Conference Speaking Testimonials

“OUTSTANDING speech! Better yet, PERFECT. What an incredible way to end this conference.”

– Robert Reiss
Host & CEO, The CEO Show

“Bonnie and Michael captivated the audience and  were mobbed after their presentation!”

– David Colgan                                  Founder and CEO Eliances

“Bonnie brought a wealth of tactical and practical information to our attendees. Her story is inspiring & her down to earth delivery was perfect for entrepreneurs at all stages of their business!”

– Jerry Ross

President, National Entrepreneur Center

“The Barefoot Founders were a big hit at the Northwest SOCAP Chapter meeting in San Francisco.  Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are truly charming and engaging presenters!  They shared stories of the challenges they faced founding the Barefoot Wine brand and how they overcame them by putting the customer first and creatively responding to their needs and wants.  Their tag team approach was refreshing and kept us entertained while delivering this important message.  It was fun and our members had nothing but praise!”

– Northwest SOCAP Board

“Michael and Bonnie inspired the attendees with news they could use. Their delivery was both compelling and entertaining.  I continue to get nothing but praise for their Keynote! We want them back!”

– Sid Patel
CEO & Founder, Beverage Trade Network

“Thank you so much to the Barefoot Spirit team!  I sure enjoyed the talk.”

– Thuy Thi Nguyen
Interim President and CEO, Community College League of California (Presentation impacted policy decisions of 72 community college districts and 112 college campuses.)

“Bonnie and Michael were excellent keynote speakers for our inaugural entrepreneurs’ awards luncheon.  They tailored their presentation to fit the Chamber’s mission and the audience’s expectations.  The duo’s success story captured the audience’s attention from the first sentence to the last word.  Their presentation was informative, useful and charismatic. I have only heard positive feedback from everyone in attendance and several chamber members have asked us to bring them back to Mobile. They inspired Mobile’s business community and the next generation of local entrepreneurs.”

– Darrell W. Randle
VP, Small Business Development, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce

“Our group really enjoyed their presentation. Most of us are business owners or decision makers. Their insight into the sales process and how to make sure that the team has open lines of communication, so even the receptionist has the ability to positively influence a business, was so refreshing.”

– Larry Klobertanz
President, Oregon Executives Association

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“Your talk was excellent. It is plain to see that you ran your company intelligently both from an marketing perspective as well as how you trained and developed your employees.”

-Mark Steiner                                          Pro Visor Attendee 

“Michael and Bonnie embody the true entrepreneurial spirit… Grit and Hustle!”

-Lea Woodford

CEO, SmartFem Media Group & SmartFem Magazine

“‘A Standing ovation is how Michael and Bonnie left our audience chanting for more.”

– Greg S. Reid
Founder Secret Knock

“A lot of good feedback, especially from these members who know the value of sales”

– William Vick
Group Leader, Pro Visors

“Bonnie and Michael are a captivating force in the classroom, relating real-world experience in a delivery method that both engages and captivates any student in an entrepreneurial learning environment. As presenters, they do not shy away from connecting on a deeply personal level with their audience, and their ability to make their story applicable to a start-up venture made them the perfect fit to inspire our 2013 Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) students. I am honored to count Bonnie and Michael among our go-to group of world-class speakers for the EBV program.”    

– Jared S. Lyon
National Program Manager, EBV & EBV-F

“Great keynote! It was wonderful working with them” 

– Marjorie Bynum
CAE Vice President, Education & Communications

“As our company was one of the sponsors, I was in the unique position to hear them speak 3 times in the same day to different groups. I found their real world experiences interesting and motivating. For an uplifting and educational experience, I would recommend them to any business group looking for a speaker. They are the American dream.”

– Brian Barquilla
Attendee

“It was an inspiration to hear their successes AND mistakes, I’ll certainly be mindful of them while growing my wine business. Their presentation was defiantly memorable and they’re both great speakers.”

– Sean David Thomas
Co-Founder, Sipp LLC dba Good Vines Wine

“I really enjoyed Michael & Bonnie’s candid stories.  There were SO MANY valuable lessons to be learned, thank you for sharing them with us!”

