Nominations for the Indigenous Business Month Awards close Tuesday, September 1.
This October marks the twelfth year of Indigenous Business Month, a nationwide, Indigenous community-led celebration of the talent, resilience, and ingenuity of Indigenous businesses across Australia.
Nominations for the Awards are open.
In 2026, Indigenous Business Month organisers say they are turning their focus to "where business has always begun: on Country, in community, and in the relationships that tie us to place".
This year's theme is Local and Connected.
IBM noted in a statement on Monday that "from the smallest town to the most vibrant urban centres, both here and overseas, Indigenous businesses have always understood that true economic strength grows from the ground up... It is woven into local knowledge, sustained by local relationships, and measured not only in revenue, but in the well-being of the communities it serves".
"Local and Connected invites us all, Indigenous business owners, their customers, their partners, and their community recognised allies, to look around and ask: who is doing business near me, and how can I be genuinely connected to them?"
Indigenous Business Month co-founder and director and founder of the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, Dr Michelle Evans, said "Indigenous peoples have always known that business is not separate from community - it is an expression of it".
"Every time a dollar circulates within an Indigenous business, it doesn't just move through an economy; it moves through a relationship, a family, a Country. Local and Connected is really an invitation for everyone to see that," she said.
IBM noted that while the growth of the Indigenous business sector tends to be understood from a national level, "the growth is realised locally, in regional towns, remote communities, on suburban streets, and in CBDs, where Indigenous entrepreneurs are quietly reshaping what it means to do business in this Country".
"Indigenous businesses are meeting service gaps, generating exciting products, creating employment, and are accountable to their communities in ways that the broader market rarely considers."
Indigenous Business Month co-founder and director of IM Social Impact Agency, Leesa Watego said "you will see it everywhere".
"The Indigenous-owned business that employs the families on the next street, that sponsors the local football team on a Saturday afternoon, that spends its money engaging local suppliers and keeps that value circulating right where it belongs. This is not incidental to how Indigenous businesses operate; it is foundational to why they exist," she said.
Indigenous Business Month co-founder and director at 33 Creative, Mayrah Sonter, said this year, Indigenous Business Month asks everyone to "take a purposeful look at their own backyard", and ask: "What Indigenous businesses are operating in your community? What Country are you on, and who is doing business there? How are you, as a consumer, a corporation, a government body, or an individual, genuinely and meaningfully connected to those enterprises?"
Indigenous Business Month celebrates the fact that when Indigenous businesses thrive locally, whole communities rise; something evident across the country.
In encouraging nominations before they close on Tuesday, September 1, the Indigenous Business Month organisers urged people to look local.
"Find your local Indigenous business. Build a real connection and understand that in doing so, you are not just supporting a business, you are investing in Country, culture, and the communities that have always held connection first and foremost in their business activities. We are local. We are connected. We are here to do business with you. Join us this October."
