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.
“Prior to going into the program I’d had a pretty challenging work situation and my confidence had been beaten down, and my Dad had died. What WoTL does is they create a safe environment where we’ve all got things going on outside of the training, but once you’re in that room you’re able to spend time just thinking about the skills you have, what you want to work on and your goals on both a personal and professional level.”
One of the skills Paige has taken from the program into her business life has been to ask ‘who’s in my team?’. “At the time, I had so many gaps in mine because we’d relocated here and then Covid hit and I hadn’t had a chance to rebuild those networks. The program helped me refine the career path I wanted to be on, the opportunities I wanted to chase, and who I wanted in my team. Running a business can be quite lonely, but it helped me develop the confidence to put myself out there, expand my network and be open to new opportunities.”
It’s a strategy she now uses with her clients, guiding them to better understand their own business’s strengths, gaps and opportunities. Paige works with farmers “to run their farms as businesses”, which means she has a strong focus on supporting clients to create measurable goals—another skill she refined through the program.
“At the start of the course we wrote a letter to our future selves, then we put it in an envelope to open only when we graduated. I’m the only one who took a photo of my letter—because I wanted to hold myself to account. I’m big on setting my goals and then reviewing them regularly to make sure I’m on track. It’s what I do with my clients—we’re holding each other to account, we’re checking in, we’re making refinements as we go.”
Learning with a group of other likeminded women was also a huge benefit of the program. “Everybody who does Stepping Into Leadership is there because they want to be, and I’ve made some incredible friends and supportive networks.”
Paige found the mentoring aspect of the program so valuable, she engaged her mentor Sharon Honner for an extra 12 months after the program finished. “Sharon helped me understand how to rebuild my confidence, what my natural skillsets are and where I want to go in the industry. I knew I had a gap in my team at the point, and I needed someone to help bring out the best in me, and continuing to work with her really achieved that.”
Since completing the program, Cross Country Management has gone from strength to strength, taking on clients in project management, training and facilitation, business coaching and EOI, grants and finance applications. Now Paige’s business growth and success have led her back to WoTL in a new capacity. “I’ve gone full circle now—from being a participant to a facilitator, having recently facilitated a workshop for WoTL. This year I’ll also be a mentor for one of the leaders in the current Stepping Into Leadership program.”
These days Paige divides her time between busy family life in Adelaide with husband Nigel and their three children, her thriving business, and trips back to Gladstone to work alongside her Mum on the farm. She credits WoTL with providing an opportunity at the right time which has helped her rebuild a fulfilling agribusiness career, and encourages other women, particularly sole traders, to consider giving the Stepping Into Leadership program a go.
“When you’re a sole trader or a small business owner you don’t necessarily have the capacity to do high-end training. That’s where WoTL stands above the rest. It gives you the opportunity to build a rewarding career in agriculture.”