Bernice Kootoo Clarkee is the Founder and President of Uasao Soap (Wah-so Soap), an Inuit owned company dedicated to preserving traditional Inuit knowledge by incorporating it in a new and modern way. When she first started up in Nunavut, she had to overcome not only the challenges of starting up in a remote community, but those who had their doubts about her success.
“I had a feeling. I went with a gut instinct. I went against people who didn’t believe it would pick up. I ignored it, I forged through, and I saw it through, and then I said I told you so.”
Guided by Inuit values and a commitment to revitalizing Inuit culture, all of Uasau’s products feature natural ingredients like bowhead whale oil, seal oil, and tundra. Fellow Intuit reach out to Bernice to share their knowledge of healing methods that have a long history in Intuit culture spanning hundreds of years.
In May, Bernice took home the 2019 Startup Canada’s Entrepreneur’s Choice award for the North Region, and in 2016, she was awarded with the Top Aboriginal business of the year award from the Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerce. She has raised four beautiful children in her home community surrounded by friends and family.
In this week’s episode of the #THRIVEPodcast, host Komal Minhas and Bernice explore the realities of starting up in the Arctic, and how gut feelings, intuition, and grit are the real recipe for success.
The post Preserving Traditional Inuit Knowledge through Entrepreneurship with Bernice Clarke – September 12th 2019 appeared first on Startup Canada.
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