We were lucky to catch up with Joyce Sobczyk recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Joyce thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Listening to my clients and fulfilling their needs. Being sensitive as each client comes with a different set of special needs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have evolved over the past ten years to be a business owner that works with clients that have special needs and journeys, with each one being uniquely different from the last. Originally from Chicago I worked with one client at a time as a personal shopper. This led me to some great relationships and I began honing in on those skills to work with them in their homes decluttering and organizing. First in their closets and then it evolved to doing room by room, decluttering and decorating. Then I retired at 55 and moved to SW Florida.

Fast forward to 2010 I started an organizing business in the Sarasota Venice area with clients in various cities such as Boca Raton, Vermont, Maine, Key West and beyond. I often get back to Chicago but with Covid and a new world I decided to keep it close to home.

What sets my business apart is that we work with one or two customers at a time. It is essential to have compassion and sensitivity to each and every one that we work with. We are not in any way psychologists, but have found that simple kindness and patience is what they initially need to develop trust.

Many of our customers have mental illness due to family history or disabilities such as obesity, bi-polar disorder, depression and other types of sadness that have led them to become cluttered in a way that they can’t get out. With my associate Ginger and several other players, we are able to get these lovely customers to a place they can breathe and visualize a transition or shift in lifestyle.

My best journey was working with a woman remotely to get her mom located in my city packed and organized and moved to her next phase of life. This was a huge job as her husband had passed away and she was overwhelmed with a house full of items from the past 50 years. Along with a packed garage of tools and items that she no longer needed. This job was completed and we were also able to do an entire ESTATE sale, and then staged the home for sale. I was given the opportunity to present a listing package to the daughter on Zoom and after she met with 3 agents she chose me to sell the home as her mother would feel comfortable.
For me, it was the complete package from start to finish.

My recent job is still ongoing as my client and her brother struggle with obesity and mental illness. They are reclusive and unable to deal with day to day life as it has many triggers for them that can easily derail or get them in a closed type of behavior. They have shared a story of unspeakable abuse as children. Their mother recently passed and they are left holding the estate to get uncluttered and ready to go on the market.

Our customer is usually a child or sibling that does not live in SW Florida. They either have an ailing parent or worse a parent that passed away. They are unable to travel due to young kids or jobs or Covid. Often it is a sibling that is up North unable to travel. We are able to photograph and work with them over the phone (many do not want to zoom although we do that as well).
From start to finish our goal is to get these clients to the end goal. We organize, we pack, we sell items on Marketplace, we run Estate sales and we ultimately will stage and list the home. One stop shopping for those that need someone they can trust. Our references will confirm that we are the best!

Have you ever had to pivot?

For many years I was a Personal shopper in Chicago on Michigan Ave. Then in 2012 my husband was ready to retire at 50 and it was time to leave Chicago.
When we came down to SW Florida I thought no problem, I can do my personal shopping here for the many clients that are my age and promote this business from my website.
I quickly discovered that women here in general are golfing, crafting, thrifting or going to the beach or on the boat.

I reinvented myself about 5 times until I went back to what I love……working with people in their homes and closets to help them declutter and restyle their lives.
I got my business going and picked up my Real Estate license along the way. I discovered most people that need to get organized, need decluttering. Many because they want to get their home on the market.

Since then I have loved my life everyday as I am one or two customers at a time by appointment only. I work side by side with my sister who moved down, got married and came aboard to work for me.

Going from a sales based job in high end fashion with a full time assistant to a variety pack of everyday life has been so great for us. Every day is a different adventure.

Contact Info:

• Website: joycestages.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joycesobczyk/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/organizestyleshopreinvent
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-sobczyk-pa-37826232/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sobczykjoyce1
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=saDQzyTqYVkYP3LXw4Yfmw
• Other: Pinterest! https://www.pinterest.com/joyciesellsflorida/pins/