Crestine Carson worked as a nurse in New Zealand for eight years, but she realized that her salary would not be enough to provide a comfortable life for her family once she decided to settle back home.
After years of working, Crestine decided to return to the country. And the turning point in her life came when she learned that a simple vacation in the Philippines could cost an OFW a hefty amount of money.
“I heard OFWs do that. They have no money in the bank and they go home to the Philippines..or they bring home their savings as an OFW and spend them all,” she said in an interview with entrepreneur Bo Sanchez last June.
Because of this experience, Crestine decided to plan for long-term and set up a business with her five sisters, “I wanted to stop helping just by giving them money.”
At first, money burned a hole in her pocket after several failed attempts in setting up a buy-and-sell cellphone business.
“It’s really painful. If you’re an OFW, you’re earning 6-digit figures abroad,” she added.
In 2013, Crestine and her sisters opened up a shakes and smoothies business in front of their house in Pagadian city, Zamboanga del Sur.
“The product was really yummy so people started to queue,” she said.
After four years, her business has now expanded into 33 more branches across the country including in Cebu, Sultan Kudarat, and Davao.
In June, Crestine released an electronic book titled “How I Stopped the Habit of Remittance Yet Helped My Family More” to inspire fellow OFWs with their story.
“We had big dreams yet started really small.. I feel that I found a deeper mission as an OFW/immigrant. As we grow our business, we want to share our success to other OFW/immigrants and their families,” she said in the book.
Credit: Bo Sanchez, Youtube
Photo credit: Crestine Carson, Facebook, crestinecarson.com
