The BollyFit Blend: A Q&A with Anuja Rajendra

It wasn't that Anuja Rajendra wasn't looking to start a business; she was. The University of Michigan MBA was, in fact, actively contemplating her business future while she just so happened to be independently developing a rather unique hobby. Blending an exercise routine with Bollywood film and traditional Indian dance styles, she came up with the idea for BollyFit, something Rajendra prefers to call an experience rather than a workout. 

 

Six years and thousands of BollyFit participants later, the 40-year-old Ann Arbor resident's hobby has become the business she had been looking to launch all along. She is now training instructors, called BollyFit Guides, from all over the country and the world. As she prepares to release her first BollyFit DVD, Rajendra tells Concentrate how the dramatic growth has come about, and where BollyFit is headed. 

 

 

I started teaching a class just for fun, never thinking that would be a business. I always knew I was going to start a business, but I was waiting for that big idea. I didn't want to give up on BollyFit because I loved it so much. After I finally took the pressure off of figuring out what else I was going to do, and just enjoyed doing what I loved to do, a lot of opportunities came to us. 

 

We started to get a lot of press coverage without necessarily seeking it, and I could tell we were on to something. It's been in the last year or so that I realized that BollyFit was something that was sustainable and scalable, and it was happening.

 

 

With most workouts, you're doing it for the purpose of burning calories, and it's something that is, almost by definition, dreaded. I've been there. But human bodies were designed to move. Being fit and moving is something that is natural to our souls. It's just a matter of creating experiences that we crave and we want to do. I wanted to make sure [BollyFit would be a] one-hour class that would be a high-energy, enjoyable, welcoming atmosphere that I want in my life -- and an intense cardio workout as well. 

 

 

It's quite exciting. It's really fun to grow a team and also to be able to get input from highly intelligent people in the community. I feel we are truly serving people, helping them to be healthier and fit something into their lifestyle that is so joyous. It's really a dream job.  

 

 

BollyFit is a lifestyle brand that we feel has global appeal. It's not just a workout, but a brand that is woven into our decision making. There no shortage of companies out there, no shortage of workouts out there, but we're really offering something different. I feel a sense of responsibility to the Earth. That decision is about being true to the brand. 

 

 

We're looking at getting our own location. We're coming up with the right name for it, something like the BollyFit Lab. It'll be a place where we can experiment with classes and offer stable, inspiring environments. 

 

BollyFit Foods is another area we're excited about. I love to cook and I experiment quite a bit. We've dabbled with sharing recipes, things that are true to our brand, and we get a lot of requests for that.

 

 

The very next thing on the horizon for BollyFit will be their new DVD workout, which will allow people to bring the innovative exercise program into their homes. After working with as many local and regional companies to produce the DVD, it will soon be released and available for purchase. Pre-orders are currently available on the BollyFit website. 

All photos by Doug Coombe