New lease on life for The Rocket’s new street level business.
As a skilled photographer and website designer, Dianne White has never shied away from a creative challenge.
So, when the opportunity to take over Snap Printing Robina arose two years ago, Dianne and husband Matthew were quick to secure the business, with a plan to breathe new life into the local print and design centre, then based at Campus Alpha.
The duo has been so successful that in July they moved into a larger space within local commercial hub, The Rocket – giving them enough room to house eight new machines providing a suite of cutting-edge design and printing products and services for clients.
It’s the next exciting step in Dianne’s impressive creative career – a journey she recently shared with the InsideR team, along with her love of design, local community and her recipe for business success.
We’d love to know about your career journey. Have you always been involved in business?
I worked as a professional photographer for 28 years, and as a web designer for 15 years – so I’ve had lots of experience running my own businesses.
My husband Matthew had previously worked as an operations manager and supervisor for many years with an international franchisor, and now in his current role, works for a national multi-brand franchisor focusing on franchise wage compliance, working with more than 1,000 franchises all over Australia. He has an extensive background in both business and people management, while I have experience in creative arts and customer service. It’s a good mix.
What do you love about your job?
I like combining creativity with technology and have always looked for a creative outlet. As a child, and still to this day, I love to paint and draw. I started doing photography in the early ‘90s, when I was still shooting on film, as another creative outlet.
When Matthew and I got married and had children, I started doing wedding and portrait photography as I could work my own hours. As we entered the digital age, I started exploring other options. As my business grew and online business was developing, I needed a website. So after learning web design, I created my own, which turned out so well that many other small businesses asked me to do theirs, and so in addition to my photography business, I built a second small business offering website design services to small to medium business clients.
Why did you decide to purchase Snap Printing?
We bought the existing business two years ago when it was six years old. We saw the potential, have grabbed it by its horns and taken it from there.
We spent the first two years refurbishing the business – including buying brand new equipment.
The business has been growing quite steadily, and we are so excited to have now moved into The Rocket. It has really taken off since we’ve been in this fantastic location.
Our signage is phenomenal – we’ve never had this much exposure, and the location has meant we’re easily generating new clients, with thousands of cars driving past daily on Laver Drive.
Tell us about the new-look Snap?
From our our old location (with limited equipment due to space), we’ve increased this space by 400 per cent to a 300sqm lease at The Rocket. The street level space including offices and meetings rooms to allow clients to visit and discuss their needs in a comfortable environment. Our team has also increased since moving to our new location. We are all focused on providing the highest level of friendly, professional service and products to our clients at all times.
With the addition of eight new machines, it means we can offer more products in-house. Our suite of services includes a range of graphic design and printing from branding to business cards, along with specialised print, wedding and event stationery, honing in on my background as a wedding photographer.
My experience in web design means we can also provide that service to our clients in-house too. We are also a large format capable facility, so we can create pull-up banners, posters and signage.
A day here is never boring! Our clients come from a wide range of industries, including the medical, automotive, entertainment, media, and hospitality sectors. We recently helped Channel 7 with their printing needs during the Commonwealth Games and in doing so, have built an ongoing relationship with them. We look after the Grand Motors team and also support Event Cinemas – just to name a few. We cater to many different sized businesses, from national brands to start-ups and small to medium-sized clients from across the Gold Coast.
What do you believe is the key to business success?
We focus on our clients and give them the very best product and service every time. We’ve been building and growing the business on the values of courtesy and professionalism. We treat all of our clients like they are our friends.
I believe our franchise stands out because of the level of support and service we provide our customers. Whether they are a big or small client, they’re not just a number to us.
What do you love about Robina?
It’s such a nice place – well-planned, with pretty walking trails, parks and waterways. You can get everything you want within walking distance – from major retail stores to cute cafes and all business services. The Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches and hinterland are only a short drive too.
We treat ourselves to a meal out once a week and like to try new food venues. We enjoy wandering around Robina Town Centre, before having a meal at The Kitchens.
Robina has always been a favourite spot of ours. We love living and working here and have happily settled in for the long haul.
Find out more
Contact Dianne on 07 5630 3830 to discuss your printing & design needs or visit:
robina.snap.com.au
Snap Robina’s new address is:
Ground Floor, “The Rocket Annex”
Corner Laver Drive & Robina Town Centre Drive
CBDROBINA
Free parking is available at street level or B1 at The Rocket.
