There are few more revealing television programs than The Apprentice. With your every move being scrutinized by Lord Alan Sugar, you will be quickly discovered if you are not up to the task.
That was the challenge Marnie Swindells had to overcome when she took part in series 17 of the show at the start of this year.
Her idea to open her first boxing gym in Camberwell, south London, seemed optimistic, and Sugar certainly needed convincing after initial skepticism.
But slowly but surely, Swindells won him over, eventually being crowned the winner in a dramatic final episode.
Sugar has since invested £250,000 to help Swindells realize her dream of opening her new gym, Bronx, capping off a whirlwind year for the 28-year-old, who has admitted life has never been the same since her triumph .
Marnie Swindells (left) was crowned winner of The Apprentice by Lord Sugar earlier this year (right)
Swindells has admitted her life has changed dramatically since winning the show
“It’s changed in so many ways, some better, some worse,” Swindells told Mail Sport.
“Initially when I came out of the process, it was hard to get through without research. Everything I would post, everything I would say, that people would comment on. That was hard.
“But in the same breath it meant everyone was watching. There were more eyes on the Bronx, so from that perspective I probably couldn’t have done it alone. So the show and Lord Sugar’s help in bringing more attention to what I was doing was really helpful.”
Swindells wanted to create a gym that welcomed everyone, from complete beginners to professional athletes.
Now that Bronx is firmly operational, Swindells confirmed that it has remained true to its principles.
“I think that’s something I’m very proud of and that it turned out exactly as I planned and expected,” she added.
“It’s always been about creating that middle option, and even within the space of the gym itself, keeping the integrity in the spirit of an amateur gym, but with the style and the professional execution of a more expensive gym, and that’s something which I feel like we’ve done well.
‘We have everyone. There are people who have never put on a pair of gloves in their life and walk through the doors, all the way up to people like (heavyweight contender) Joe Joyce who visited the gym. So we’ve had the full breadth of people, which is exactly what I imagined.”
Swindells’ ambition to open a boxing gym started several years ago, and she has now made it over the line.
So, what was the prevailing emotion when Bronx finally threw open its doors for the first time? Relief? Pride? Not quite.
‘It’s hunger, I want more!’ Swindells revealed. “I got the keys to this gym in 2019, and due to issues with the lease, the council or the tenants it took so long to get to the point where we could get in there. We only got in there in February this year to start trading.
“So all these years I thought it was my biggest dream to open this gym, and now that I have it, all I have to do is look for the future. I’m really hungry to move on and finish the next one.
“What I thought would really satisfy me when I got to this point has only made me more urgent to reach the next milestone. Ultimately, that’s what Lord Sugar and I are doing right now.”
Swindells wants more after opening her Bronx boxing gym in Camberwell
There can be no doubt about Swindells’ passion for boxing. After taking up the sport herself as a teenager, she is now determined to help the next generation.
Opening more gyms is certainly on the horizon, but Swindells is also keen to try and get promoted, believing she has all the attributes to thrive in the role.
Promoters aren’t usually the most popular people, with boxing fans quick to turn to the likes of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren when they don’t get the fights they want to see.
However, this does not concern Swindells, who showed her resilience in The Apprentice and in her previous job as a court barrister, and she is prepared to ruffle a few feathers to make her mark.
“I have thick skin, and if I use the analogy of boxing, I can really handle it. There’s not much that concerns me,” she explained.
‘I went from fighting where you literally get punched, to a courtroom where a judge and an opponent just eat away at your spirit.
“And you just have to stand there and be resilient and fight back, and I think I can definitely use that to promote.” I’m not a sensitive soul, I think I can hack it.
“I’ve been thinking really hard about what would make me stand out as a boxing promoter – apart from being the only woman doing it – and how I can really look at boxing with fresh eyes. It is an old-fashioned sport that has been practiced in the same way for so long.
“I think it needs someone to turn the whole system upside down and really look at a different way of doing things.”
Swindells has wasted little time building on her Apprentice success and has no plans to take her foot off the accelerator now.
She admits she has more work to do before she enters the advertising world, but has made no secret of her desire to go straight to the top and has outlined a possible timetable for her move into the industry.
Swindells has previously boxed herself and now has her sights set on promotion
Eddie Hearn (left) and Frank Warren (right) are two of the biggest promoters in Britain, but Swindells thinks the sport needs ‘fresh eyes’ and a major ‘shake-up’
‘I’m impatient! But I don’t want to rush this either,” Swindells said. “There are still many things about the professional boxing world that I still have to learn.
“I won’t step into that world until I think I’m ready and can take it by storm. I don’t want to make a half-hearted little attempt at it. I want to go all the way. But having said that, I would like to see this happen at least within the next two years.”
Swindells has proven over the past twelve months that she is not afraid to challenge herself, and her bold approach has paid off.
As she strives to become a leading promoter, it would be brave to bet that she won’t continue her meteoric rise.