She quickly realised she didn't like being criticised for what she wore to work.

"I had been doing a really good job, working six days a week. It was a job at a cinema and I turned the place around. While my boss said I had done well [mostly what] he focused on was the length of my sleeves," she says.

Now, in her own business, Allis makes a point of not focusing on what people wear.

"You can come naked to the office or wear trackies. I don't care,” she says.

She has also learnt that every employee is different. Allis believes everyone wants to do a good job, but the way you motivate people to do that job varies. The answer is not always about money.

"One person might need to talk about their social life for five minutes before they start work. Once you understand that you are a long way along [the path to motivating them],” she says.

Her pet hates are people who lie, and those that “blame the world” for their problems.

"The people that soar take responsibility for their actions. Those people are easy to manage. They are self-motivated," she says.

She admits that to this day she is still a perfectionist about how the Boost Juice stores look.

"I always care. If you think good enough is good enough, then it's all over," she says.

A past alumnus of the Telstra Business Awards, Allis is now one of the national program’s judges. She believes a great leader is someone who sees their company's vision, knows where it is going, and can communicate it to others: all actions she admits are easy to say but hard to do.

In fact, she knows full well how hard life can be when you're building up a business. Allis readily admits that for about 10 years she had absolutely zero life balance.

"From thirty to forty I was doing everything. There was no chance to catch up with friends for coffee or to think about my own personal health. It was a hard slog. [But] you get addicted to it ­– to the deals and the growth. It was never a chore,” she says.

Balance came when her business was more mature, and she took up activities like yoga, tennis and horseriding. While Allis wouldn't change the way things unfolded, she does have some advice for aspirational bosses.

"Be kind to yourself. When we are leaders or high achievers we are hard on ourselves when things don't go right. I think we should be OK with making mistakes, but don't make them twice," she says.