They Said She Lacked "Australian Experience." So She Built Her Own Company.

When Anna Rante landed in Australia at the age of 18, she didn't bring a business plan or a network. She brought a CPA license from a country that no longer seemed to count, a family of six relying on a fresh start, and a quiet determination that would later define everything she built.

In this episode of My Migrant Soul, host Imran Abul Kashem sits down with Anna Rante, Founder and CEO of Right and Keystone Group, to talk about what happens when the door won't open and you decide to build your own. Anna's story doesn't start with confidence. It starts with rejection, day after day, the kind that comes from looking too young, sounding too foreign, and carrying credentials nobody local seemed to trust. She was 19, skinny, and routinely mistaken for a high school student. Accounting firms turned her away. Job applications came back marked "insufficient Australian experience." For a while, she says, she was depressed, wondering daily if she'd made the wrong choice.

What changed wasn't a lucky break. It was a decision. "If I can't find a seat at the table, I should make my own table," she says in the episode, and at 21, with nothing more than a laptop and a willingness to start over, she did exactly that. The small accounting practice she opened in 2011 has since grown into Right and Keystone Group, a multi-division network spanning taxation, migration, mortgage broking, and real estate, built specifically around opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

But this conversation isn't just about business growth. Anna opens up about the implicit bias she had to fight within herself before she could ask anyone else to trust her, about why she believes vulnerability builds more loyalty than charisma, and about the mindset shifts that got her through entrepreneurship's hardest stretches, including a pivotal moment of self-reflection during COVID that changed how she thinks about rest, self-care, and what it actually means to give to others. She also shares what's next: an AI-powered tax management app, a spot in a UBS accelerator program for female founders, and a vision that reaches well beyond Australia's borders.

What ties it all together is something Anna repeats throughout the episode: don't forget where you started, and don't forget why you started. It's advice for migrants, for entrepreneurs, and really for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering if they have what it takes to build something from nothing.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How Anna's mother, a single parent running a transport and construction business in the Philippines, became her first model of entrepreneurship

• The reality of arriving in Australia at 18 and feeling like a "second rate citizen" starting from scratch

• Why being told she lacked "Australian experience" became the turning point that pushed her to start her own firm at 21

• The specific challenges of building trust as a young, Asian, female entrepreneur in a professional services industry

• How Anna overcame her own implicit bias and self-doubt before she could expect clients to trust her

• Why she built her franchise model specifically around underrepresented entrepreneurs, and what that looks like in practice

• The difference between chasing perfection and choosing progress, and why that mindset shift matters for sustainability

• What innovation really means for a traditional accounting business, from franchising to an AI-powered tax app called Tax 360

• Her advice for young dreamers: be authentic, start now, and build a community instead of just a business

• Why she now treats self-care and rest as essential to leadership rather than a distraction from it

• A look at what's next, including a UBS accelerator program for female founders and her 10-year vision for the business

Key Takeaway

"If I can't find a seat at the table, I should make my own table."

About the Host - Imran Abul Kashem

Imran Abul Kashem is the founder of Westend Business Hub, Westend Photography, Westend Digital, Westend Podcast, and Wyndham Entrepreneur Connect. An award-winning photographer and serial entrepreneur, Imran brings ideas to life at the intersection of creativity and business. As an author, investor, business advocate, and cultural ambassador, he is passionate about building platforms that empower communities and spark meaningful conversations.

About the Guest - Anna Rante

Anna Rante is an entrepreneur, business strategist, and migrant leader who has built one of Australia’s growing purpose-driven business networks through resilience, innovation, and a strong commitment to empowering others.

Migrating to Australia at just 18 years old, Anna faced the reality many migrants know too well. Despite having qualifications, ambition, and drive, she was repeatedly told she lacked “Australian experience.” Instead of allowing those barriers to define her future, Anna chose to create her own opportunities, building a business grounded in purpose, community, and long-term impact.

Today, Anna is the Founder and CEO of Right and Keystone Group, a multi-division franchise network spanning taxation, migration, mortgage broking, and real estate services. Under her leadership, the organisation has become known for its people-first approach, collaborative culture, and mission to “change the world, one client at a time.”

A recognised leader in business and innovation, Anna is also a Harvard Business School alumna, Chartered Accountant, CPA, Registered Tax Agent, and Registered Migration Agent. Her achievements include being named a Stevie Awards Woman of the Year in Franchising and recognised in the Business Elite Awards 40 Under 40.

Passionate about creating a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem, Anna actively mentors emerging business owners and advocates for migrant entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of building careers and businesses in a new country. Her story is one of courage, reinvention, and leadership, proving that setbacks can become the foundation for meaningful success.

If this story resonated with you, share it with someone who needs the reminder: you don't need a perfect plan, permission, or a seat already waiting for you, sometimes you just need to build your own table.

Special Thanks to Our Partners

This podcast is proudly supported by our incredible partner businesses, whose ongoing support helps bring these conversations to life:

• Westend Business Hub

• Westend Digital

• Westend Photography

• Westend Podcast

• WeConnect

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Keywords

migrant entrepreneur, Anna Rante, Right and Keystone Group, Australian experience, female founder, franchise network, purpose-driven business, underrepresented entrepreneurs, accounting firm, migration agent, mortgage broking, mindset shift, implicit bias, authenticity in leadership, build a legacy, Harvard Business School, UBS female founder accelerator, Tax 360, AI tax management app, work-life balance, self-love, resilience, immigrant success story, My Migrant Soul podcast, Imran Abul Kashem, Westend Podcast