Their father was a hard-working entrepreneur, one of the first Native Americans to open a casino on tribal lands, this one outside the city of Spokane, WA. Obedient daughters, Monica and Marina had labored in the family business, working most nights till the hall closed at dawn. They got not only a paycheck but also an education in business. And, even more significantly, they caught the fever for entrepreneurship.

Today, Monica and Marina own Sister Sky, a manufacturer of natural bath and body products, which includes shampoos and lotions sold to hotels as amenities for guests. Earlier this year, Sister Sky also launched a new consumer product: Kevin’s Cure, a lotion developed especially for those with sensitive skin that has proven very popular. (Marina created it for her 12-year-old son, Kevin, who was born with severe eczema.) Sister Sky’s revenues this year will top $700,000, up from $550,000 in 2006, according to the sisters’ estimates.

Like their father, Monica and Marina believe in the concept of the family business. Not only are the two sisters partners, but Monica’s husband, Richard Simeon, is production manager, and a cousin is the company’s administrator. “Our business represents more to us than just making a profit,” Marina says. “Our business represents an opportunity to create quality jobs on the reservation.”

Sister Sky is capitalizing on a booming market. Indian gaming is a $30-billion-a-year business, growing annually at a double-digit rate. (Among Sister Sky’s customers: Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Oregon, operated by the Umatilla Tribe.) Tens of millions of visitors flock to reservation casinos every year to gamble. Now, some tribes are expanding casinos into resorts, adding hotels, spas and luxury shopping malls. Sister Sky recently made a pitch to sell its products to Foxwoods in Connecticut, the largest casino in the world, owned by the Pequot Tribe. “We see a huge opportunity in the growth of the hotel and spa market associated with casinos,” says Simeon, who is 40.

Sister Sky is gearing up for growth. Early in 2007, the two sisters bought a new production line, proof they’ve overcome their big hurdle in business. They aren’t cooking up lotions the old-fashioned way, any more – that is, by hand. Now, Sister Sky makes products in 200-gallon batches, bottling the liquid at the rate of 30 bottles a minute. The $100,000 equipment is their biggest capital investment to date.

Eventually, Sister Sky hopes to open retail stores featuring their product line, initially in casino resorts. The sisters share the same aesthetic vision for this next step: no feather headdresses, no cigar-store statues of fierce Indians, no plastic tomahawks. In other words, no schlock on their shelves, just authentic products made by Native Americans “We want our stores to celebrate the very best of our heritage,” Marina says earnestly.

Market From The Heart

As sisters and partners in Sister Sky, Monica Simeon and Marina TurningRobe learned how to navigate the challenges of running a growing family business. Based on the Spokane Indian Reservation about 60 miles outside Spokane, WA, their company makes natural bath and body products, which are sold mostly to hotels and resorts. Here are some words of wisdom on managing a fast-growing company from the sisters:

Stay true to your values. Sister Sky’s products are based on recipes handed down from their ancestors. Early on, big buyers pressed the sisters to lower their prices by using cheaper ingredients; the women resisted. “We’re committed to selling an authentic product,” says TurningRobe. “If we aren’t the low-price product, so be it. We are committed to quality and integrity and we won’t compromise on that.”

Market from the heart. Sister Sky’s packaging and marketing reflects the sisters’ commitment to the Spokane Tribe. Their website features family photos; it explains the importance of tribal culture and history in developing their line of lotions and shampoos. Products use only natural ingredients such as cedar and sweetgrass scent.

Divide and conquer. Each sister recognizes her strengths and weaknesses. They are careful to respect each other’s opinions and skills when making critical decisions for the business. For advice, they often turn to their father, a battle-tested entrepreneur. Ronald “Buzz” Gutierrez was one of the first Native Americans to open a casino on tribal lands in the late 1980s.

For more information about Sister Sky,
check out the company’s website at
www.sistersky.com