{"id":15814,"date":"2023-06-01T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T07:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=15814"},"modified":"2023-06-01T08:25:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T06:25:44","slug":"moving-with-marylou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2023\/06\/01\/moving-with-marylou\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving with Marylou"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hands up if this scenario sounds familiar: You\u2019re standing in the middle of a room, surrounded by your objects. Some you know you would never part with in a million years, some you\u2019re only too glad to get rid of, but some have a giant question mark hovering over them. What to do with these?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hard as it is to answer this question, imagine how much more difficult it becomes when every item has a memory attached to it, and is steeped in sentiment. That\u2019s where Marylou Bawden comes in. Occupying a rather unique spot, somewhere between a moving company and a home organising service, Marylou\u2019s company, Clear Path Senior and Specialty Moving Managers,<\/em> helps people \u2013 specifically retirees relocating to a smaller home \u2013 sift through what they need, what they can do without, and what they\u2019re unsure of.<\/p>\n

Marylou explains that the idea for the business was born during Covid. \u201cAfter my mother-in-law moved in with my sister-in-law for the duration of lockdown, she decided it was time to downsize permanently from her home of 52 years,\u201d Marylou explains. The family spent seemingly endless Saturdays clearing out possessions accumulated over more than half a century, and although Marylou\u2019s mother-in-law was completely on board and eager for the move, she was also paralysed by indecision at times. \u201cShe\u2019d pick something up and then put it down again, unsure of whether she wanted to keep it or chuck it. That\u2019s when I realised that there are thousands of South Africans facing a similar conundrum. What\u2019s more, because so many of them have seen their children immigrate, there\u2019s no one to help them through this difficult and often emotional process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The timing of Marylou\u2019s epiphany wasn\u2019t surprising, given that she\u2019d recently lost her job in events – an industry which had practically ceased to exist after lockdown was announced. With more time on her hands than she was used to, she allowed herself to explore her passions and interests. \u201cAt one point, I even considered starting a business focused on soil, because I was really into composting at the time. My husband was greatly relieved when I found somewhere else to invest my energies \u2013 he had been encouraging me to find my niche because, although I knew I needed to find a job, I was also certain that I wanted to start a business rather than take direction from someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fair enough \u2013 but wasn\u2019t it scary to take up life as an entrepreneur at a time when many businesses were being forced to shut their doors? Not at all, Marylou says. \u201cIn a way, the pandemic gave me a blank canvas. One of my friends always tells me she wishes she had the guts to do what I\u2019d done \u2013 but, as I always say, it\u2019s easy when you have nothing to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Marylou admits that the first few months of Clear Path\u2019s existence were rough going. Her experience helping her mother-in-law move prompted her to do some online research, which brought up the National Association of Senior and Specialty Moving Managers in the United States. \u201cI thought that if the Association could gather more than 1 000 members, there was certainly space for such a service in South Africa,\u201d she recalls. She developed the concept , launched a website in November 2020, and netted her first clients in March \u2013 one year after her retrenchment. \u201cI felt that everything in my life had led to this point. I started my career helping my mother in her antiques store, which gave me contacts among the South African Antique, Art and Design Association (SAADA) \u2013 so I have a solid knowledge of which items have value and which don\u2019t. In turn, my work with SAADA led me to eventing, where I learnt project management skills.\u201d That\u2019s why, although she hadn\u2019t moved house in 25 years, Marylou is more than qualified to help people about to start on their new chapter. \u201cI don\u2019t think I could have done this job when I was younger. I wouldn\u2019t have had the maturity, patience and empathy I need to guide people through this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s a privilege to be able to do so, Marylou says. Because, although she acknowledges that there is enormous emotion attached to packing up a life, she also acknowledges the truth in the old adage, a problem shared is a problem halved. \u201cIt\u2019s tremendously rewarding to come home, knowing that I have helped someone who is making very difficult decisions, often at a very stressful time. After all, most people make the move to a retirement village because of health reasons or perhaps because they have lost a spouse.\u201d Although Marylou doesn\u2019t tell her clients what to do, she is able to point out that they are probably not likely to use a cracked, chipped platter (especially if they have five others to choose from), or that their new couch might just squeeze into a smaller room \u2013 but only if they leave an armchair behind. \u201cBecause I\u2019m not emotionally involved, I\u2019m able to ask questions that get people thinking about what they really want or really need. And if I know an item has value, I can help them with that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marylou\u2019s fledgling business has grown to the point where she now employs a number of on-the-ground helpers and admin staff \u2013 but she\u2019s keen to see it grow further. The question is what form that growth will take: It might mean establishing branches in Cape Town or Durban, for example. \u201cI\u2019m always thinking about what will happen next, and I love that. I love that it feels as though anything is possible; anything is achievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details: clear-path.co.za,marylou@clearpath.co.za<\/em><\/p>\n

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Marylou\u2019s tips for decluttering<\/strong><\/p>\n