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The Finn Review - Issue 2

Interview with Boost Juice founder, Janine Allis.

Janine Allis is the founder and CEO of Boost Juice, Australia's largest juice bar chain comprising 124 stores, $75m annual sales, and over 500 staff. She is one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs and has grown an Adelaide juice and smoothie bar into a household name in less than four years.

Like all entrepreneurs, Janine's success with Boost Juice is a result of her attitude towards business and life. She pushes the boundaries and makes things happen. Janine Allis was kind enough to share with me some of her knowledge, experiences, and predictions.

SF: Hi Janine, let me start by asking you to clarify the number of Boost Juice stores you have operating at the moment?
JA: At present we have 124 stores. Most of our franchise partners are single-store operators and we have a handful that actually hold multiple sites.

SF: Why do you think you have only a few multi-franchise partners?
JA: We actually encourage our partners to apply for new sites and many have. We have a criteria where they have to be with us for six months so a lot of people don't meet that criteria. You have to remember that we've only been franchising for three years and we've managed to double our business every six months. Most of our partners really want to establish themselves for at least twelve months before they start looking at a second site.

SF: What's your role on a day-to-day basis Janine? What do you generally spend most of your time doing?
JA: A multitude of things! I deal with all the legal topics such as documentation and alike. But it's really everything - I'm involved in every single aspect of our company.

SF: How have you structured your head office team?
JA: OK, we have D&D, which is design and development. We also have training, accounts, franchise, and legal. We have people that head up each department and I stay in close contact with these guys on a daily basis.

SF: You've been in the drivers seat of a business that has grown at an incredible rate over the past three years - if you were to reflect on yourself, what strengths have allowed you to achieve such success?
JA: That's a tough one! I'd probably start with my honesty. I'm absolutely brutally honest. I'm also very loyal to staff and collegues. I'm fortunate enough to be able to simplify things. I can look at things that can be quite complicated, break them down, and make them simple to understand. A great team is very important and I've been able to surrounded myself with quality people. On top of all that I can make a decision very quickly - right or wrong.

SF: Your team regard you as a very good leader - what experiences have you drawn on to build your leadership skills?
JA: I think it's an advantage if you've spent many years working for other people. You learn more from the things that leaders do wrong than what they do right. I draw on that experience often.

SF: Who do you generally look to for ideas and guidance?
JA: Geoff Harris is a co-founder of Flight Centre and also a major shareholder in Boost Juice. Geoff and I meet every week and we also catch up on the phone about three times a week. We talk about his experiences with Flight Centre and how we can learn from that as we grow our business. Bakers Delight have been an amazing help in various areas and incredibly generous with their information and time. It's great to talk with these people that have done it before and apply some of their lessons to my industry and business and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls that others have been through.

SF: How many times a year do you meet with your franchisees?
JA: I meet with my franchisees a minimum of five times a year. We meet quarterly and also at our yearly conference. I also do spot-checks at various times and at any time a franchisee can make an appointment with me to chat about any issue that is on their mind.

SF: Who do you admire most in franchising?
JA: I admire people that do things differently, such as Gerry Harvey. People that say 'just because this is the box doesn't mean I have to stay in it'. I think the way Gerry Harvey has set up his franchise system is absolutely phenomenal. McDonalds are obviously the best of the best. They've been around for more than 50 years. And of course the Gillespie's from Bakers Delight.

SF: What do you predict will be your biggest challenges over the next few years as you continue to grow Boost Juice?
JA: Our biggest challenges will be continual growth, and continuing to innovate. Looking for that next idea or that next way of growing the business. Also, developing great people to hopefully take my job!

SF: There's talk that you're preparing to list Boost Juice on the stockmarket - what can you say about that?
JA: Look there's always talk I guess but at this point it's nothing more than that!

SF: What advice would you give to a new and emerging franchise system?
JA: I'd say don't skimp on legals. Make sure you absolutely know the law of franchise and make sure you get your documents prepared by a reputable franchising lawyer. And never, ever negotiate the terms of the franchise agreement. At Boost, applicants often say 'what about this clause?' and our response is, it's either as-is or walk away. I'd also say it's vital to always act with integrity and don't always make decisions for the dollar. Try and make sure it's a win-win situation for everybody.

SF: There are a lot of different juice retailers popping up now - what do you see is your (Boost Juice) clear point of difference in the marketplace?
JA: The answer is our absolute commitment to quality. We work so hard at getting the best and finest ingredients we can into our products. Our whole package is very unique with the staff and the look and feel of our stores. Our commitment to our customers is also unique. As an example we employ two people at head office to simply reply to customers questions! That's pretty rare for a business of our size.