Mentor and protege, Karen Giovinazzo and Kara Andreazza. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
When 46-year-old Karen Giovinazzo decided to launch her own conveyancing business in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, friends thought she was crazy.
“There were times when I thought, ‘What am I doing?’,” she said.
“But I knew that people would still be moving and buying property. I had a great mentor in Danyelle Frank [of the business My Lending Specialist] who told me to go out and put my name on the door and just do it … I learned that if you want to do something, there is always a way. You just have to want it and work for it.”
In mid-2020, businesses were being locked down and economists were predicting a lengthy recession. But as it turned out, the property market boomed. Griffith residents who couldn’t travel and had nowhere else to spend their money poured it into housing. It unexpectedly became the perfect time to start a small business in conveyancing – the legal work involved in preparing property sales contracts, mortgages and other related documents.
Ms Giovinazzo launched Your Property Matters on 12 October 2020 and is now celebrating her second anniversary.
“I really thought she had a brand to sell and that she needed to back herself and have a go,” Ms Frank said.
“She’s extremely professional and dedicated … a lot of new businesses don’t make it past the two-year mark so she’s done really well.”
The dream of running her own law practice was something Ms Giovinazzo first had more than 30 years ago.
“As a teenager, my parents said to me, ‘You’re good at arguing, you should become a lawyer’,” she said.
Karen Giovinazzo has realised a lifelong dream. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
The daughter of Italian immigrants and farmers got her first taste of the profession in year 10, when she did a work experience placement at the well-established law firm Cate and Blumer. After completing year 12, she got a job there as a legal secretary before working her way up to do more senior conveyancing work.
“I started working for Gary Blumer [son of the firm’s founder] who was like a father figure to me. He demanded a lot of his staff but was so intelligent and a great lawyer … I was there for 14 years. We were a large firm and all supported each other. I learned a lot, the legal secretaries would do 80 per cent of the work and get 20 per cent of the credit.”
Ms Giovinazzo then moved to rival firm Real Property Conveyancing “with the blessing” of Gary Blumer, before taking a job as an electorate officer for the then-state member for Murray Adrian Piccoli. She remained with his successor Austin Evans until he lost his seat at the 2019 NSW state election.
“It was tough, we were a great team and we all lost our jobs,” she said.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ms Giovinazzo, who finally plucked up the courage to realise a lifelong dream.
“From 2016, I was working as an electorate officer, studying an advanced diploma in conveyancing, working a day a week for a solicitor, all while raising three children,” she said.
“I was very busy but after losing my job I could really focus on getting my qualification [and starting the business].
“I’ve always loved property. I get involved in the whole process, I love going to auctions and open houses. We’re going really well, I tend to get a lot of people coming back which is a good sign.
“My advice to anyone would be to just give it a go … you’re never too old.”
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