Meet Shanna-Marie Burris | Real Estate Broker & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shanna-Marie Burris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shanna-Marie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is my authenticity. I always tell my team that people buy you before they buy anything that you’re selling and people can feel if you’re authentic and genuine or not. Besides, it takes far more energy to be something you aren’t or to mislead people than to be honest. The greatest commissions are on the other side of genuine connections.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m an Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker Realty and CEO/Founding Realtor of The Empressive Group. A Louisiana native, I relocated to Atlanta, Georgia several years ago as a 3rd generation Real Estate Entrepreneur and classically trained performing artist. Shortly after settling into Atlanta, I fell in love with the city and quickly discovered a need for real estate professionals that were dedicated to simplifying the processes of buying, selling, and investing. By leading with the intention of expertly “simplifying all things real estate”, I attracted many amazing clients and experienced diversification in my clientele. Both were the impetus to the rapid growth of my business. After observing 2 generations of entrepreneurship, I’ve seen that if you focus on finding a need and meeting it with passion and excellence…people notice and success is imminent.

My continued success can also be attributed to my authenticity. I often tell my team that people buy us before they buy anything that we’re selling. Do people trust us? Are we trustworthy? Regardless of background and socioeconomic standing, people can sense true authenticity. My clientele is a mixture of professional athletes, celebrities, investors, first time home buyers, you name it. They all greatly value that they can trust me, I’m a straight shooter, I’m no non-sense, and I’m always several steps ahead of everyone involved. That would explain why 95% of the clientele of myself and my team is referred to us by our previous clients.

I’m very proud of the business that I’ve built and the reputation of myself and my team. It has been a journey to say the least. Some Real Estate Professionals start off as Rookie of the Year, but that just wasn’t my experience. My first active year in Real Estate, I launched my business and was immediately blindsided by several deaths in my family. Because of my intention, I focused on just doing one deal at a time, doing it with excellence, prioritizing my mental health, and focusing on what was directly in front of me. God provided and awarded my good stewardship and intentionality with doubling my profit the following year and it’s been up ever since! I share my initial experience to encourage entrepreneurs to be kind and patient with themselves and their journeys. I strongly advise that they focus on what is divinely assigned to them and never compare their assignment to someone else’s. There will be enough obstacles to overcome in entrepreneurship. The deceptive spirit of comparison is avoidable.

Speaking of obstacles…as a 3rd generation Real Estate Entrepreneur, my family has seen everything! From overcoming the obstacles of home ownership per the Jim Crow Era and redlining, to persevering through the mortgage crash of 2008, and now successfully pivoting through the impact of an international pandemic…I come from a long line of resilience and excellence. Yes, we’ve all faced entrepreneurial challenges, but I’ve learned and applied the wisdom of adapting and just moving forward. There are many lessons I’ve learned in entrepreneurship, three of the most important were #1 Make sure you’re investing too, #2 Focus on building wealth and not on looking rich, #3 Adapt to needs of the consumer or be consumed.

What I’d love the world to know about The Empressive Group is we specialize in “Simplifying All Things Real Estate” and we truly care about your needs and are dedicated to easing the process of reaching your goals. Simply put…we do real estate and we got you.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the many reasons why I relocated to Atlanta was there’s just so much to do. There’s everything from the beautiful nature walks of the Belt Line to multiple historical landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement. Feel free to spend a day at Six Flags over Georgia or splurge at Christian Dior or Tom Ford at Shops at Buckhead. Satisfy your appetite with everything from world class fine dining to down home soul food. Be entertained by the hottest artists gracing the stages of the State Farm Arena or the Mercedes Benz Stadium. Pick between attending a Falcons, Hawks, or Braves game or attend all 3! You can even have a wild night at Magic City or enjoy a lovely day at the Piedmont Park with your family. There’s literally no other city like Atlanta! As my family would say, “Honey, do what ya wanna!”

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s an African Proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child and any entrepreneur will say their business is their baby. I’m honored and blessed to have a village filled with friends, business partners, mentors, and family that have all aided in my success both personally and professionally. Although there are far too many to name, I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize my beautiful, talented agent and partner, Mrs. Edwine Estime for her dedication to the growth of my business and brand. It is rare that you have an opportunity to successfully build a thriving business with a friend and it thrive because of it and not in spite of it. I can honestly attribute much of my success both personally and professionally to the divine alignment of our journeys together. I’m forever grateful for her and many of the men and women whom I consider family.

Website: EmpressiveRealEstate@gmail.com

Instagram: @TheShannaMarie

Image Credits
The professional photos were by Bee Trofort-Wilson of Bee Fearless Studios. The picture of myself and my client was a personal photo. The person in the photo is Lissahn Devance of Enraptured Events