The Accidental Entrepreneur
Page 21
Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are all essential for a healthy body.
Vitamins are organic compounds, and are classified as either fat-soluble (such as vitamins A, D, E and K) or water-soluble (the B-group vitamins and vitamin C). Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body fat while water-soluble vitamins are carried in the blood and excreted in urine so are needed in small, frequent doses.
There are 13 recognised vitamins, each with a special role to play in the body. They do everything from regulating your metabolism (how food is digested, absorbed and used within the body) and helping to produce energy, to assisting with the growth and repair of body cells. Apples, bananas, beetroot, carrots, celery, ginger, lemons, mint, oranges, pineapples, raspberries, strawberries and watermelons are all good sources of vitamins. Conveniently, they also combine well in juices!
Minerals are pure, inorganic elements required in small amounts for good health and growth. Think zinc, magnesium, potassium and other tasty-sounding substances. Minerals form the bone structure of the body, play an important role in the chemical reactions that keep your body going, regulate water balance, and assist in controlling nervous responses and muscle contractions. There are sixteen minerals considered essential to our health. While it can be difficult for the body to absorb minerals, it's important not to over-consume them (for example, in concentrated tablets) because they can be toxic in high levels. Good sources of minerals include bananas, beetroot, carrots, celery, ginger, lemons, mint, oranges, pineapples, raspberries and watermelons.
Phytochemicals are plant chemicals that contain properties that may aid in disease prevention. There are thought to be more than 900 different phytochemicals in the foods we eat, and it is believed that they tend to act together, rather than in isolation. Phytochemicals are found in tomatoes, spinach and other leafy greens. They can also be found in apples, carrots, citrus fruits (such as oranges and lemons), ginger, mint and watermelons; there can be dozens of them occurring in any one serve of these foods.
Finally, antioxidants — a major group of phytochemicals — act as a bodyguard, limiting the activity of free radicals in the body. They include vitamins A, C and E, selenium and the carotenoids. Freshly squeezed juice is one of the optimum ways to reap the benefits of all the goodness in fruit and veggies. For even more nutritional benefits, try including some of the ingredients we use in Boost's 'boosters'. There are, of course, natural sources for all of them, but when you can get them all together in one power-packed cocktail, it makes sense. (Remember — all our supplements comply with the guidelines from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.)
Ramping up
If you do only four things to help keep your health on track, make them these:
Drink more water — very few people drink enough of the liquid gold. Always have a bottle or glass nearby, and use it.
Eat as much natural wholefood as possible, and eliminate highly processed foods from your diet.
Do not eat too late; it is terrible to eat a big meal and then go straight to bed.
Do not beat yourself up if you have eaten poorly in a day. There is always tomorrow. As long as poor eating is the exception not the rule, you will be fine.
The secret
So how did I get here? What's the secret to it all? There isn't one. I believe that my personal success is due to a combination of many factors: naivety, my certainty that there is a solution to everything, and the great people who surround me. I now believe in myself and, if I'm given a challenge, I don't question that belief.
I believe Boost has been such a phenomenon because it's a great product, we are always, always honest and it's marketed well; every store acts as a billboard for our brand. Beyond that is my unshakeable faith in the necessity of doing the right thing, of having the right people and looking after them, and of understanding your customers and giving them what they want.
I'm passionate about health and I want to do everything I can to help counter the terrible toll that the fast-food lifestyle is having on our society — particularly on our children. The desire for a healthy alternative for my own kids was a large part of my initial interest in juice bars; that desire hasn't wavered. Passion can't be faked. Our sincerity is one of the reasons our customers have taken to Boost Juice.
Focusing on international markets — are you ready?
The start of this chapter focuses on ways to enter international markets. Is your business ready to make the leap overseas? Have you:
Established yourself solidly in the Australian market to give yourself a solid platform to grow from?
Done your research on the target country and culture?
Asked yourself whether you need to take your best people out of your business to grow in another country and, if so, how this would affect your existing businesses?
Considered whether you are prepared to move or, at the very least, spend many months away from home to make sure the business will work?
Worked out whether you are prepared to invest heavily into the project?
AND THEN YOU WIN …
Now what?
So what happens when you climb your Everest? Does the journey ever actually end? I would say no. We humans need a purpose. Going on the Boost journey was not only a purpose, it was an obsession and I had to dedicate everything I had to it to make it work. There was no life balance. There was no catching up with friends. At times, there were no dinners at night, because I was too tired — and also needed to do some important job that needed finishing. There was no holiday where I could go away and not think about work. In the early days there was just Boost. We all talk about work–life balance, but there is seriously no such thing when starting a business.
So what do you do once you have climbed your Everest? You try to create balance. I could not give up work and I would not want to, because I love how problem-solving makes me feel. I love the challenge. I even like the negatives because this is when you go into problem-solving mode. The big difference is, this time, I have learned many, many lessons — and I know there are many more to go — and I am now more prepared for whatever life throws at me.
What drove me in the early days was fear. Fear of failure; fear of losing everything; fear that people would actually find out that I was winging it and trying to work it out along the way (what do they say — ‘fake it until you make it'?), while inside I was not as confident as I appeared to be. Now I have a great balance and I'm a better person because of it. I have a healthier outlook and actually now have friends that I go out for dinner with and hang out with.
The journey continues
Jeff sees Janine today as the best she has ever been — and perhaps the best she ever will be. Jeff says, ‘She is totally self-confident; she is at peace with where she has taken the business. She has let others come in and do what needs to be done, she has a beautiful daughter and three sons (who love her to bits), and she has unleashed her high-achieving, obsessive, improvement capacity on the wonderful world of yoga.
