We sat down with one of our newest partners, Eva Yordanova of Este Management to learn about her journey into property management and her partnership with B-hive Block Management Partners.

What appealed to you about real estate?

I moved to London in 2010 from Bulgaria, in search of a fresh start for myself and my daughter, Kate. I spent 7 years working in the public sector as a freelance advocate, legal advisor and interpreter for the UK Government. Some friends suggested that I might be the right type of person to give some new perspective in a family-run real estate company. And over the last 7-8 years I have worked in both smaller family-run businesses and bigger, well known brands. Throughout my career in property management, I have gained a reputation as the person with ‘fresh eyes’ – the troubleshooter! I have a fire in my belly about how customer service should be in this industry and I’m not afraid to say so.

How did you make the decision to go out on your own?

I knew from early on in my real estate journey that I would want to create something for myself to demonstrate what this industry should be like and how the service needs to be delivered. I’m passionate, result-orientated and all about client focused service.

Starting my own company is an idea that had been growing for a while. I felt like I was ready and then, when I learnt about B-hive Partners and how they could support me, I knew that it was the right time.

How did you learn about B-hive Block Management Partners?

I have a friend who is a recruiter and I saw a post he did about B-hive on LinkedIn! It came at the perfect time and was a complete aha! moment. My friend was able to introduce me to Duncan who was just incredibly patient answering my many questions. I felt supported right from the start.

How is the partnership going so far?

I cannot imagine a better partner than B-hive. We’ve been working together since October 2023 and they have never failed me – they have surpassed all expectations. Becky is my Business Growth Manager and Chei is my Partner Relationship Manager, both have been excellent, as well as Lauren who has assisted me with training on various software systems. I was also lucky enough to have Crystal for the onboarding process – she was so professional, caring and the quality of her work is top-notch. For a start-up like me, this kind of support is essential.

B-hive have also been able to provide me with support winning new business which is great. Currently I am managing 2 properties – one that I brought onboard myself, one a lead from B-hive, with 3 more onboarding at the moment. I will have properties in different parts of London, from Covent Garden to Canary Wharf, and I love that variety of locations, with very different properties, different tenants, different challenges. Whether it’s pipes or cladding or windows, maintenance matters, and I like the mixed bag of different buildings. And I’m really looking forward to my portal which is currently being created, the one-stop-shop for everything in my portfolio, like instructing contractors and managing invoices.

I’m really happy with B-hive, they are even better than I expected. I got a good feeling about them in that first conversation with Duncan, and everything has gone from strength to strength. All the back office support on finances and compliance is invaluable. All the busy bees in the B-hive really know what they are doing, and so I can focus on managing my properties and building relationships with my tenants.

What are your goals for 2024?

My plan is to have at least 15 blocks by the end of the year. I’d also like to hire some staff, so that I can continue to deliver amazing customer service when the business grows. And I want to work on my website and marketing materials. I’m also a member of Propertymark and I’m thrilled to say I’ve been asked to run for VP! Not only would this be great for my reputation, but I would relish the opportunity to bring my ideas to the table about how good this industry could be.

I’m excited about growing and I know how well-supported I will be by the team at B-hive. Everything they take care of will really help me to focus on my client-oriented service: I’m not a 9-5 kind of person, I am available when any of my clients need me. So I am delighted that I saw that LinkedIn post that day – I literally cannot imagine a better company to work with than B-hive. The place, the people, the culture. This is where to come if you want to be heard, understood and appreciated!

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Este Management.