Dane Sanderson didn’t win every award he was nominated for at the 2022 Samuel McLeod Business Awards, but he wasn’t complaining.
Sanderson was nominated for Young Entrepreneur of the Year, while his business, Media Made Simple, was up for Indigenous Business of the Year. The Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree Nation member only took home the first of those two awards, but said it was an honour just to be nominated.
“Going into business full time new this past year, I did not expect myself to be named the winner this year,” Sanderson said after the awards ceremony. “I had big aspirations to maybe get here one day, but I was not prepared to be called upon. I’m very thankful and grateful that what I’m doing has been recognized in the business community of Prince Albert.”
Sanderson was born and raised in Prince Albert, but left for the University of Regina after graduating. He enrolled in marketing, then came back to Prince Albert at 24 when he finished university.
Sanderson credited Lakeland Ford for taking a chance on him right out of university. He worked seven years in sales and marketing for the company before venturing out on his own with Media Made Simple roughly seven to eight months ago.
Although he knew there was a demand for these types of services, Sanderson said he was shocked at just how strong demand was.
“It’s just exploded,” he said. “These types of services are very needed (and) not just in the community (of Prince Albert), but everywhere. I’ve had clients as far (away) as Ontario to Vancouver Island to some in the states to the Northwest Territories. It’s a digital world right now, and if anyone else is thinking about getting into the field, I highly recommend it because it’s needed.”
The demand is especially high for local First Nations. Sanderson has become more involved with Chakastaypasin over the past few years, and that’s helped him find a niche market with other First Nations governments and organizations looking to improve their communication.
So far, Media Made Simple is a one man operation, but change could be on the way if the business continues to grow.
“I’m at the point now where I’m pretty tapped out on a one-man team, so I’m going to be looking to add in the next year here,” Sanderson said.
Sanderson added that he couldn’t have accomplished this without the support of his wife, a local teacher who he credited for a large part of his success.
“I didn’t get a chance to say it on stage, but my wife does a lot of work behind the scenes as well, especially raising two young children,” he said. “I put in many late hours working and stuff like that and she still works full time and is able to take care of our children when I’m not there, so I just really want to thank her as well.”