BRINGING TRADITIONAL HEALING WISDOM TO MODERN CONSUMERS AT SISTER SKY

For entrepreneurial inspiration, Monica Simeon didn’t have to look very far. She learned how to run
a business by helping her father operate one of the first Native American casinos. She got the
inspiration for her business while preparing batches of skin lotions based on traditional herbal
remedies after commercial products didn’t help with her son’s severe eczema. And the opportunity
to form a business partnership was as close as her sister, Marina TurningRobe. Thus, was born Sister
Sky, which makes natural bath and body products based on recipes and natural plant knowledge
handed down from generation to generation. The company is based on the Spokane Indian
Reservation in northeast Washington state, where the sisters grew up—and grew into their
entrepreneurial lifestyle. As with many other entrepreneurs, the sisters’ vision is much broader than
simply earning a living. They emphasize purity and authenticity in their products, whether that
means using more expensive distilled water to avoid risks of contamination, shunning the cheaper
petroleum-based ingredients used in many massproduced bath and body products, or staying true
to the wisdom they have inherited from their ancestors. In addition, the sisters believe they have a
duty to “promote cultural sharing in a positive way by educating consumers about the indigenous
essence and spirit of the plant botanicals contained in our products.” Finally, Simeon says, “One of
our main goals is to improve the tribal economy by expanding opportunities for jobs beyond the
casino.”

1. If you were Simeon or TurningRobe, what steps would you take to make sure your young
business made it through the launch stage and onto a path of sustainable growth and
profitability?
2. Where might you turn for advice and support if you needed it?
3. How would you stay true to your vision of authentic and purposeful products while pursuing
the goal of providing job opportunities—and still meet the unrelenting demands of managing
a business in a highly competitive industry?