Meet Marina Efstathiadis | Real Estate Agent & Clothing Line Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marina Efstathiadis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I am typically not the risk taking type when it comes to everyday life decisions. I like to play it safe most times and I’m pretty analytical with my decisions. However, when it comes to making business decisions – I don’t necessarily play it safe and I act based on passion and research. I had a great salary job when I was in my early 2o’s but knew that my salary and career had a cap. That was when I decided to take my first big risk and that is when I truly became an Entrepreneur. I left my cozy desk job and pursued a career in a commission based job (with no salary or hourly pay), I became a Real Estate Agent. At first, I had no idea what I was getting myself into…People warned me that this career path also came with months of no pay and a lot of stress. They weren’t lying, but I pushed through and I remained consistent, positive and reminded myself exactly why I started. After 7 successful years as a Realtor, I’ve built a brand that my Clients can trust and recommend to others. Now, 7 years later…I’ve decided to take yet another big risk. I’ve recently started a Streetwear Clothing Line and the vision I have for this passion of mine is limitless. One piece of advice I can give to anyone who’s contemplating on following their dreams, you are capable of anything as long as you are willing to put in the work and sacrifice a little (maybe even a lot)!

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a Real Estate Agent and now Clothing Line Owner – wow, I never thought I’d say that! I’ve been a Realtor for about 7 years and have built a brand based on trust and integrity. I recently followed another passion of mine and started MADE – my clothing line.

Getting to where I am today was not easy. There were definitely times where I wanted to give up but my passion always overpowered those negative emotions and my pride did as well – I am no quitter haha. There were months where I didn’t make a single dollar and then months where I saw cheques I never thought I’d see in my lifetime. Overcoming the challenges of self doubt isn’t easy but surrounding yourself with the right group of people, tapping into a spiritual side and essentially manifesting the life you want, all while being a good virtuous person are the fundamental keys to obtaining the level of success you want. There is literally no secret formula or hack, it’s all about believing that you can! You have to put in the hours and you must be consistent. One thing I can’t stress enough is allowing yourself to have bad days without punishing yourself, those are the days where you can allow yourself to recharge. It’s needed.

Lessons will be learnt along the way because not every idea you have will work and not every dollar you spend towards your business will give you a profitable return . But the key is to keep going and to use those lessons as stepping stones towards your dream life.

My Brand in Real Estate is all about trust and honesty. That is why I have built it to what it is today. MADE – my clothing line is a Female powered brand that was created in one of the hardest times of my life. I almost lost my dad to a brain aneurism, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and at that same time my partner and I split up – that was my tipping point and when I hit rock bottom. Being a Realtor during this time was so hard, I had to put myself together to look presentable for my Clients when all I wanted to do was fall apart at home. It was probably the hardest thing I had to do in my whole career. I wanted to focus on healing my wounds and the trauma I endured, but I still had bills to pay so that was not an option. This is when I started MADE. MADE was built from my heart and the reason why I started it was to remind other women struggling with life events that they are MADE for anything. They are MADE to get through whatever obstacles they are facing, they are MADE beautiful, MADE resilient, MADE intelligent and MADE loved. MADE is for all the women doubting themselves right now, it’s not just comfortable clothing that feels good on – it’s a reminder to yourself that you need to feel good within – and that you CAN. My passion is helping people, that is why I love real estate. Now, because I’ve built a successful real east Brand … my goal is to take MADe to a level of not just clothing but to build a Community of women who need the motivation and push to follow their dreams, overcome their pain and trauma and to remind them that they were made for absolutely anything!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favourite spots in the City would definitely be the Financial District and St. Lawerence Market area because of the architectural designs and NYC feel it has!

For a fun night of dancing and drinking, King W is definitely the place to be – places like Mademoiselle, MARBL and Soluna are the places I tend to visit when I am out and about.

I am a huge fan of nice dinners and great conversations so Ossington st is where you’ll catch me most! Mamakas and Boehmer are def fav spots and Ossington just reminds me of Soho in NYC so this is another reason why it is my go-to (my favourite City ever)!

I prefer walking over driving and the thing I love most about Toronto is that you can walk anywhere! I catch myself doing 30,000 steps some days and it’s a great feeling! On a Saturday, you could walk to the St. Lawrence Market for some fresh foods.. grab a coffee and take a stroll throughout the City.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a huge shoutout to my Family and Partner for supporting me and allowing me to become the best version of myself

Website: www.madeapparel.ca

Instagram: marinaefstathiadis

Other: TIKTOK: Marinaefstat

Image Credits
Vision Luxx and Cedar Media