Redefining Success: How Victoria McWane-Creek is Transforming Workplaces and Communities 

Victoria McWane-Creek, founder and CEO of Organization 4 Full Participation, is the go-to consultant when it comes to teamwork, collaboration, and increasing effectiveness within organizations and businesses. McWane-Creek, an entrepreneur who calls Fergus Falls home, has worked with local, state, and regional companies like Essentia Health and Great Plains Food Bank to create workplace environments where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered to perform at their best. 

A Human-Centered Approach to Business 

Despite her impressive list of accolades—including the 2024 Minnesota Star Tribune Community Bridge Builder Award, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation 2021 Facing Race Awards, Minnesota Campus Compact Community Award, the Distinguished Achievement Award, and the Change Maker Award by the Minnesota Women’s Press—McWane-Creek does not subscribe to the relentless grind of hustle culture. Instead, she prioritizes a slower, more intentional pace, aligning her business with her values. 

“I’m not a typical businesswoman. I’m not your average entrepreneur because I’m not looking to scale into some huge entity and have, you know, contracts that are just ginormous,” McWane-Creek shares. “I want to have a business that sustains me and allows me to live my life.” 

McWane-Creek brings that same energy into her business Organization 4 Full Participation, where she acts as a researcher, curriculum developer, and instructor. She helps businesses identify and prioritize gaps in knowledge, performance, outcomes, and skills and then creates tailored interventions such as learning experiences and new processes to drive meaningful change. 

“We create a plan to address a specific, tangible issue within a specific time frame, and I like to have no more than a year to address it with excellence,” she explains. “Then we assess at the end of the term, were we successful? To what degree, to what extent? Were we unsuccessful? Why? You must be willing to experiment, fail, learn, and do it again.” 

McWane-Creek’s version of business, economy, and entrepreneurship is deeply humane and sustainable. “Education, mental health, advocacy, and just being human. These are all very important pieces that infuse my work,” McWane-Creek said. 

When asked how and why she stepped away from traditional employment, McWane-Creek explained that she had the urge to create a better work environment for herself. Now she makes a living doing just that for many others. 

Onyx Collective: A Space to Belong 

Beyond her consulting work, McWane-Creek has tapped into her entrepreneurial and leadership skills to create Onyx Collective, a community for other Black community members living in rural, predominantly White areas. Her face lights up while she admits, “Organization 4 Full Participation is my life’s work. It affords my life. I make a living. Onyx Collective is my heart’s work that makes my life work.” 

Here, McWane-Creek reflects on her experience growing up as a Black person in Crosby, Minnesota, “Crosby was 99% White. Actually, no—it was 100% White, except for us. I was the only Black girl in school, and my brothers were the only Black boys,” McWane-Creek recalls. “On my first day at recess, another child called me the N-word. I had never heard it before, but I knew from his tone and expression that it wasn’t a compliment.” 

From student to business owner, McWane-Creek has navigated life as a Black person living, working, and playing in White rural spaces. She’s now determined to help others do the same by creating healthy and healing spaces for Black community members to just be themselves without the pressures of conforming to other societal norms away from gazes and curiosities.  

“Over time, I’ve learned to curate spaces where I can show up as my full self,” she says. “Not everyone feels they have the ability or desire to do that, but it’s essential for me. I don’t want to walk through life in a protective shell, constantly shielding myself from harm. Instead, I focus on creating environments where more Black people can show up authentically and safely.” 

Through building relationships, strengthening social networks, hosting game nights, and learning together about what works, such as cooperative economics, Onyx Collective seeks to support and inspire Black folks who choose to live their lives in rural Minnesota to gain more control of their time and interactions and ultimately be themselves in a world that isn’t always friendly or accepting.  

“It’s not about isolating ourselves but about creating better interactions and support systems. We all deserve to sustain our lives without constantly being in harm’s way,” continues McWane-Creek. “We can’t eliminate racism or bias, but we can build systems that protect and support us. Economic independence is one way to do that.” 

From transforming workplace culture to fostering healing spaces for Black communities, McWane-Creek’s work is about more than business—it’s about humanity. Through Organization 4 Full Participation and Onyx Collective, she is proving that sustainable success isn’t about relentless growth but about cultivating environments where people, no matter their background, identity, or lived experience can thrive. 

Her journey serves as a testament to the power of intentionality, resilience, and the radical act of creating spaces where people—especially those from marginalized communities—can simply exist as their full, authentic selves.