– Craig Weiss
Hero Club Attendee

“I had the opportunity to hear Michael Houlihan tell The Barefoot Spirit story in the company of over 400 university professors and administrators at the annual conference of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  Michael’s story, while in many respects the quintessential American entrepreneurial story, commanded mine and the audience’s attention because it is a story of both humility and dogged determination to succeed through innovation in an industry where innovation is a rarity.“

– Pat Dickson
President, The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Associate Professor, Wake Forest University,  North Carolina

“Michael & Bonnie’s story is an example of Entrepreneurship at its finest. It shows how you can take a vision and through hard work and  by never giving up, success can and will happen”

– Les Vail
President & CEO, Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce

“Michael and Bonnie were great! It’s hard to be the last speakers at a conference and they pulled it off. So many people commented on their presentation. They really are connected on a very special level. Well done!“

– Pat Murphy
CEO, The Institute for Social, Search, and Mobile Marketing

“Your presentation at USASBE was inspiring and smart.”

– Nancy Forster-Holt
Ph.D., C.M.A, Assistant Professor and Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Education, Husson University College of Business

“Thank you for all the valuable lessons you shared. I will use them in my own company.”

– Shea Sealy
President and Founder, Advanced Building Care, LLC

“It is so refreshing to hear the mindset behind such a great product and the evolution of your business. I will be able to take your business lessons and relay them back to those that are working to expand. I especially enjoyed your explanation of the “money map” and “organizational charts” but more importantly the idea of treating suppliers (and all others) how you would like to be treated. Such a basic idea that seems to fall by the wayside.”

– Gina L. Sederstrom
Financial & Portfolio Advisor, Morris Fuller Group, Merrill Lynch Private Client Group

“Excellent Presentation!”

– William Vick
C-Suite Network Conference Attendee

“Michael has been a guest speaker on many occasions at the Wildwood Foundation. His talks have an immediate and continued positive effect on donations. He is a motivator and a producer! We look forward to having him speak again.”

– Martin Meier
Events Manager, Wildwood Conservation Foundation

“The most inspiring and informative keynote I’ve ever heard!”

-Suzy Clark, BMW, Ideas America Attendee

“The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) held its World Entrepreneurship Conference in Dublin in June 2014 and it attracted an audience of 876 delegates from 61 countries. Michael and Bonnie were Keynote Speakers at the conference but they also gave talks at dedicated workshops for Irish Entrepreneurs and at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum. While each talk needed to be tailored to the specific audience that they were addressing, their professionalism, practical advice, and excellent communication skills ensured that they enjoyed a rapturous response on every occasion. They have an ability to speak to any group of people in a way that resonates with their particular needs and through their stories the hard lessons of business are understood in an entertaining fashion. Because of the success of their talks, they have already been invited back to Ireland for other speaking engagements and I understand from international colleagues that invitations to other countries are also likely to happen.”

– Professor Thomas Cooney
Chair International Council for Small Business,  2014 Organizing Committee, College of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology

“Voted #1 Best Speakers at the C-Suite Conference!”

– Thomas White
CEO C-Suite Network, Radio Host – Nationally Syndicated “Business Matters”!”

“Michael and Bonnie brought a true sense of grassroots marketing to our franchisees. The way they developed and structured their success is nothing short of brilliant, built on hard work, passion and a love for giving back.  Ingenious marketing tricks at a low cost price tag will make you see how to create a story and buzz around your brand.  Fabulous and real, Michael and Bonnie inspire others to win and have fun doing it!”

– Martha O’Gorman
Chief Marketing Officer, Liberty Tax Service

“(Their presentation) not only benefits me now, but it benefits future generations. They were discussing keys to prepare for buyers, to show them the true value of your business; how valuable it is to teach people these things.  (Their) ‘pre-pare-for-acquisition’ paperwork was awesome.”

-Business Owner and Workshop Participant at Small Business Breakthrough Conference

“It was an inspiration to hear Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey’s (founders of Barefoot Wines) story of how they broke all the rules to become the country’s #1 best selling wine! From the laundry room to the board room, theirs was an inspiring story of determination and perseverance. Their natural story-telling ability blended with a little humor makes for an enjoyable experience. Their obvious love for what they do, caring for employees, and search for continuous improvement is the foundation for their success. Their presentation was very entertaining and shared a powerful message to our members. They enjoyed interacting with them both during the Summit. We appreciate them being there and adding to our Summit success. We were honored to have them as our key note speakers at the 75th Anniversary Ideas America Summit.”

– Brenda Kelly                              President, Ideas America

“Michael was outstanding! One quote he made was particularly impactful to my audience of 100+ Orange County CEOs, entrepreneurs and business executives who are in the Critical Mass for Business Community. The quote was ‘If you are not in a place, you can’t fail.’”

