Nizhóní Soaps, a SweetGrass Trading Co. vendor, recently received the 2022-2023 Originativ Entrepreneur Award by the Phoenix Suns, presented by FirstBank.
The business was founded in July 2019 by now 14-year-old Kamia Begay. She and her parents, Rhianna Brown and the late Tom Begay, decided to start the business to share their all-natural Navajo Native American scents with the world.
Kamia oversees her entire brand, with the help of her mother and a handful of employees. She makes all the products with help from her employees and leads product development and marketing. Her mother, Rhianna, is her biggest cheerleader throughout the process.
The Nizhóní Soaps team will be honored by the Suns on Thursday, Jan. 26 at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix during the game against the Dallas Mavericks. Nizhóní will also receive $5,000 courtesy of FirstBank, and personalized video vignettes on the business to be shared across social media and the Suns.com website.
In a statement released last week, the Nizhóní team said, “We also wanted to thank YOU, our customers, for all your support and love! Without your words of encouragement over the years this would not have been possible.”
According to the Suns website, “The Small Business Empowerment Awards Presented by FirstBank are designed to strengthen marginalized communities through economic empowerment. The program provides a financial grant and marketing value to a deserving minority-owned small business in the community. The Originativ Entrepreneur Award is dedicated to serving our Native American community of Arizona.”