More than twenty years before launching her own consulting company, Carey Calder was already thinking like an entrepreneur.

Whether she was strengthening organizational systems, expanding programming, or helping Indigenous organizations navigate growth, Carey approached every leadership role with the same mindset: build something sustainable, create solutions, and leave it stronger than you found it.

A proud member of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (Sand Point First Nation), Carey has dedicated her career to serving Indigenous communities and organizations. Today, as the founder and CEO of Nakanagis Consulting, she continues that work by helping Indigenous Nations, organizations, and not-for-profits strengthen governance, operations, finance, human resources, and organizational systems.

Although Nakanagis Consulting officially launched just over five years ago, the seeds were planted much earlier.

"My first milestone in entrepreneurship actually began with self-employment," Carey recalls. She designed and delivered a four-week career transition program, coordinating everything from client relationships and participant registration to facilitation and invoicing.

Looking back, she realizes she never fully recognized its potential.

“I didn't understand the value of the services I had been providing and did not make a business connection like expanding services or marketing to other clients.”

That lesson stayed with her throughout every leadership position that followed.

Over the years, Carey led organizations through remarkable periods of growth, helping expand programming, diversify revenue, secure long-term capital investments, and redesign organizational structures from the ground up. As she reflected on her career, she noticed a common thread.

"I realized I had applied an entrepreneurial lens to every role I held."

Eventually, she made the decision to invest that same energy, experience, and passion into something she could build herself.

That vision became Nakanagis Consulting.

For Carey, the business was never simply about providing consulting services. It was about meaningful support for Indigenous communities—community by community.

"The original vision was to provide services that specialized in operational strategies, change management implementation and structure for administrative excellence for Indigenous communities and organizations." she says. "That vision continues to drive everything we do."

That purpose is reflected in the very name of the company.

Nakanagis Consulting was named in honour of Carey's late kokum, Christine Nakanagis. Carrying her family name into the business is a daily reminder of the values that guide every project, relationship, and decision.

"It is a deeply personal connection to have my family name celebrated at every level," Carey explains. "It's a constant reminder about values, high quality, ethics, and reputation."

Family continues to shape the business in other ways as well.

Carey's mother, Elder Lillian, serves as a trusted advisor and contributor to the company, offering teachings rooted in the Seven Grandfather Teachings and weaving Anishinaabemowin into client work, gatherings, and facilitated sessions. Her presence provides a sense of grounding that has become an important part of the organization's approach.

Together, these family connections keep the work rooted in culture while remaining focused on practical outcomes for communities.

As a 100 percent First Nations-owned business, Nakanagis Consulting intentionally works alongside Indigenous organizations and Nations, while maintaining Indigenous-led partnerships wherever possible. From subcontractors to professional services and collaborations, staying connected to community has always been a core value.

For Carey, community is not simply part of the business model.

"Community support is everything."

She continues to build those relationships through Indigenous conferences, partnerships, sponsorships, speaking engagements, and organizations like ADAAWE, where she has found both meaningful collaborations and lasting friendships.

Despite decades of executive leadership, Carey admits one part of entrepreneurship did not come naturally.

Talking about pricing.

Like many service-based entrepreneurs, she found it easier to focus on delivering meaningful work than discussing what that work should cost. Over time, she developed systems that allowed her to confidently price projects while ensuring clients could access flexible services that met their needs.

That experience also shaped one of the most practical pieces of advice she now shares with other entrepreneurs.

"Potential is not the same as actual."

Owning a business creates tremendous opportunity, but opportunity alone does not guarantee sustainability.

Carey encourages entrepreneurs to understand what their business truly needs to generate—not only to support growth, but to support themselves and their families. She believes business owners should separate the financial health of their business from their own personal income, establish strong cash flow practices early, and build the administrative foundations that allow their passion to thrive.

Her advice is refreshingly honest.

"Stay organized and stay focused on what you love."

For Carey, organization isn't just about spreadsheets and bookkeeping. It's about creating the freedom to focus on the work only you can do while building systems that allow others to support your vision.

Looking ahead, Carey hopes to continue expanding Nakanagis Consulting's organizational support services so that more Indigenous Nations and organizations across Canada can access practical, culturally grounded expertise in governance, finance, human resources, and workplace development.

Her goal has never been to create dependency.

It has always been to strengthen capacity.

By helping organizations build stronger systems behind the scenes, leadership teams are able to spend more time focusing on their people, priorities, and long-term vision.

As Indigenous entrepreneurship continues to grow across the country, Carey believes the future is incredibly promising.

She envisions an Indigenous economy supported by Indigenous-owned businesses working together through strong relationships, trusted partnerships, and an Indigenous supply chain that continues to create opportunities for generations to come.

That same spirit of connection is one of the reasons Carey joined ADAAWE. She values having a dedicated circle of Indigenous entrepreneurs here in Ottawa, recognizing that business ownership can sometimes feel isolating. Through ADAAWE, she has found meaningful opportunities to collaborate with fellow business owners, build new friendships, and continue learning alongside like-minded entrepreneurs. She describes the experience as welcoming, approachable, and a reminder that no one has to navigate entrepreneurship alone.

For Carey, entrepreneurship has always been about more than building a business.

It's about building stronger communities.

One relationship, one organization, and one Nation at a time.