Firecircle Member Feature: Gail Chamberlain

Meet Gail Chamberlain: Firecircle Member

Owner/ Executive Director Original Traders
Sainte-Justine-De-Newton, Québec

About Gail

Gail came to Firecircle with a mission: to complete Firecircle’s 5x5 Method™ and her business plan – in ONE MONTH! And guess what? She did just that.

Gail has the kind of entrepreneur mindset we love at Firecircle: perseverance and laser focused on her goals. With 30 years’ experience in the arts and crafts industry and skills in relationship building, networking, community development, project management, Indigenous relations and fluent in English and French, Gail has developed a strong business mind. Coupled with her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) focused in Fine/Studio Arts, General from Concordia University and her artistry, Gail is a force for achieving exactly what she is aiming at.

Gail’s vision for Original Traders is to fill a lack of authentic Indigenous products in Canada’s $62 million tourism Indigenous ‘arts-and-crafts as-gifts-and-souvenirs’ industry with the technology-enabled production and distribution of authentic, locally-manufactured Indigenous-designed products. The goal of Original Traders is to take back the overseas manufacture of arts and crafts, share Indigenous culture, and revitalize economic prosperity for cultural entrepreneurs in Canada.

Listen to Gail talk about how the Firecircle 5x5 Method™ helped her complete a robust business plan to seek start-up capital for the development of Original Trader.

Gail on Firecircle's ripple effect

Gail on Firecircle's Financial Management Program for Tourism Businesses