How to Build a Successful Business Through Art and Expand Internationally
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview, hosted by Benjamin Godly and recorded at the Santa Fe Indian Market as part of a Build Native series, with Colleen Echohawk, CEO of Eighth Generation, an art and lifestyle company based in the Seattle area that is owned by the Snoqualmie tribe and works with Native artists. She says the company was founded by artist Louie Gong and later sold to the tribe, explains why shared ownership and artist collaboration matter, and contrasts the approach with brands that are merely inspired by Native design. She tells how cleaning hotel rooms in rural Alaska and watching her grandmother run a business taught her to be fearless, shares her motto fail often to succeed sooner, describes the marketing challenge of selling Native-designed products with the tagline inspired natives not native inspired, and recounts a British Vogue cover that featured the company's blanket. Sponsor: Shopify, which produces the show and is named in the description with a free trial offer. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the ownership and design sections, the early career and fear section, the marketing challenge section and the Vogue story, and may not cover every point in the roughly 33 minute video. Business and cultural claims are the guest's own and not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
A tribe-owned company
The guest says Eighth Generation was founded by artist Louie Gong and sold to the Snoqualmie tribe, on whose land its headquarters stand.
Inspired by versus designed by
She says some big brands sell Native-inspired designs that have harmed Native artists, which Eighth Generation avoids by working directly with artists.
Where fearlessness came from
She says cleaning hotel rooms in Alaska and watching her grandmother run a business taught her she can do it.
Fail often to succeed sooner
She says failure is part of the process and that some products she loved simply did not work.
Inspired natives
She says the company's tagline is inspired natives, not native inspired, and its art is joyful, not tied to ceremony.
A hard marketing challenge
She says it is really hard to message Native design to consumers and one of the biggest marketing challenges.
British Vogue cover
She says a blanket by Louie Gong appeared on a British Vogue cover with actress Lily Gladstone after blogs and SEO helped them show up.
The Conversation Breakdown
A tribe-owned company
⏱ Untimed topicThe guest says Eighth Generation was founded by artist Louie Gong and sold to the Snoqualmie tribe, on whose land its headquarters stand.
Inspired by versus designed by
⏱ Untimed topicShe says some big brands sell Native-inspired designs that have harmed Native artists, which Eighth Generation avoids by working directly with artists.
Where fearlessness came from
⏱ Untimed topicShe says cleaning hotel rooms in Alaska and watching her grandmother run a business taught her she can do it.
Fail often to succeed sooner
⏱ Untimed topicShe says failure is part of the process and that some products she loved simply did not work.
Inspired natives
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the company's tagline is inspired natives, not native inspired, and its art is joyful, not tied to ceremony.
A hard marketing challenge
⏱ Untimed topicShe says it is really hard to message Native design to consumers and one of the biggest marketing challenges.
British Vogue cover
⏱ Untimed topicShe says a blanket by Louie Gong appeared on a British Vogue cover with actress Lily Gladstone after blogs and SEO helped them show up.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Collaborate with the artist - the guest's model
Create products in partnership with the artists whose work it is.
Fail often to succeed sooner - the guest's motto
Accept failure as part of the process and learn quickly.
Show up so the break finds you - the host's lesson
Keep posting, blogging and being visible for when a chance arrives.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Check the ownership and Vogue claims against the company's own announcements and the magazine.
- ✓Think about whether any product you sell is inspired by a culture without partnering with its artists.
- ✓Keep a short log of failed ideas and what each taught you.
- ✓Treat the advice as the guest's experience, not a guarantee.
Notable Quotes
“fail often to succeed sooner”
“inspired natives not native inspired”
“failure is just part of the process”
The One Thing to Remember
The guest argues that tribal ownership, real artist collaboration and a willingness to fail often helped Eighth Generation build a Native-designed lifestyle brand.