The 11th annual Indigenous Business Month — a national, community-led celebration of the strength, talent and resilience of First Nations businesses — will take place this October under the theme 'Strength through Collaboration'.

From partnerships grounded in Country, culture and global networks, to local businesses working together to meet community needs, Indigenous Business Month (IBM) 2025 highlights the power of unity — within communities and with allies.

Collaboration is deeply rooted in cultural practice. It means coming together to share knowledge, listen, and make collective decisions. This approach not only sustains communities but also builds strong, future-focused business models centred on culture, Country and connection.

Across Australia and the world, Indigenous businesses are leading with innovation and long-term vision — creating positive change both within their organisations and across the wider business landscape.

Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership director and co-founder of IBM, Michelle Evans, said the focus for this year would spotlight collaborative work in action.

"With community, corporations, government, and not-for-profit organisations, but most significantly, with grassroots Indigenous groups and individuals," she said.

"Respectful and shared decision-making is the epitome of Indigenous ways of being. 'Strength through collaboration' of the very genuine kind, will see us through to an economically powerful Indigenous Australia."

IBM co-founder and Iscariot Media director, Leesa Watego, said the next decade of IBM offers a compelling vision of how Indigenous businesses "are working together, with each other and with a wide range of organisations, to continue building and supporting communities".

"This year's theme is a testament to the journey of the sector so far, and a vision for what lies ahead," she said.

"Few of us could build a business without collaboration. Whether it's with other business owners, our customers, or our suppliers, these relationships are foundational. They help us create meaningful businesses that serve and uplift our communities."

Fellow IBM co-founder and 33 Creative director Mayrah Sonter said when IBM began over a decade ago it was built on a belief in the "strength and potential of our people to balance business success with responsibility to our communities".

"What makes our sector strong is not just the brilliance of individual businesses, but the way we collaborate, support and stand with one another in sharing opportunity," she said.

"This year's theme is a celebration of that unity — and a call to continue highlighting those partnerships into the future."

As part of the 2025 celebrations, nominations are now open for the IBM Awards, which recognise excellence in Indigenous business leadership, innovation and collaboration.

Award categories include:

- I2I Award – Recognising Indigenous businesses that buy from and/or supply to other Indigenous businesses, strengthening the sector through mutual support.

- Indigenous Digital Inventiveness Award – Celebrating digital enterprise that blends cultural creativity with business and technology.

- Indigenous Ingenuity Award – Acknowledging businesses tackling community challenges through innovative models.

- Regional Indigenous Business Award – Highlighting impactful contributions by Indigenous businesses to regional economies.

Indigenous businesses, collaborators, and community changemakers are encouraged to submit entries or nominate others demonstrating strength through collaboration.

Nominations, which close 31 August can be made online.