Fanta SHOKOTA (fanta Blue) 12 x 500ML

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Owning a business has always been a dream for Running Eagle. For years, she had planned to start a trading post after she retired from the BIA. Her dreams came true sooner than anticipated with the launch of Shokota, and now the success of the company has accelerated her retirement plans so she can devote more time to the business.

Shokota Pow-Wow Supply Shokota Pow-Wow Supply

The sale of a few jingle cones to a fellow Native person proved to be a transaction that spurred Running Eagle along her journey as an entrepreneur. She started selling supplies from her home and at the powwows she attended. Want more news like this? Get the free weekly newsletter. During the government shutdown, I realized this was going to last longer than expected and I needed to start hustling to make extra money to pay bills,” Running Eagle said. Georgette Running Eagle, founder of Shokota Pow-Wow Supply LLC. (Courtesy photo)“We rely on our handiwork of items we’ve been taught to do culturally, like beadwork, tanning hides, making dresses,” Running Eagle told Tribal Business News.I’m a firm believer in just keep trying and it’ll eventually work out how it’s supposed to be,” Running Eagle said. When the pandemic first hit, I thought I was going to be taken under because I had just started my business and then couldn’t sell to anybody,” Running Eagle said.

Shokota Pow-Wow Supply works to make cultural supplies easily Shokota Pow-Wow Supply works to make cultural supplies easily

Running Eagle’s original plan was to travel to at least two powwows a month, but the pandemic forced her to take an alternative path. Just like many businesses, Running Eagle was worried about the viability of Shokota at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, she pivoted to selling supplies via an online store and set up a makeshift physical storefront in her shed to schedule appointment times for people to shop.

Fanta Blue Shokata 500ml - DrinkSupermarket

Working primarily by herself, Running Eagle has received help from her family and lifelong friend, Karessa George, with the duo visiting powwows and craft fairs to sell supplies. At the beginning, she received help from fellow powwow supplier, Nichole Ray, who owns her own supply business called Powwow Fabrics and Designs, based in Eau Claire, Wis. Ray helped guide Running Eagle in filing the required business documents to start Shokota in 2019 and shared her experience of owning and operating a powwow supply business.Her customers include both Native and non-Native people. Running Eagle thinks that customer mix offers a great way for Native people to be able to embrace and learn more about their culture, and for non-Native people to be educated about Native American people. It was not until individuals received COVID relief money and started buying supplies that Shokota Pow-Wow Supply started gaining momentum. Running Eagle noticed her customers had more free time, which they used to work on projects to keep them busy.