Business and Lifestyle with Boss Babe Olia Sardarova

Ever feel like there simply just isn’t enough hours in the day and in the week to get everything that you need to do done? And then to also be in pursuit of your goals and dreams and everything your hearts desires, while accomplishing your day-to-day tasks?

That feeling can be disheartening and has the power to stop us short of accomplishing everything that we are meant to. Don’t worry, a lot of us have been there.

We turned to Olia Sardarova, founder of BXR, for boss babe inspo and business and lifestyle tips. She’s a true pioneer in the fitness industry. There seems to be nothing this woman cannot do!

BXR is a state of the art, boutique gym, with a focus on boxing in central London. She has created BXR alongside none other than Boxing World Champion, Anthony Joshua. Check out her best tips below!

Business journey and accomplishments

Olia, a Russian-native, moved to England early in her life to complete her education. She attended boarding school and university in the UK and began her career in the banking industry. 

Like a true entrepreneur, she felt a desire to start her own business and make a mark in the world.

She tells us her story, saying: “my first business was completely different to what I’m doing now. It was a frozen yoghurt company and, at some point, we were the largest retail chain of frozen yoghurt companies. We built our own brand from scratch, all based around British cows and British milk. And I sold that very successfully in 2015.”

While she was girl boss-ing and learning the ropes of entrepreneurship, she also started a family and by the time she sold her first business venture, she had two kids. Now, who says women can’t have both a family and a successful career?

After having kids, and after selling her business, she felt the need to restart her brain. Her thirst for knowledge and a constant desire to learn and self-improve is deeply embedded in how she has been able to achieve great success.

She then went on to do her MBA at Imperial College, London. And it was there that her idea for BXR was born.

She says, “I had an idea, I had an opportunity to really research this niche. I identified a high-end boxing gym as a niche that was not available in the market, not only in London but in the world. Two words ‘boxing’ and ‘high-end’ don’t normally go together in the same sentence.”

“However, we made it work and not in a cliché this-is-a-high-end-gym-on-Chiltern-street type of way. It’s a beautiful gym and it also has the best trainers in London. All our boxing trainers are professional fighters; all our strength training instructors have been educated with a five-year degree or masters degree in sports science. This is what really makes the gym stand out as the real deal.”

The importance of a strong work ethic and planning

Of course, no accomplishment goes without struggles and hurdles. The main thing that counts the most is how you maintain your attitude and persist. The tools to aid you in that is having a strong work ethic and careful planning.

Olia says, “I’ve always been an A star student, even though I go out and have a great lifestyle when it comes to exams I sat down and worked really really hard to get the best grades possible.”

“And I’ve kind of applied that to business, in the way that I really put in the hours in planning. That’s what I would recommend to everybody – really careful planning and trying to predict all the possible situations.”

The application of this discipline has proven to be a massive help. Due to her careful and meticulous planning, she was able to complete the construction of a 12,000ft gym within exactly three months.

This was made possible because the two months prior to the start of construction was spent carefully planning, and ensuring that everything was ordered and that everything was delivered on time.

This inherent character trait also proved useful for her wedding. She managed to organise her wedding that had 200 attending guests, within thirty days!

Time management

And the surest way to make sure you get sh*t done: time management.

According to Olia, “it was hard, and I’ve definitely learnt how to manage my time more efficiently.” So we asked what her typical day would look like and she shared her best schedule with us.

She goes to bed shortly after she has put her kids to bed. They’ll go to bed at 8.30pm and Olia will go to bed at 9 pm. She wakes up at 5 am and works, uninterrupted, from 5-7 am, with a cup of tea, before her kids and husband wake up. Guess its true, the early bird catches the worm!

She gleams, “it's absolutely fantastic having those two hours in a day.”

“Now that I’ve given up caffeine as well, I have enough energy to last the whole day and then I go to bed at night again. It’s been brilliant, I get a lot of things done.”

“Of course, you can’t do this routine every single day, but it helps to try and at least have four days like that in a week, for me.”

Fitness, lifestyle and nourishment

This woman does all of that and she also finds the time to work out. Her passion for boxing as a workout started when she was in New York. There she noticed that everyone was raving about boxing, and you could find an abundance of boxing studios.

Having attended the classes, she was inspired to come up with the fitness concept of BXR and also to incorporate boxing into her fitness routine.

She says, “I began to see all the benefits of boxing for a regular person like myself. It has great physical benefits for the body, especially your sides and your arms. It’s a brilliant fitness workout and great for de-stressing.”

The reason why she works out is that “we live in such a busy world with so much stress and our heads are constantly overloading with the amount of visual information we see from Instagram and the internet. So doing a boxing class at the end of the day is just brilliant.”

“And when you train like a champion, you deserve to recover like a champion.” After a boxing fitness session, she likes to unwind with a steam and sauna, both facilities provided at BXR. And, Olia likes her Free Soul protein shakes with coconut milk.

The takeaway

With the right tools and motivation, we can all accomplish our personal goals and ambitions. The valuable lessons shared by Olia Sardarova, founder of BXR, include the importance of having a strong work ethic, careful planning and effective time management.

She provides insights on her business journey and personal accomplishments. And she’s a total boss babe. Plus, working with Anthony Joshua – we’re very jealous!

BXR, where Anthony Joshua trains, is a leading boutique fitness gym in Central London. BXR is a long-time supporter of Free Soul and is one of our stockists.

Visit their website at bxrlondon.com.

**At Free Soul, your well-being is our priority, and although we pride ourselves on our expertise in women's health and wellbeing, it is important to acknowledge the individuality of each person. Features published by Free Soul are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, or replace the advice of your GP. We always recommend consulting with a healthcare provider if you encounter any health concerns, and we’ll always be here to support you so you’re never alone on your journey.