'By community, for community': Why the Indigenous Business Expo was the best yet

First-time stall-holder Ruby Craig had a fantastic day at Friday’s Illawarra Indigenous Business Expo, with shoppers eager to invest in her beautiful baby bibs, dummy clips, scrunchies and book bags.

Not only was it her first expo but also Ruby’s first time at any market with her Little Loops & Love Co. hand-made gifts, a “side hustle” that began when her Nan passed on her sewing machine. 

“She gifted it to me, and then I just found a love for sewing,” said Ruby, who proceeded to teach herself how to stitch and create colourful items that mothers love. 

“I just looked it up on TikTok and on YouTube and Google, and just figured out how to do it on my own.  

“So trial and error – and a lot of swearing,” she said, laughing. “I also make key wristlets, the little love hearts for the babies in the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] and tote bags, make-up bags, but my range today is just the more basic stuff.” 

Ruby’s stall was one of 62 diverse businesses showcasing everything from art to jewellery, distilling to information technology. More than 400 people registered for Friday’s expo at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach and crowds of casual shoppers rolled in on the day, creating a happy hum of activity. The event has doubled in size since the Illawarra Indigenous Business Network and Wollongong City Council launched it in 2023.

Organiser Gemma Lloyd, a proud Dunghutti and Gumbaynggirr woman, put Friday’s success down to giving First Nations people ownership of the expo.  

“I think being community led – by community, for community – makes all the difference because of how it filters through community, people hearing about it, people being aware of it, and people being willing to be a part of it,” Gemma said.

“We are over the moon. I couldn't ask for anything more. A big thanks to our sponsors, and for all of the people in community that registered to come along and support all the businesses.”

“It's a fantastic event,” said George Kandylas, operations manager at BY Group, a major sponsor backing the first Indigenous-led expo. “We're very proud to be part of it.

“We're a genuine Indigenous construction company. We don't just tick boxes. We certainly provide real outcomes and real social outcomes. So we're very proud of that, and will continue to do so. For us, it's all about training the next generation to continue working in this very challenging industry.

“We employ apprentices, carpenters, labourers, foreman, site managers across all our projects. We also have undergrads like construction cadets from university and TAFE as well.”

BY Group has about 60 staff and George says that, with labour shortages in the construction sector, there are opportunities for young people to find work on projects across NSW and the Asia Pacific.

Capturing all the excitement on the day was Smith Media’s Anthony Rigby-Smith, a photographer and filmmaker based on Dharawal land. Anthony had a stall at the first expo in 2023 but this year stepped up to cover the action.

“It's definitely a lot bigger,” he said. “There’s a lot more non-Indigenous people here supporting Indigenous businesses, which is a really good thing to see.”

Anthony was a youth worker but a bad knee injury inspired him to seize the moment and turn his love of shooting surfing and waves into a full-time business. Now he enjoys sports photography – a few weeks ago, he shot the world triathlon championships – but most of his work is with community-led programs, such as the cultural experiences, in-school programs and on-country immersions run by stallholders Gadhungal Marring. 

“The three concepts that I like to focus on is people, place and endurance,” Anthony said. “I ended up leaving uni and just fully investing everything into this. Now it's been about two years since I've been doing it full-time. And I love it.”

Empowering stories of Indigenous entrepreneurs, of creative services, products and ideas, contributed to an all-round great day for Gemma Lloyd, whose own business, Sacred Country Consulting, specialises in helping First Nations businesses and communities to succeed. 

Next year, there’ll be another story to celebrate. Gemma accepted the expo leadership role with a succession plan in mind and has found a young First Nations person interested in event management to take on the mantle in 2026. 

“I'll be mentoring them for the next few years as they take on the expo and build it into something that they're going to be really proud of,” she said. “Next month, we're meeting with the elders to get their final approval.”

One thing won’t change:  “It will be, again, by community, for community.”