Entrepreneur finds success in learning from others

Starting a business is one thing but “making it” in the business world is another. Here at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, we know it can be a challenge to get your startup on its feet and to meet your business goals. Many of the inductees into our Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame have experienced these same difficulties. Janine Allis is one of them. She shared her story with us and offered some advice for other business owners who don’t quite feel like they’ve “made it” yet. Janine is the Managing Director of Retail Zoo and the figure behind the hugely successful juice bar chain, Boost Juice. With over 240 stores around the world including Australia, Chile, Indonesia, South Africa, Hong Kong and Estonia, and over 5,000 employees worldwide, Janine’s success today is the product of 10 years of grit and hard work. Armed with a simple but effective approach, and no formal business training to speak of, Janine founded Boost with the aim of making it “the world’s most loved and favourite brand”. She was inspired by the dearth of healthy fast food outlets in the market, seeking to develop a business concept that was different to anything else in the world. As a mother of four, she is also an advocate for healthy eating and living. Janine’s business model focuses on delivering a unique customer experience based on the ‘love life’ philosophy of Boost. Being underestimated has been one of her greatest strengths, motivating her to achieve greater successs – convincingly so, as she is now at the helm of a globally successful company with a youth-based, high performance culture. The business continues to grow with a turnover of $130 million a year and Thailand and South Korea set to open their first stores this year. A perpetual student, Janine surrounds herself with inspiring business people. She is dedicated to creating a productive and fun work culture, saying, “At the end of the day we have to try to keep life and business simple, and enjoy the journey as much as the results.” Janine was greatly influenced by her mentors, and, in the formative years of her business, sought out as much information as possible from them. In what has become a story re-told many times by other budding entrepreneurs, Janine sought the advice of two very influential mentors who were running large scale nationwide businesses with multiple outlets like what she wanted to build, but in very different niches – Geoff Harris, co-founder of Flight Centre, and Roger and Lesley Gillespie, founders of Bakers Delight. This was a move that proved to be a fruitful one. “They were great people to chat to along the journey,” she says. “You can’t be arrogant and pretend you know everything. You need to be honest about what you don’t know and use teachers who know more than you.” Janine also has some valuable advice for new or struggling entrepreneurs: Before you get going, ensure you have the best team to achieve your goal. And give everything you have. “All successful people work very hard for the ‘luck’ they achieve. You have to accept that for a period of time, your total focus has to be on achieving your goal.”