We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olyasha Novozhylova . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olyasha below.
Olyasha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
The craziest thing that happened to me, was war in Ukraine, my family there got affected by it. At first I didn’t sleep for 6 weeks because I’ve lost communication with them, and after I’ve spent days and nights for month and half to find someone who can evacuate them, because the city I was originally from, was occupied and heavily bombed. I had to put my business behind, and couldn’t think of anything but saving them, luckily I was able to find a guy who evacuated them to the Polish border, and after I had to go out of the country, to Poland, to pick them up, and after to Germany, to get their visas, so I was out for a month again.
Before the war, I’ve had family emergency in Ukraine as well, so I had to travel again.
Life does happen, and family comes first, and sometimes it’s hard for business owners to concentrate.
Olyasha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Olyasha Novozhylova is the CEO and Founder of NotBasicBlonde brand, dedicated to inspiring young women to create an extraordinary style and embrace their individuality.
Model, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, AmazonLive Fashion Host, Fashion Editor, and Celebrity Podcast Host of NotBasicBlonde Podcast.
As the Founder and Host of NotBasicBlonde Podcast with over 8M downloads and celebrity guests, where no topic is off limits, Olyasha provides millennials an ultimate guide on entrepreneurship, dating, marketing, self-development, astrology, spirituality, fashion, coaching, beauty,
health&wellness.
Graduated from Georgia State University with a BBA in Managerial Sciences, Olyasha successfully built a career in IT/Project Management, before she became a full time entrepreneur.
Author of the children’s bookCutie the Unicorn – It’s ok to be different, Olyasha teaches our younger generation how to express their individuality.
Olyasha has led an impressive 15-year career in fashion and runway in US and overseas, as well as enjoying several acting roles.
Olyasha has partnered with over 100 nationwide brands such as Cartier, Revolve, PrettyLittleThing, PGA, Steve Madden, Too Faced, Vital Proteins, Tarte, DryBar, Drunk Elephant, etc.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I’ve started my brand with a very few followers in 2016 and as of now I have 1.8M followers on Instagram, and other platforms. Also, I have a celebrity podcast, NotBasicBlonde Podcast, with over 8M downloads, and it’s available on all the major podcast platforms.
What helped me the most, is staying true to myself, showing up for my audience every day, sharing my personal stories, and what I feel, so they can relate to me, networking, reaching out to other likeminded people in my industry, interacting with my followers, taking their feedback into consideration.
In addition, I’ve partnered with over 200 world recognized brands, and what helped me the most, I’ve produced beautiful content, which opened many doors for me.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I came to the United States with my mom, she was a mail order bride, we’ve had $200 and 2 suitcases, so I’ve built my brand and my empire from scratch, not having anything. Sometimes I’ve worked 2 jobs to put myself through school and support my family.
I’ve graduated from Georgia State University, with BBA in Managerial Sciences, I’ve done almost 9 years of IT/Project Management, before I’ve started my brand, NotBasicBlonde, in 2017,
Contact Info:
- Website: notbasicblonde.com
- Instagram: @notbasicblonde_
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notbasicblonde-podcast/id1481923892?i=1000576535260