Mother+ Meets… Alisa Zotimova, Founder & CEO, AZ Real Estate
Tell us a little about what you do and what led you here.
I run AZ Real Estate, a boutique property consultancy and estate agency in London, The agency has been going for 13+ years and I also recently just launched AZ Alliance, a new network for independent agents.
Through university, where I studied economics, I worked in restaurants in Moscow, getting to work with different people and learning how to make clients happy. My long-term customers for lunch were people from JLL who happened to be hiring for a junior role and knew me well by then.
I worked in Moscow for five years letting huge office buildings and then asked for a work transfer to London, a city I loved every time I visited. That was 2007 and the rest is, as they say, history. Or rather my present and hopefully future, too. London is home.
What does a typical day look like for you, if there is such a thing?
Alarm is at 7:40am most days. I wake up my son and get our morning dose of cuddles and interaction. Drop offs alternate between my husband and I and it’s a pleasant short ride to a lovely school close to where we live.
Perks of working for yourself include flexibility on your schedule and I have been using that mostly for having steady time slots for sports. Then I either head to the office in Marylebone, roughly 3-4 days a week or have a day of working from home which I frankly enjoy less than going in. Sometimes it just makes more sense if it’s a few calls lined up and the place is tranquil.
I attend quite a few events, personal catch-up meetings and launches mainly within the property industry - those are a must to keep my network up and win new clients. But I try to line it all up during the day, so I am home by 7:30pm with plenty of time to hang out with my favourite people.
We do love the theatre, so on a night out that would be the typical pastime - there’s a gorgeous arts scene in London that we are lucky to have.
I still manage to put my son to bed on 95% of nights around 9:30-10pm and that’s one of my favourite parts of the day, despite being fairly knackered myself.
After over a decade working for global real estate giants like Cushman & Wakefield and JLL, you took the leap and launched AZ Real Estate with your own capital and most recently, AZ Alliance. Looking back, what moments stand out the most across your journey from corporate life in Moscow to entrepreneurship in London?
In Moscow, I was fortunate enough to be there at the dawn of the office leasing market, so I seized that opportunity, working on some huge developments and closing big deals. In 2006 I was Cushman & Wakefield’s top producer in Europe at the age of 26, which I am very proud about. In London, the year was 2012, it was the summer of the Olympics and there was an incredible buzz.
It was at this point I made the leap away from the relative safety of corporate life and launched AZ Real Estate. I had no outside funding, just determination, some savings and an open mind!
On a personal level, my life “puzzle” fell into place a lot more when - aged 34 - I met my partner Artem, a fellow Russian here in London. Our son Leo was born five years later (through IVF after a missed miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy) and that’s a milestone of milestones as every mother knows.
How has motherhood shaped how you work or how you define success?
I don’t stop to think about success that often, if at all. It’s such an abused term and can’t possibly serve as a goal or meaning without context. But I've always enjoyed the following quote, which I memorised a version of in my teens, and motherhood actually slotted quite well into it. It’s by Bessie Anderson Stanley, 1904, written in verse form.
“He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; /Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; /Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; /Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it; /Who has left the world better than he found it, /Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; /Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; Whose life was an inspiration; /Whose memory a benediction.”
What do you wish people understood about building something from scratch?
You’ll never know until you try. And what’s the worst thing that can happen anyway? If you persistently think about it and can put some meat of specifics onto the bones of an idea, know your field, and have some savings or a good circle of people to lean on – then build your dream castle and see how far up you can take it.
Where do you find your energy, and what drains it?
Nature is a must. Locally in London we are lucky - I need to get out and see the trees and flowers to stay sane and recharge. Of course, travelling to big water or mountains adds to that battery pack for urban living.
Power drain: staying somewhere or in a company of someone I acutely know I am not enjoying. The older I get, the sooner I run away if possible!
What’s one decision that changed everything?
In 2007, I moved from Moscow to London which was a major decision both from a personal and business point of view.
Immigration was a huge milestone: starting from scratch, learning to thrive in a new culture and adapting to a very different work environment.
You’ve become a strong advocate for women in business, mentoring others and sharing your experiences openly. What progress do you think we’ve made and what still needs to change to better support women in leadership?
I believe in supporting women, women-led businesses, hiring flexibly - which has taken me to create a business proposition for independent property agents in AZ Alliance, so they can work for themselves on their own terms. So many women simply cannot go back to full 9-5 and there’s a huge waste of talent taking place. So if I can and the quality is the same, I will always try to put a female candidate first.
The pendulum has simply not swung far enough for women gaining equality. I am a feminist and this word needs our protection from those who want to turn it into a swear word and misrepresent it. I’m also for the friendship of genders, not battle of the sexes. We need men to lift us and support us when they can, and we need to raise kids who will know how to do it.
But do I think the government could do more too to support equality. Maybe I’m too jaded to expect it, but it would be great if they did. Should it be just women in leadership or all working women? Possibly the latter is more important and then the leaders would naturally emerge and thrive.
What does balance mean to you right now?
I’m fairly happy with my status quo, I think it comes with age – more chill, less spill. Scheduling things and sticking to the plan, not giving into FOMO, sports on the menu, uncontested time with my son and husband. ‘Me time’ like a manicure, massage etc.
Getting immense joy and challenge from my work. I also manage to delegate and distribute most of the stuff that annoys me and keep the fun bits (which may be dreadful for others, by the way).
And finally, what’s one thing you’d tell other women who are trying to do both: raise a family and build a business.
I’m here to tell you it can be done! Just do it your way.
For more information visit www.azrealestate.uk
Quick Fire Round
Current bedside book? All of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books have been read and loved – it gives me hope for my “golden years”.
Go-to podcast or playlist when you need a boost? I’m more of an audio book and music person, rather than podcasts. For music, I created my own playlist which holds various bits of my eclectic music tastes from Joan As Police Woman to Miley Cyrus.
Favourite place to eat or unwind in London — with Leo, and without?
London Zoo is a great place for my dates with my little boy when we get a chance and the stars align. Without, Scott’s is our “date place” with two seats at the bar, oysters and champagne.