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Elizabeth Crotty, an entrepreneur in South Africa helping global clients relocate to Australia to start new lives

December 30, 2018 Melanie Hawken
Elizabeth Crotty, founder of Aurora Migration Consulting (South Africa)

Elizabeth Crotty, founder of Aurora Migration Consulting (South Africa)

Relocating to a new country is a daunting prospect for many people, and for those interested in making Australia their new homes, it can seem particularly challenging to make the move. That’s where entrepreneur Elizabeth Crotty, founder of Aurora Migration Consulting, comes in. She has created a one-stop-shop to help any would-be relocator to Australia with all the fine details.




LoA chatted to Elizabeth this month to find out more….

What does your company do?

We help people from all over the world relocate to Australia. We assist families, students, and skilled workers, as well as those interested in business and investment in Australia. Our service offerings consist of: assistance with the entire visa process (determining visa eligibility, processing the visa application, and appeals for visa outcome), relocation services (packing, shipping, pet relocation), and assistance securing employment in Australia. To put it simply, we are a one-stop shop for individuals, families, or businesses interesting in relocating to Australia.

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“We are one-stop-shop for individuals, families, or businesses interested in relocating to Australia.”

What inspired you to start your company?

Having personally been through the process of moving country, I understand it can be a very overwhelming process. Whether you are moving for work, for family, for a new partner, or new start, it doesn't take away the fact it's tough to relocate internationally. I was inspired to provide a service which makes this process as easy as possible. I have lived in Australia nearly all of my adult life, and I enjoy helping people start a new life in a country I care so deeply about.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

What makes Aurora Migration Consulting different is that we have partnered with a registered migration lawyer who is part of a well-established law firm in Tasmania. Our entire team has had experience both living within Australia and living overseas, so we relate with our clients on a personal level. Every time you contact Aurora you will be speaking directly to someone who has personally been through the process of relocation, and we are always available to answer any uncertainties you have as best as possible.

We understand that immigrating to Australia can be a costly process. To help with your budgeting, we provide a comprehensive quote rather than charging by the hour. You therefore know what our service is going to cost you (on top of your visa) beforehand, rather than getting a surprise at the end of the application process.

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“I enjoy helping people start a new life in a country I care so deeply about.”

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Tell us a little about your team

Currently I operate Aurora Migration Consulting solely. All visa processing and legal advice is provided through a registered migration lawyer who works at my father's law firm in Tasmania. Having a family connection to the law firm means together we deliver warm and approachable service.

My right-hand-woman for Aurora HR Solutions is Nicole, who has worked with me only for a few months, but has made a huge impact on productivity and outputs for my business. She enjoys the flexibility of working from home, and comes into the office once a week to touch base. I am intentionally keeping Aurora HR Solutions all-female run and am looking to bring another team member on in 2019.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

Both of my parents own their own businesses, so I guess you could say I come from an entrepreneurial background. In saying this, I have found from personal experience that Australians are far less entrepreneurial than people throughout the African continent. The standard narrative in Australia is to finish school, go to university (after an extended gap year!!), and get into a good company where you climb the corporate ladder and lead a comfortable life. Wages are high in Australia, quality of life is great, but cost of living is steep. It's extremely daunting to leave a nice corporate salary to start up your own venture, and generally speaking it's more difficult logistically to open a business in such a highly regulated country such as Australia.

When I finished my honours degree in environmental science, I worked as a scientific researcher focusing on seabird populations throughout New Zealand and Australia. These positions were only short-term contracts, so my entrepreneurial journey started when I turned a baking hobby into a small business during the time between seabird work. I stocked clients around Hobart with corporate morning teas for meetings, and made cakes to order for special occasions. This never grew larger than a side hustle, and I wasn't making a great deal of money from it. I really enjoyed running my own company and having complete control over business decisions and direction.

When I moved to South Africa in 2016, I toyed with the idea of relaunching Short and Sweet (the name of my baking business), then after some market research realized that the baking industry is already quite saturated, and very competitively priced. I was now looking for a business model which required minimal start-up costs in terms of capital investment, fast turn around time from lead to sale, an industry that had promising growth, and most importantly something I could learn as I went. I launched Aurora HR Solutions in January 2017 and focused on recruiting in the IT and digital marketing industries. I established strong collaborative relationships with other female-owned businesses throughout Johannesburg which has allowed me to offer my clients a comprehensive HR service. Since launching almost two years ago, Aurora HR has grown steadily and I now have established a loyal client base in South Africa.

Through an identified partnership opportunity with a migration lawyer based in Tasmania, I decided to launch Aurora Migration Consulting as a service for individuals and companies to streamline their visa application process. Again through strong relationship building and maintenance, I have collaborated with several relocation service providers to offer Aurora clients a comprehensive service to immigrate to Australia. This branch of my business is still in its infancy stage, I am currently focusing on building my brand as a trusted and dedicated service provider to those looking to move to Australia.

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“Future plans include signing on global companies with worldwide office locations who need to relocate their staff to Australia on a continual basis.”

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

Currently my clients are couples or young families, which is great because they are lovely to work with and the process is not too complicated. Ideally I would like to start scaling up in 2019, and focus on the commercial sector. The future plans for Aurora Migration Consulting include signing on global companies (with worldwide offices locations) who need to relocate their staff to Australia on a continual basis. Even further into the future - who knows, maybe I will partner with migration lawyers in other countries and I can start providing a global service!

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Delivering exceptional service. I never let anything leave my desk that I'm not 100% happy with. I ensure my staff live by the same rule, and we receive great feedback from clients saying they are impressed with the level of service that comes from Aurora. Nothing satisfies me more than positive feedback from clients. I still have moments when a client calls me and I'm thinking, "did you get the right number?? Are you sure you want to use my company?" It's been a long journey in realizing that I in fact do add value to people's businesses, and still doesn't seem real when I receive repeat business or a positive testimonial.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Failing to plan is planning to fail. I cannot stress this enough. Starting a business is a massive leap, there is so much that has to be explored and considered in the initial process before you even think about launching. Calculate how much money you think you'll need, and double it!! If you are quitting your 9 to 5 job to start the business, are you prepared for working for free until your business starts making enough to earn a salary? Have you thought about how that will change your lifestyle, impact your relationships and also the emotional/mental effects of not earning a salary (we can start to feel like we are worth nothing if we are earning nothing!). Are you mentally prepared to work day and night at something that might seemingly be going backwards in the first 12-24 months?

I know that we can essentially get "analysis paralysis" if we overthink all of this too much, however it's important not to dive into it headfirst without having a proper plan - especially from the financial side.


Contact or follow Aurora Migration Consulting

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL migration@aurorahr.net


Why LoA loves it….

Many people think about relocating and get an opportunity to perhaps start a new job or a business opportunity overseas, but it can be a seriously daunting challenge to actually make the move, especially to Australia. Entrepreneur Elizabeth Crotty is that essential helping hand when you need it, guiding you through the overseas relocation process, and bringing her personal knowledge and experience of living and working in Australia to her clients. Moving house is reputed to be one of the most stressful of life experiences, so moving countries at the same is double the stress. But Elizabeth Crotty and her company Aurora Migration, are there to make it seem a whole lot more enjoyable.  --- Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa

In Startup Story Tags South Africa, Business Services
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