Like many First Nations small businesses, budding young Indigenous entrepreneur Garnet Brennan faced significant economic barriers when attempting to access finance.

A recent Australian National University report found that several Indigenous businesses still struggle to access the capital they need to grow.

The findings in the Reframing Access: Moving from Individual Capabilities to Institutional Drivers of Indigenous Business Finance paper identified opportunities for governments, financial institutions, and Indigenous business leaders to "work together to develop approaches that better recognise Indigenous business models, strengthen long-term relationships, and support business growth".

So, for Mr Brennan, getting banks to listen to his sunscreen business proposal was always going to be tough. The proud Gomeroi man also faced a bigger hurdle. He was a 19-year-old university student.

"I was often told by banks that they believed in me and the product, but it would be hard to lend to a 19-year-old university student," he told the Indigenous Business Review.

"I had to dig deep, work hard and create solutions to get my idea off the ground.

"It was extremely difficult to get funding as a young blakfulla because I had to loan syndicate between various banks just to have a trial."

The now 23-year-old said he was inspired to start his business, Yulay Protect, because many First Nations people have sensitive skin.

He noticed in the early 2010s, no sunscreen brands on the market catered to 'mob'. The available products were also much more expensive than the rest of the market.

"I decided that when I grew up, I wanted to create a sunscreen brand that's affordable and quality," he said. "That way all Australians, no matter their colour, would be able to use it."

The chief executive and founder of the Melbourne-based company then spent three years testing his sunscreens to ensure they were safe.

His extensive testing was vindicated when the 2025 CHOICE report found that 16 of the top 20 sunscreen brands failed their SPF50+ claims.

"We got our product tested in Australia, the UK and USA to ensure we are delivering on our promise of caring about people and country," Mr Brennan said.

"We were able to take full advantage of that (Choice article) and become one of Australia's fastest-growing sunscreen brands in our first summer trading.

"Now we're onboarded into several national distributors, delivering to industries like construction, mining, schools and government services."

Mr Brennan said it was also a myth that First Nations people didn't get diagnosed with skin cancer.

Although the incidence of skin cancer is lower in Aboriginal people, they're more likely to be diagnosed at later stages, and then unfortunately experience poorer outcomes.

"Despite our high melanin, Indigenous people are also at risk in lighter areas of their body like palms, lips and behind the ears," Mr Brennan said. "Some mobs used traditional methods like Ochre for sun protection."

"I think it's important that all Australians don't give up on sunscreen but give up on the overseas companies that don't understand Australian sun and give us a go."

Mr Brennan is about to release the first Indigenous insect-repellent sunscreen.

He said people previously thought it couldn't be done because the sunscreen would become unstable and spoil.

Like all his products, Mr Brennan first sought approval from the Traditional Owners to use native ingredients.

"I was able to mix the modern ideologies of insect repellent with traditional Indigenous botanicals to create an Indigenous repellent sunscreen," he said.

"Even though this took a little bit more time (to get approval from the Elders), it was incredibly important for us to go about this the right way and make our community proud.

"I've had a lot of interest in various industries, and I'm looking forward to expanding our outreach and growth in 2027."

While Mr Brennan sunscreen is currently being used at work sites and schools across Australia, he also wants to inspire the next generation of young Indigenous entrepreneurs.

He has one wise piece of advice for any First Nations people facing the same economic barriers he did: don't quit.

"Strive through the adversity like Indigenous people have for generations," he said.

"If you can, inspire the next generation of young, black entrepreneurs who can take our people into a great place. Just like we've always been taught, you want to leave the land in a better place than where you found it - and business is not different."