-motivated person. I wanted the freedom to work for myself and build my dream, so becoming an entrepreneur made sense.

I decided to start Saltmedia to serve and support my clients in a tailored, simplified and proactive way, better than the larger businesses I used to work for.  

PWP: Can you tell me more about Saltmedia? 

AS: Saltmedia is a service-based business that offers website design and development, graphic design, digital marketing, content writing and hosting services. 

PWP: What has been the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur?

AS: I am so proud of how far I have come, from willfully ignorant to a greedy learner! From living on the streets to owning a home. From a high school dropout to a university student.

I can hardly believe that we are already in business for 11 years with consistent growth. I am proud that we continue to show up every day, through thick and thin. 

I am so proud of my personal growth through my entrepreneurial journey. 

PWP: Thank you for sharing that. 

On the flip side, what has been the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur?

AS: As we have grown, I no longer have the chance to work on graphic design because I have to wear many hats – from managing the team and quality control to sales. 

Also, I had never promoted myself as an Indigenous business owner until recently because I have relatively pale skin and have openly experienced racism in my city, so I thought it would be bad for business. 

A few years ago, I won a local Chamber of Commerce Eagle Feather Award, which gave me the confidence to promote myself as a Metis businesswoman. However, I still sometimes feel like I walk invisibly in both worlds. 

PWP: Why did you choose to apply for Pow Wow Pitch?

I am part of a small circle of Indigenous entrepreneurs and learned about Pow Wow Pitch as an opportunity to market my business

The best part so far has been the confidence I gained through meeting with two mentors. Mai Anh Le from RBC helped me fine-tune my pitch, and Sanita Alias from CIRA encouraged me to be my authentic self when pitching to the judges. 

PWP: What advice do you have for Indigenous people thinking of starting up a business?

Create a basic plan with three goals on how to get going – even if you only spend one hour doing it. Pin it up somewhere and focus on one goal at a time. Then, every day, week and year, you and your business will grow. 

PWP: Thank you for chatting with us, Angie! Good luck with the Semi-Finals.

You can support Angie to reach the Pow Wow Pitch Finals by voting for her for the People’s Choice Prize. Click here to vote for Angie. You can also watch Angie Pitch at the Prairies Semi-Finals Live on September 23, 2021, at 6 PM ET Click here to register to watch.

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