The Fighter

An entrepreneur's story of business, motherhood, combating domestic violence and overcoming trauma and her demons, both mentally and physically...

- KAILA CRUZ

I first came to Australia in January 2011 on a student visa that was only valid for six months. I never thought that after taking that fateful flight from the Philippines, Australia would become my second home. Through study I was able to gain my Australian registration to practise as a nurse and soon received my permanent residency under the sponsorship of Wollongong Hospital. I worked in various areas, such as nursing homes and medical wards, but the area I worked the longest was in the emergency department of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

In 2016, I gave birth to a beautiful boy and also got married. However, the realities of paying for our house and supporting our family loomed, and I soon worked out that if I kept working as a nurse it would be very challenging for us to sustain our lifestyle.

Hungry for a career change, I took a risk and transitioned into a whole new occupation as a registered migration consultant in 2018. After completing all my studies and acquiring my registration, I made the decision to start my own business and christened it ImmiCo Consultancy. I was still working full-time as a registered nurse whilst working on my migration business in my spare time. Always a believer in thinking big, I took the plunge and rented an office suite in the city immediately, juggling morning shifts as a nurse with afternoons in the office.

Through long hours and dedication, I managed to make it work and ran the business at a minimum cost until I steadily received a large enough income from the business to quit my day job. When that day finally came, I immediately resigned as a nurse and dove head-first into ImmiCo. Like nearly anything worth doing, I always knew that I would only be able to successfully grow the business if I gave it my full time and effort.