Kinya Lerrk (which is Wemba Wemba for ‘women coming together’) began with what seemed like a bit of bad luck. In June 2019, Melbourne-based Aboriginal artists Emma Bamblett (Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung) and Megan Van Den Berg (Dja Dja Wurrung, Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung) were asked to design an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ plaque for a local hotel. 

The pair, who had been friends and colleagues for many years and both worked on their own art projects on the side, decided to start their own small business. Unfortunately, by the time it was finished, the person who’d commissioned the work had left the company and the hotel no longer wanted to proceed. But it gave the pair an idea. Why shouldn’t they begin designing their own range?

Right at the Beginning

The beginnings of Emma and Megan’s small business grew from their love and passion for Indigenous art.

Megan: We designed 10 ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ plaques to start with and got some samples. We trialled them; showed some people, and said ‘What do you think?’ Then we got a website – all that grassroots stuff. And we were thinking ‘How do we make this happen? How do we get this up and going?’ So we launched via Facebook, set up our accounts and had the website with Shopify behind it… and we were ready to sell. Natalie Hutchins, who was the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs at the time, was our first customer – she'd been online and bought it. That was a pivotal moment.

Finding a Gap in the Market

Megan: We did quite a lot of research at the start, looking at who was already out there, and what their pricing and product was. One of the gaps with Acknowledgement of Country plaques was access. Our product is easy to access because you can choose your design and pay directly online. 

There’s also a lot of variety which people like. You put your text in, pick from one of 50 designs, decide if you want a circle, square, big or small, and pay up-front. That’s a different model to other people. We also include postage in the price, which means people don’t have to muck around with quotes.

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Growing From Grassroots

Emma and Megan’s Indigenous art background and community support has helped them grow and thrive.

Megan: We’re well connected in the Aboriginal community in Victoria. People knew us through our professional and artistic avenues. That helped get a lot of people to ‘like’ our Facebook page when we started, and get involved with our promotions and competitions. 

We’ve also been able to tap into resources that have helped us grow and learn, like First Nations business support group Ngarrimili, the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce, Welcome to Country and Craft Victoria. We’re also part of a network of Aboriginal business providers; we’ve got a sisterhood, brotherhood and a sister-brotherhood and we look after, support and promote each other.

Ensuring Community and Customers Are the Heart of the Business

Emma: Because our clients can choose the text they want on our plaques, we always ask that they find out who the Traditional Owners and Elders are in their area, and talk to them to get the language right. 

We had a recent example where a community member saw an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ plaque at a business and pointed out that it should be acknowledging a different Mob. So we raised the issue with the customer and worked with them and it was fine. We could have just said ‘Oh, this is the customer’s responsibility’, but we want to have good relationships with our customers. And protocols underpin everything we do. We’re accountable to our Community, our Elders and to Traditional Owners as well as our customers. We’re all about respect and doing the right thing by a Mob.

There are protocols we always follow. We encourage our clients and customers to consult with Traditional Owner groups, local Elders and Aboriginal organisations in regards to the Traditional owners of Country. We ensure we spell Elder with a capital 'E', plus provide links and contacts for people to make connections and increase their knowledge. And we also provide our expertise around knowledge and reach out as well to our connections to ensure protocols are being followed.

Understanding Business 

The biggest challenge for Emma and Megan’s small business was setting up the financial side of their business.

Megan: Owning a small business sounds like it’s glamorous but it’s a lot of hard work. Setting up systems was one of the big challenges for us. We didn’t realise how much was involved with running a business in terms of things like income, expenditure, receipts and holding onto tax for tax time. And we had to learn and understand Shopify and integrate our accounting into Xero. We brought on a good accountant and then learned a lot as we went along.

I like the fact that our business model is made-to-order. If you sell five different sizes of T-shirts, for example, then there are so many variations and you need to put the stock somewhere. The homewares, which we launched in June 2020, are a little bit riskier because we sell them wholesale but so far they’ve been really successful. 

Learning on the Job

Emma: A couple of months ago, a customer told us their candle [box] had arrived with bent corners, which was a problem because she’d been wanting to give it as a gift. So we changed things; now we give people an experience: we include stickers and a thank you card and we package them so they’re not getting damaged. It was really good feedback and we took it on board and changed the way we were doing things – for the better.

Staying on Top of Everything

Emma and Megan’s ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ plaques can be found in schools and early learning centres around the country.

Megan: Emma is the most organised person I know. She has all the folders and the correct labels and systems. 

Emma: I also have shelving in my garage filled with stacks of containers and labels where I keep track of all our product and paperwork. We get all our bubble wrap, wrapping products, sticky tape and packaging from Officeworks, also the stickers and our thank you cards. Recently we’ve begun using more environmentally-friendly options too, like honeycomb wrap. 

When we had our first market, we got our Square from Officeworks and all the promotional and marketing material we used, like the bags for the product. Also, any other stationery: pens, scissors, the office chair, desk, printer, label maker…  all the things we need to run our business. They’ve helped us, over time, in establishing our business.  

The Surprise of Success

Emma: Megan and I have been doing a celebration scream when big businesses contact us. We got a phone call from MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club); the MCG had rung and said that their Reconciliation Action Group had met and they're really keen to have the plaques at the entrances of all gates. We love going to the MCG and I thought, “How deadly would that be?” 

Megan: We've been able to move into some really big companies. We've got ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ plaques at 430 early learning centres, kindergartens and schools across Australia. In 2022, Kinya Lerrk is working with the Department of Education and will provide 3500 plaques to principals of all Victorian schools. So that's a really great opportunity. 

To date, we've provided plaques to organisations such as the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Melbourne Water, plus have had MPs request our art. We’ve had some really great opportunities with the word just spreading

Combining Friendship With Business

Megan: We’ve known each other a long time so we have a really good balance. Our personalities are quite Yin and Yang – we've never had a fight since we launched. I think we’re quite happy to tell each other if we don't agree or don't like something, but we have a delicate way of saying things in a respectful way. However, most of the time we’re easily on the same page and agree about the same things. It’s like a marriage.

What To Try 

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