The Booktopia Guru asks

Janine Allis

author of The Secrets of My Success – the story of Boost Juice, juicy bits and all

Ten Terrifying Questions

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in the Ferntree Gully Hospital, in the east of Melbourne. I was raised in the semi rural (at the time) suburb of Knoxfield in a very small house. I shared a bedroom with my two sisters. I went to a tech college called Knox Technical College. It no longer exists. The school was very casual, we called the teachers by their first name and there were no uniforms.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

At twelve, I just wanted to be in A grade for netball.

At 18 years old, I simply wanted to be a traveller having adventures all over the world.

By 30, I wanted my own business.

Funnily enough, I achieved all of the above.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?

That I was invincible. That my friends will have my back and they are the most important people in the world.

I now know it is that family who you think are not very important when you are 18, who had then and has now, always got your back.

4. What were three big events – in the family circle or on the world stage or in your reading life, for example – you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced you in your career path?

• Meeting David Puttnam (producer of Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Killing Fields ) on a boat in the Caribbean.

• It was David Puttnam, who was a friend of David Bowie (Janine worked on David Bowie’s yacht), who introduced me to the CEO of Village Roadshow, which stated my career in retail.

• From there I met my husband who is the most influential person in my life.

5. Considering the innumerable electronic media avenues open to you – blogs, online newspapers, TV, radio, etc – why have you chosen to write a book? Aren’t they obsolete?

History is re-written all the time. What I read about myself and the difference between the stories and reality is interesting. It is nice to trace the journey in my own words. Life goes by so quickly, and many people have helped me on my journey. I am hoping this book shows the human and faulty side of me. I want readers to have a laugh (normally at me) and with a bit of luck the reader will take something away, to help them in their life and business journey.

I believe there will be always a place for books. Maybe in 5-10 years they will not be in the printed form, but they will exist…what else are you going to do on a beach?

6. Please tell us about your latest book…

My book is about my journey in my life from a young girl from the burbs to a woman in her late forties and changes I went through whilst creating this business called Boost. The start of the book is stories about my life, and the second part is tips and lessons that I wish I had known prior to starting Boost.

From the Publisher:
How do you turn a single juice bar into a global company with more than 6000 employees and $160 million in global sales? Ask Janine Allis. In The Secrets of My Success, Australia’s hottest entrepreneur tells the inside story of the growth of Boost Juice, including her personal journey from housewife with no formal business training to successful entrepreneur. Along the way, she discovered the 30 business and leadership tips she calls her ‘recipes for success’. The Secrets of My Success also explores how Allis’s personal philosophy based on a love for life has brought the company loyal customers and created satisfied, dedicated employees.

    -The perfect guide for budding entrepreneurs to reject the traditional wisdom that the only way to succeed in business is with a business degree
    -An inside look at the successful management and leadership philosophy of one of Australia’s greatest entrepreneurs
    -Includes a full-colour photo insert section.

For today’s entrepreneur looking for non-traditional paths to extreme success, The Secrets of My Success offers practical business and leadership wisdom combined with Allis’s own compelling personal story.

Click here to buy The Secrets of My Success from Booktopia,
Australia’s Local Bookstore

7. If your work could change one thing in this world – what would it be?

The growth in obesity and obesity related diseases has increased with the growth in fast food. I would hope that my work can contribute to people living a longer and healthier life.

8. Whom do you most admire and why?

I admire my mum, for her selflessness to me and my family.

I admire my husband for his incredible drive and passion.

In the business world, I admire Howard Schultz and Anita Roddick. Both these businesspeople have taken an idea, and created an iconic brand that has been a trailblazer in its respective field. No easy feat.

9. Many people set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

We do BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), which is to be the largest and most successful juice and smoothie bar in the world. I would say we have achieved this.

Also, to be the most loved and known brand in the world. We are still working on this one.

10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?

To be yourself, let “you” come through so the reader gets to know you, not your editor.

Janine, thank you for playing.

Click here to buy The Secrets of My Success from Booktopia,
Australia’s Local Bookstore

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About the Contributor

John Purcell

While still in his twenties, John Purcell opened a second-hand bookshop in Mosman, Sydney, in which he sat for ten years reading, ranting and writing. Since then he has written, under a pseudonym, a series of very successful novels, interviewed hundreds of writers about their work, appeared at writers’ festivals, on TV (most bizarrely in comedian Luke McGregor’s documentary Luke Warm Sex) and has been featured in prominent newspapers and magazines. ​Now, as the Director of Books at booktopia.com.au, Australia’s largest online bookseller, he supports Australian writing in all its forms. He lives in Sydney with his wife, two children, three dogs, five cats, unnumbered gold fish and his overlarge book collection. His novel, The Girl on the Page, was published by HarperCollins Australia in October, 2018.

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