‘Funny enough, we made a deal at the start of 2012: she would get into horses (which is my obsession) if I would get into yoga (her obsession). The result? We're both now ‘obsessed' with each other's suggestions, which is great.
‘With Janine, I can honestly say what you see is what you get. She is a beautiful woman inside and out. A girl from the 'burbs who worked her guts out, while simultaneously scaring the crap out of herself, to build a new and exciting brand in Australian retail. I have been a very lucky partner to share the journey with her. We made it out the other side stronger and more in love than ever.
‘All I can say is wow! What an incredible journey … And you will never meet a better chick'.
The last words
My philosophy about the importance of sharing knowledge and experience is the reason I have written this book, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Most of all I hope I have inspired you to follow your dreams. There's nothing special
about me. I did not complete year 12, did not go to university and I'm a shocking speller. I'm just a girl from the suburbs — and if I can do it, so can you! Enjoy the journey as much as the results … and, most importantly, love life.
Index
A Current Affair
acquisitions
Adelaide, Boost site in
advertising
affirmations
AFR Boss Young Executive of the Year award
alcohol, consumption of at work events
Allis, Jeff Alicia Silverstone and
as a team with Janine
as Janine's crutch
as Program Director at Austereo
career change experience of
dealing with hardship
first date with Janine
marriage proposal of
on confrontation
on Janine
on Scott Meneilly
passion and
reputation of
Retail Zoo and
success of Boost and
Allis, Oliver
Allis, Riley
Allis, Samuel
Allis, Tahlia
antioxidants
The Asian Mind Game
assumptions
attitude, importance of
Austereo Network
Austrade
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
authenticity
Bakers Delight
beliefs of Boost
The Bert Newton Show
Bilsborough, Shane
blame mentality
The Body Shop Book
Bondi Council
Boost beliefs of
culture of
customer experience focus of
customer feedback at
design of
dress code at
environmental impact of
fear as motivator in early years
franchising
goals of
growth of
integrity and
international growth of
interview questions at
JAM factor of
launching
lessons from first year of
marketing of
media attention on
mistakes in early days of
opening of first store
passion at
problem-solving at
selling part of
staff appreciation at
starting
talent at
team composition at
team in early days of
work–life balance in first year of
Boost Guarantee
Bowie, David
brainstorming
brand
budgeting
Burke, Graham
burning out
Business Review Weekly
Caine, Michael
Caithness, Jacinta
Canary Islands
Chin-Ning Chu
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Clueless
Commonwealth Bank test
communication skills
confidence growth of Janine's
conflict
confrontation
consistency, importance of
Conversations with God
credibility
culture
curiosity
customer demand, researching
experience
feedback
deadlines
delegation
Deneb Star
design of Boost stores
Di Tomasso, Lawrence
diet Janine's
discipline
Dobson, Guy
dress codes
Dubai
Dunbar, Bruce
early life
education, different forms of
Einstein, Albert
Elsley, Olivia
emotions
employees see staff
entitled mentality
environmental impact of Boost
equity in business
exercise
Export Market Development Grant
failure, setting teams up for
family, support of
fear as motivator
eliminating
financial goals, establishing
firing staff
Fitzgerald, James
Flight Centre
Fly Babee
Fox FM
franchising
Frankston cinema
friendships
frogs, eating
Gillespie, Lesley
goals of Boost
going public
gratitude
growth of Boost planning for
gut, listening to your
Hammond, Simon
hardships, overcoming
Harris, Geoff as mentor
Boost's growth and
on Boost
on profit culture
Hawthorn Football Club
health, prioritising your
high achievers, attracting as employees
hiring staff
hobbies
honesty
Hornsby, NSW
The Hunger
Idle, Eric
imposter syndrome
India Boost in
McDonald's in
Inman, Launa
insecurity, traits of
integrity
international expansion
international locations, challenges of
interviews at Boost
investors
IVF
Jagger, Mick
JAM factor
Jam Factory
jobs, Janine's early
Juice Boost
juice, benefits of
King, Poppy
Koch, Manfred Urs
language barriers
Laugh with Health
launching Boost
leaders
leadership teams, integrity and
listening skills
litigation, risk of when franchising
Love Cheques
low-HI diet
marketing skills, developing
marketing importance of
of Boost
Martin, Steve
master franchise strategy
McDonald's
media attention on Boost
meetings, guidelines for effective
Meneilly, Scott
mentors
minerals
mistakes
money management
motivation
Muffin Break
negativity
negotiation
Outlook, Task function in
outsourcing
parenting, prioritising
parents, loans and
partners choosing great
importance of good
international
passion in international partners
phytochemicals
Piniuta, Kristie
positive thinking
presentation skills
principles
prioritising
private equity
problem-solving see also solution focus
protégés
publicity
Puttnam, Lord David
QuickBooks
recruiting franchisees
relationships
reputation
rescued mentality
respect alcohol and
authenticity and
making excuses and
Retail Zoo creation of
culture of
dress code at
hiring employees at
lessons learned from
passion at
problem-solving at
talent at
transition period of
reward programs for staff
Riverside
Riverside Private Equity
/>
Rob Roy
Roddick, Anita
sacrifice, starting a business and
SAFM
Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill
Sea FM
SEC
The Secret
self-confidence, boosting your team's see also confidence
sexual assault, attempted
Shakespeare, William
Shark Tank
Silverstone, Alicia
skills for success in business
Slocombe, Judith
SOAR approach
solution focus
South Africa, Boost in
staff appreciation at Boost
creating good teams of
discovering leaders among
firing
importance of attitude of
importance of cultural fit in hiring
importance of hiring the right
managing relationships with
motivating through recognition
recognition for
recruiting
supporting your
Starbucks
startup businesses, tips for
Stealth Productions
strengths, identifying your
success celebrating