From Reset to Rebuild: Growing a Business with Purpose
Paige Cross spends her days helping others build profitable and sustainable agribusinesses. But there was a time not so long ago when she needed a little help to refine her own business’s growth and direction.
Now, with thanks to WoTL’s Stepping Into Leadership program, Paige’s business Cross Country Management is thriving and she’s working with others to drive positive change.
Growing up on her parents’ broadacre and sheep farm in Gladstone, in SA’s Mid North, Paige developed a love of agriculture and life on the land. While studying a Bachelor of Applied Science in Agronomy in Queensland, she worked as a fertiliser sales agronomist, before later working with the NAB’s agribusiness program where she met husband Nigel. The couple built a life in Western Victoria, with Paige also working roles in the local government and health sectors, building a diverse skillset. “Agriculture has always been my passion, especially working with regional, remote and rural businesses to help them improve the way they operate, and set and achieve their goals,” she says.
Over time, she started taking on clients as an agribusiness consultant and project manager, building a network across Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Then the unexpected hit—a devastating family health diagnosis. “In 2019 Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so we made the decision to move back to SA,” Paige says. “Initially when we moved back, we had a three-year-old and an eight-week-old baby as well. I was busy as a mum, Dad was sick, and I wasn’t looking to return to the workforce in a formal capacity.” Then, once Paige had settled into life in SA and prepared to relaunch and grow her consultancy, Covid hit. “While I had an established client network in Victoria, NSW and parts of regional SA, it wasn’t as strong as it had been years earlier, and I was trying to re-enter that space from a different place and at a time when I couldn’t event meet up with people for a coffee or go to networking events. “I was lucky enough to be approached by someone to do some project management work, and they recommended WoTL’s Stepping Into Leadership program. Honestly, it’s been one of the best things I’ve done.”
"Taking on the course in 2023 was a "real turning point", Paige says, not only for the skills and expanded network she gained, but also for the increased self-confidence and clarity she developed around her career goals.
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