Shark Tank judge Janine Allis: the key to success in business and life is how you think

Janine Allis with Flybabee co-founder Emma Lovell

The key to achieving business success and even happiness in life is changing your mindset, according to Boost Juice founder and Shark Tank judge Janine Allis.

Speaking to SmartCompany earlier this week about her investment in Flybabee, a company that designs and manufactures pop-up canopies for airline bassinets and baby strollers, Allis says many business owners and entreprenuers have a tendency to look outside their business when something goes wrong.

“Often in business, we don’t think it is our fault,” Allis says.

“We blame the government, or petrol prices or the weather.”

But Allis says not recognising that there will always be a percentage of a problem that can be addressed from within a business is a recipe for failure.

“When you look internally, there is often a lot you can do for every problem,” she says.

For Allis, it is the entrepreneurs like Flybabee co-founder Emma Lovell that dedicate themselves to solving a problem and “don’t go down the blame path” who end up building successful businesses.

Allis says there will be times when running your own business is not fun and you might feel like curling up in a corner and “rocking back and forth”.

But focusing on the problem you are trying to solve is the way to get through those times, Allis says.

“Your business journey might take very different routes but you have to just keep at it like a dog with a bone,” Allis says.

“Then you will come out on top.”

And a little bit of focus goes a long way.

“We had all sorts of problems with Boost but my staff who watched me said something dramatic happened when there was a problem: I always tied my hair in a ponytail,” Allis laughs.