Aboriginal-owned Snap Underwood is using business to empower the local community

Karen Seage, a proud Noonuccal woman, is the owner of Snap Underwood and is using her business to empower her community.

The Noonuccal people are the traditional custodians of Quandamooka (Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island).

Based in Underwood, Queensland, the company is a Supply Nation registered design and print business providing print and web design services. Its services also include graphic design and branding, mobile websites and smartphone apps, promotional material and corporate gifts.

Karen started in production at Snap 15 years ago and worked her way up to centre management. When she was offered the Snap franchise at Underwood four years ago, she was more than ready to take on the challenge and received support from Indigenous Business Australia to help her finance it.

It was then that she started to realise the impact she could have in the Indigenous community, being an Aboriginal business owner.

“It wasn’t until I bought the centre that I started having a lot to do with local Indigenous businesses that were trying to get off the ground and get started,” Karen said.

“And that’s when I first thought ’No, there’s more to this than just being a print shop. I can help other Indigenous businesses’. From having no indigenous businesses on our books we probably have over 100 now.”

She also channels her work into helping the community including doing design and printing work for the Elders on Stradbroke Island where she continues to volunteer, as well as supporting her local community in and around Logan.

“Being in Logan, there are a lot of Indigenous people that are unemployed. What I’m hoping will happen when we are big enough, when the turnover is big enough, is that we can start to employ Indigenous youth”, Karen said.

The business has benefitted from support from the Australian Government's Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP). Under the IPP In the 2015 -16 financial year, Snap Underwood  was awarded 4 contracts, valued in total around $96,000 by the Department of the Attorney General and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Snap Underwood received great feedback from these clients and Karen highlights how important government contracts are for Indigenous businesses and the whole community.

“Working with Australian Government is important to us because it gives us security. And we can expand our staff. Once our turnover is at a certain level we can employ more staff to work here. And that means I then get the opportunity to employ Indigenous youths from Logan. Logan is my main goal; that is, I can help people in this area, succeed,” Karen said.

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