Anna Crabb, Head of Strategy and Partnerships at B Lab Australia & New Zealand

"I was born into a recession. Unemployment was the highest level it had been since the 1930s Great Depression. The sky-high interest rates were stretching my newlywed parents who had bought their slice of the Australian dream. At this time my Mum had a health flare up which meant she had to walk away from her calling as a classroom teacher.

My mum re-trained as a bookkeeper when my brother and I were at school. Throughout my childhood I was devastated that employer after employer could not look past my mum’s arthritic hands and see the highly capable professional in front of them. Watching this injustice I learnt to work hard, skill up, and watch my money.

My Dad completed his Masters with two kids under six, scarce free time and dollars. Throughout high school and university I worked multiple jobs - fast food, retail, research - and saved everything I could. I did a student exchange, joined the student leadership council, and took on internships. I was determined to have as many stable career options as possible when I graduated, while always being driven by a need to make the world a better place (as corny as that sounds).

I started my career in the public service and quickly moved up the ranks. I saw the most interesting policy work being outsourced to consultants so I studied a Master of Management and made the switch to management consulting. While my salary went up considerably, so did the expectations of long working hours and delivering for clients every single day.

After a few years in the field, I started my own social impact consulting business. This gave me the freedom to give each social enterprise and not-for-profit I worked with the time and energy I felt they needed to achieve the best outcome. I had a good idea about how to deliver for my clients but boy did I under-estimate the effort and dollars that goes into running the business! Working from home I felt isolated so I joined a co-working space ($200/month), a large client wanted particular insurance ($30/month), and on and on the expenses added up.

What I learnt running my own business was invaluable and still informs how I live and work to this day. I’m so grateful to my parents for instilling in me the discipline to save for a rainy day, to never stop learning, and to get regular financial advice from professionals that have your wellbeing at heart."