Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
KAYENTA, Arizona — While small businesses suffered during the pandemic, Native American-owned businesses were hit particularly hard and many are still struggling to get back on their feet.
One Utah college graduate recently drew upon his Native American heritage and sought a way to give back in his unique way. He now runs a software company that's helping the Native American tourism industry and supporting charitable causes on reservation lands.
Wyatt Redshield Gilmore was born in Salt Lake City to a British-American mother and a Navajo father. The family lived in Woods Cross until Gilmore's 10th birthday, then relocated to the small town of Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation.
"It was a huge change going from suburbia to the reservation," recalls Gilmore. "I love how my childhood taught me lessons from two very different cultures. Growing up on the rez, I became accustomed to being 'poor' by national standards, but I was rich in culture, large extended family ties and experiences. I saw so many of my neighbors that lived in much worse circumstances than I did, and I always felt a big need to find a way to help."
After finishing high school, Gilmore returned to Utah to attend Utah Valley University. He experienced some culture shock and found himself longing for life in Kayenta. Most weekends, he made the long drive home to be with family.
But Gilmore was fortunate to have excellent professors, as well as friends from the university's Multicultural Student Services Center who offered him encouragement. He also met his wife, Alma, during this formative time. Strengthened by those around him, Gilmore remained at school and graduated with a degree in psychology.
In 2016, Gilmore founded 4 Directions Media, a digital marketing agency that serves Native American businesses. Many of the agency's clients were tour companies and Gilmore began noticing the booking software they were using wasn't aligned with the unique needs of the community.
The Native American tourism industry is exploding with popularity due to our culture, traditions, food and beautiful landscapes.
–Wyatt Redfield Gilmore
"Tourism is an economic lifeblood for Native American communities," explains Gilmore. "But none of the booking software being used was Native-owned. Nothing against those software companies, but they really didn't understand our communities and our struggles. So during the pandemic, I set out to make a specialized software that could support Native-owned tour companies and also circulate the money made back into our communities by dedicating at least 10% of all profits to charitable causes on reservation lands."
With these goals in mind, Gilmore founded Native American Tours in 2021. Smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, it was undoubtedly a rough time to launch a SaaS company focused on Native tourism. Most tour companies shut down and the Navajo Nation completely closed to visitors.
But Gilmore and his team began building their software — despite COVID-related challenges and an extremely limited budget. And they soon experienced some of the harsh realities of the startup world. Their beta launch was riddled with bugs, and Gilmore says his fledgling business never would've survived if it weren't for the patience and loyalty of their first client, Dixie's Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.
Over time, the platform became more streamlined and could effortlessly manage thousands of transactions each day. Native American Tours now supports numerous tour companies throughout the United States and Canada.
"The most fulfilling part for me is knowing that we have a successful startup that's benefiting the lives of others," says Gilmore. "I love being able to take care of my staff and still accumulate tens of thousands of dollars for our charitable endeavors."
What's next?
A main priority for Gilmore and his team is expanding software offerings to both Native-owned and non-Native-owned tour companies. And the success of Native American Tours has allowed Gilmore to start a complementary software as a service company (SaaS) in the hotel management industry. It will help them serve an even larger market, integrating with their existing tourism software.
"The Native American tourism industry is exploding with popularity due to our culture, traditions, food and beautiful landscapes," says Gilmore. "There are lots of opportunities to come visit our lands that weren't available to the public when I was a kid. Everyone is welcome."
Most importantly to Gilmore, every new software client adds revenue that enables them to do even more impactful charitable work. His team hopes to be putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into their charity work in the coming years.
In the meantime, there's an array of travel opportunities available on Native lands for anyone who is interested. Some trip ideas and other helpful resources are available online at NativeAmericanTours.com/blog.
