Lakota Fund is a Community Development Finance Institution promoting socio-economic sustainability for the Oglala Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. One dimension of the Lakota Fund’s work is supporting aspiring entrepreneurs. It is this mission that brought Lakota Fund’s Jo White and Marquitee Heathershaw, owner of Heathershaw Designs, together.

Dreaming of her own embroidery business for years, Marquittee Heathershaw started her business on her father’s ranch, self-financing the venture through her IRA and other family capital. Focusing on production and growing revenue, Heathershaw Designs grew rapidly. Naturally, this rapid growth made it easy for Marquittee to keep busy and avoid items she didn’t enjoy, such as bookkeeping and taxes. So as the business grew, so did the backlog of her financial records and taxes. Then, beginning in early 2007, Marquittee decided to take advantage of Lakota Fund’s free technical assistance and coaching through its Wawokiye Business Institute (WBI). Jo White, WBI’s Director called on the services of the Oweesta Corporation in Rapid City and a variety of resources for tax and bookkeeping services that Heathershaw Designs needed to get out front of her bookkeeping and taxes, and take control of her fast growing business.

What Marquittee Heathershaw received from Jo White and the WBI was individualized business coaching, assistance in writing a detailed business plan, and direction in completing a cash flow projection to submit for a $125,000 loan from the Lakota Fund. In addition, because of her relationship with the WBI, Marquittee received the opportunity to complete a six-week Core Four Business Planning course offered by Oglala Lakota College. Heathershaw said of her experience with the WBI, “My business grew like a wildfire! It grew so fast, I don’t know what I would have done without Jo White.”

The impact of Heathershaw Designs to the Pine Ridge Reservation has been immediate. Armed with the knowledge acquired from the WBI, and a recent loan from the Lakota Fund; Marquittee can now meet her customers needs for well designed and highly crafted jackets, caps, shirts, bags, and miscellaneous special projects on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Her success is even more impressive when you consider she is enjoying entrepreneurial success in an economy where over eighty percent of every dollar goes without being re-circulated. Heathershaw advises future entrepreneurs, “If you have a dream, dream it big, and don’t let anyone minimize it.” When asked about her own dream of owning an exciting and profitable business, Marquittee sighs, and with a quiet chuckle says, “I’ve got everything going for me.”

In addition to the Lakota Fund and the Wowokiye Business Institute, there were many organizations that were instrumental in making Heathershaw Designs a successful project. Among them were: Oglala Lakota College, Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce, KILI Radio, and the Lakota Country Times newspaper. The rich cultural tradition of entrepreneurship and trading is also a resource that these organizations are coming to appreciate and extol in reinvigorating the spirit of entrepreneurship, enterprise, and self-sufficiency that is the proud heritage of the Lakota.

For more information on this project, or the Lakota Fund you can contact Dowell Caselli-Smith, Executive Director, Lakota Fund, 605-455-2500, or email .

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