28/01/2025
Unique Estates Life
Svetoslava Georgieva and Galina Grudova have been part of the Unique Estates team since the company's inception. Over time, they have proven themselves with their loyalty and consistency in achieving high results for the business, they have been awarded for a major contribution to the development of Unique Estates. After the many awards and promotions that mark their career path, the two ladies have recently been promoted to associates in the company.
SG: I have been part of the holding's structures since 1998, when I worked for the first company founded by Mr. Christo Iliev. Then I started as a broker in Address real estate in Varna. After 3 years, I formed my own very successful team, with which for the first time we developed an office location of the company outside the central part of the city. In 2004, I was offered to move to Sofia and apply my managerial skills, laying the foundations of the Address team in the Sofia region, which during my management grew from about 20 people to 120 in less than 2 years. I'm happy that now, 18 years later, a lot of these people are still part of Address.
After a 2-year maternity break, in 2011, Vesela Ilieva offered me to join the then small team of Unique Estates. I had already worked with her at Address, I knew her leadership qualities and believed in the idea that we could be the leading luxury real estate company in Bulgaria. It was a big step that changed my life. Over time, the trust between us grew and we gradually, smoothly and consistently created a well-functioning, flexible and modern company. We expanded the scale of the business, the team grew almost 3 times, and to this day we continue to maintain the high level of service that the company is known for.
I have always considered the opportunity that people working for the holding have to develop and grow professionally and career-wise as something extremely valuable. The environment suggests and encourages it, as long as you work hard, develop your qualities, stay ambitious and persistent. I am one of the good examples of that. In the commercial sector, I managed to climb all the steps in the hierarchy - from consultant, through team manager, regional director, development director, to the senior management positions such as operations director, chairman of the board of managers, partner and associate, which I am today at Unique Estates. I accept my new position in the company as a natural continuation of my career path, the result of the long-term partner relations with Vesela Ilieva and Christo Iliev, as well as everything I have invested in my work for the company and the holding.
SG: In time, Vesela Ilieva always determined the vision and strategy for the development of Unique Estates, and I was responsible, at the operational level, to set the wheel in motion so that the goals were achieved. And this happens via the most valuable thing we have – the people! For me, the company is like a living organism, and my goal is for it to function well, without any major upheavals. Therefore, it is important for me to take care of the right selection, planning, process management and motivation of people.
The most valuable resource of the company is the professionals who work in the team. Some are natural talents that we discovered over time, others were provoked and stimulated to show their best, others did not meet our expectations and are no longer part of the team. However, it is an indisputable fact that a large number of people at Unique Estates have been with the company or the holding for more than 10 years, which speaks to the level of satisfaction and sense of belonging. In my work with each member of the team, I consider it important to know them well. This means finding the right approach and giving them enough time and attention. To listen well, to have quality time spent with them and to assist as much as I can, professionally, but also in a purely human way. Thus, my colleagues see in me someone they can trust and count on for support, regardless of the situation. To feel that they are valuable and important to the company. I believe that this is the only way to manage a team well, especially today, when people's priorities and attitudes towards career-life balance have changed so much. In response to this, management has also changed on a global scale – new work models are adopted, applying a personal approach to each member of the team, so that employees feel really good in the work environment.
SG: I love my job because I love not real estate, but people. I am filled with emotion and satisfaction that every day I achieve something and the results of my contribution are visible. I am glad to have the opportunity to show what I am capable of and to work every day for the company to develop and conquer new heights. It is as if at the beginning of the day I turn the wheel of the machine and everything works dynamically, but also with harmony. What I really consider success is helping others want to give their best, developing their own potential, feeling supported and growing. I stay personally behind the selection, training and development of almost all people in the team. And every time I see their high results and success in work, I feel satisfaction. This is actually my mission, it makes me happy and motivates me to do my best.
As for the goals I set for myself - I work in direct contact with a visionary like Vesela Ilieva, which motivates me to constantly strive for progress and development, in pursuit of the best for the team and the company. My plans are to continue working on developing the potential of the people in the team, improving their efficiency and the working model itself, so that we achieve higher results. For this, I rely on solutions that I will apply internally, in the very organization of processes and people in the company. Also, I continue to find new bright personalities to attract to the team and help them feel Unique Estates as their second family.
Strategically, we will bring in very valuable know-how from successful European companies, as we have so far followed rather American models. Another direction we are looking at is to use the trust we have built with our long-standing clients and follow them in their desire to invest abroad, advising them on the best projects and locations in the world. We have already had success with Dubai and continue to look ahead.
GG: Actually, I am the first member of the Unique Estates team. I joined the company in 2006, when the luxury real estate market in our country was not yet developed. I already had experience and know-how with which I could be useful to the business, as I was previously part of ADIS, where I worked with embassies and large international companies. Gradually, I attracted many quality people to Unique Estates, with whom we formed a well-functioning team. Together, we went through a lot of difficulties until we established ourselves as the market leader. In these initial years, a stable core of professionals was consolidated in the company, who developed their own teams and working models, and in fact, to this day, they are at the heart of what makes Unique Estates such a successful brand.
My career development over the years started from the position of consultant, through team manager, senior partner, to associate in Unique Estates. I accept this new position as a natural result of everything I have put into my work over the years for the company that I accept as my own. Despite the attractive offers I have received over the years, there has never been another company that I would want to work for. Looking back, I feel proud to have been a part of every step of its development. The truth is that the Unique Estates team and I have a major credit for creating the luxury real estate market in our country.
GG: Unique Estates is undoubtedly the best company on the luxury real estate market in our country. Over the years we have managed to reach a level of service that surpasses even established international companies in the field. There are many people who apply to be part of this elite team, but we select only the best to join the team.
To be successful in this profession, you need to be able to communicate with people, to know them in depth. I believe that my approach to each client and case is behind my success over time. I put a lot of love and energy in what I do. In my work, I strive to cope with the requirements of even the most difficult client, to achieve a balance in the interests of both parties, so that when the agreement is signed, everyone is more than satisfied with my work and the benefits of the concluded deal. This I can define as mastering the craft in this profession, and I believe that I have done it to perfection.
The motivation comes from the work itself, which for me is extremely interesting and dynamic. I constantly set different goals and challenges for myself, and when I achieve them, I feel real joy. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to have such great satisfaction in my job every day.
All the people in my team are personally selected by me, after a long period of observation in which I assess their personal and professional qualities, commercial skills, behavior and morals. It is important for me that the people I work with share the same values, can work in a dynamic environment, are ambitious and adaptable to different situations. When I decide that I will work well with someone, I invite them to my team and stay close to them until they enter the business and the company. I invest a lot in the people I work with, but I am also very demanding of them, as I am of myself. I pass on my experience and know-how to new colleagues by setting high criteria and rhythm in work. I believe that this is the only way we can maintain this level.
GG: It is not by chance that Unique Estates is the market leader in this industry. Behind the high level of service we offer and the results achieved there is serious work. As the manager of the most successful team in the company, I always set high goals for myself and the people I work with. This is how we’ve managed to achieve these results over the years. In a few months, I take stock of what has been done, we congratulate each other on the successes and draw up the next plans, based on the current situation.
For the coming months, we have a set plan with a specific number of transactions that we need to achieve. In addition to the exclusive properties in Sofia, which we are pleased to be part of the company's portfolio, we have recently been actively offering the destination of Dubai, as a very attractive investment location at the moment. I believe that an active period is ahead for our segment and we will be able to realize many new deals to be proud of!
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