– Ric Franzi
Founder & CEO of Critical Mass for Business

“Michael was phenomenal!  His talk stole the show and he spent the rest of the day surrounded by people who wanted to hear more.”

– Jon Bittner

Executive Director, Alaska Small Business Development Center

“It is so rare to hear really successful business people that also come across as completely down to earth and in touch with others. Getting so many great, practical and doable take-aways that can be translated to any business, was icing on the cake.”

– Diena Seeger 

Founder, iBalans LLC

“Their presentation  was very inspiring and all of us loved it.  Even though their experience was from a completely different industry the key observations and learning that they shared was appropriate to our business and everyone could relate to them.  Their story came from the heart and all of us could appreciate the way they built their business starting from scratch.  The team really liked the session and we all found it to be very inspiring.  It was the best session of the event!.”

– Anand Deshpande
Ph.D., Founder, Managing Director and CEO,  Persistent Systems – Delhi, NY, London, Silicon Valley

“The reaction from our members was nothing less than superb!”

– Nancy Munro
Chapter President, Chicago MIT Enterprise Forum; CEO & Founder, Knowledge Shift

“An awesome example of our capitalistic free. Enterprise system”

– Cal Heseman
MBA, Senior Advisor, Gateway Business Advisors

“I so connected with your message. I so loved learning of your focus in every aspect of your business and life success.” 

-Scott Kiburz

Keller Williams Sponsor, Dynamic Woman’s Summit

“Many people agreed that their presentation was the most intriguing and valuable to the entrepreneurs in the audience!”

– Travis Prince
C-Suite Conference Attendee

“Our entire group benefitted from their wisdom. The fact they were so entertaining was simply icing on the cake. We are having them back!”

– Patrick Snyder
Executive Director, USASBE

“Michael & Bonnie are effective speakers. The Veteran Entrepreneurs appreciated their talk on ‘7 ways to Reduce Your Need for Capital and Get More Bang for Your Buck’.”

– Michael Zacchea
Program Manager, Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans

“They both are the definition of a powerhouse couple and their story is truly inspiring”

-Nicole Sawyer

Dynamic Women’s Summit Attendee

“Being a Veteran with a service disability, you guys have inspired our small family business to give back in a big way.”

– Josh Schieffer
EBV Member

“Your work at the EBV National Conference was outstanding.” 

– Thomas Kruczek
Dean of College and Business, Lynn University

“Inspiring talk… and will further enjoy figuring out how to apply your insights to my own journey!”

– Rob Schultz
Senior Technology Executive, Persistent

“The feedback we’ve received regarding your presentation has been overwhelmingly positive.  Thank you for doing such an excellent job at relaying the entrepreneurial message.  Again, we appreciate the superb job that you and Bonnie did.  I’ll look forward to seeing both of you sometime in the near future.”

– William B. Sisson
President & CEO, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce

“We completed a very productive conference in San Francisco. Michael Houlihan was our plenary speaker. His talk was entertaining, timely, inspirational, and poignant. Our attendees were electrified with his candid, real-world appraisal and practical recommendations for entrepreneurial success.“

– Becky Gann
MBA, Executive Director USASBE

“It was an honor to work with you both. Thank you for sharing your story!” 

– Mathew D’Uva
FASAE, CAE, President & CEO

“All businesses and organizations can benefit from their techniques of innovative marketing, accessible management, and optimistic persistence.” 

– Todd Crawshaw
President, International Executives Association

“Your talk was one of the highest socially activated parts of the whole event!”

– Suzanne Schilling
Social Media Curator, Director of Operations, C-Suite Holdings

“Michael’s reputation as a successful entrepreneur precedes him. He is on top of his topics and consistently delivers news we can use. He has given my staff sales tools and insights that have resulted in increased sales and a new appreciation for customer relations. He is clear, understandable and practical. He shares his real world business experience with passion and intensity. Nobody dozes off when Michael is speaking!”

– Jeff Stevenson
Founder and CEO, VinoPRO Inc.

“I love Michael and Bonnie’s outlook and approach. Refreshing, authentic, and useful.”

– Jason Hull
Chief Executive Officer, Balanced Edge

“I’ve known Michael for twenty-five and watched him grow one of the great brands in the industry bottle by bottle, account by account, month by month, and year by year. Michael has been there, done it, and now has graciously put himself out there to pass on the wisdom to others.“

– John Hinman
Hinman & Carmichael LLP