We’re passionate about helping you grow and make an impact.

Community Wisdom Workshops
Business & Leadership Workshops

We can help.

Bring your ideas to life

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

Learn from ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ / Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Leaders, Business Experts, and Professional Coaches

Build your confidence

It can be intimidating to start your own business. Learn to present yourself and your concepts with confidence.

See local success stories, learn how to apply your life experience to your ideas, learn about common business concepts.

Expand your potential

We want to help you meet your maximum potential, whether it’s helping you start a new business or expanding your existing business, or exploring ideas for a future project or business.

We believe in you and your ability to create something impactful for yourself, your family, and your community!

A powerful Indigenous woman / entrepreneur / executive with glasses, smiling and holding her hands together, standing outdoors in a garden with houses and trees in the background.

Meet Maria Clark

General Manager, Tin Wis Resort | Founder, Island Coast Mobile Welding

Founder, Tin Wis iisaak 10 in 10

Maria Clark (Hiawatha) is a dedicated leader in the Indigenous tourism economy and a proud member of the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht Nations. As the General Manager of Tin Wis Resort, Maria champions a vision of hospitality grounded in culture, "leading with love," and economic self-determination.

Her journey drives her passion for the Tin Wis iisaak 10 in 10 initiative. Having started her own career as a dishwasher before rising to lead the resort, Maria understands the power of opportunity. She views the resort not just as a business, but as a "campus for learning"—a space where Tla-o-qui-aht members can build careers, launch businesses, and reclaim 10% of the local tourism economy.

Maria’s leadership is deeply personal, inspired by the unconditional belief her late Grandfather Ray instilled in her. She is committed to creating that same environment of safety and abundance for the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Beyond the resort, Maria brings extensive governance and business experience to the program. She serves as Secretary-Treasurer for Tourism Tofino and is a Director for Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC). She also walks the entrepreneurial path herself as co-owner of Island Coast Mobile Welding & Fabrication, a local trade business.

Maria invites all community members to join this movement, grow their skills, and thrive on their homelands.

“I want my community to feel welcome to return, work, and grow here. My goal is to create a space where you can develop your dreams—whether that means becoming a leader in tourism or starting your own business.

I was taught by my Grandfather Ray that I mattered and that I was loved, and that belief changed my life. I want you to know that you matter, and that we deserve abundance. This program is here to help us fill our cups so we can produce more abundance for our lives, our families, and our future. Let’s build this together.”
— Maria Clark
A young entrepreneur man with reddish hair smiling outdoors by a body of water, with trees and mountains in the background.

Michael Ford

Business Instructor

Michael specializes in building practical, data-driven tools and AI strategies for high-impact organizations. With an M.Sc. in Computing Science and over a decade of experience leading complex projects—from cancer research algorithms to sailing across the Atlantic—he combines deep technical expertise with a passion for social innovation and systems thinking.

Connor Paone

Business Instructor

Connor helps social purpose organizations lead with abundance. With an MBA and over 10 years of experience working directly with Indigenous communities, he brings a unique blend of "hard" business strategy and "soft" emotional intelligence skills.

Connor began his career working for the Tlaoquiaht Nation as the executive assistant in the band office. Following this, Connor completed a Masters of Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Project Management, and is internationally certified as a Professional Business Coach (ACC).

Connor’s passion is to support individuals and teams to develop and launch their business ideas and community projects. Connor loves to share business principles and then help change-makers apply them to their projects!

Community Contributors

  • Terry Dorward

  • Brian Quick

  • Leah Morgan

  • Hayden Seitcher & Bryson George

  • Elmer Frank

  • Saya Masso

  • Gordon Taylor

  • Eli Enns

  • Tattuuskulth Charlie

  • Catherine Bruhwiler

  • Firas & Valentine

  • Rachel Leghissa

  • Alec Macpherson

Community Wisdom Workshops
Business & Leadership Workshops