How two “nobodies” went from clueless to industry mega-stars.  BY DANIEL DIPIAZZA Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of Barefoot Wine. What’s most humbling is that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing at first. From the start, with virtually no money and no wine industry […]

DANIEL DIPIAZZA, CONTRIBUTOR, Founder of Rich20Something Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of Barefoot Wine. What’s most humbling is that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing at first. From the start, with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they had to employ innovative ideas […]

A common lament we hear from startups is, “If I only had more money!” or, “I would have succeeded but I was undercapitalized,” or even, “I ran out of money!” But what is money but trust in the form of investment? Someone is taking a risk on you. Money without trust can be very expensive. […]

The developments in technology has made global communication with cleints more accessible and cost effective for businesses across the world. However, does the use of these new technoligies pose challenges to building a connection and trust with clients compared with face-to face meetings? In order to answer this question we have interviewed business owners currently trading in the global […]

The developments in technology have made global communication with clients more accessible and cost effective for businesses across the world. However, does the use of these new technologies pose challenges to building a connection and trust with clients compared with face-to-face meetings? In order to answer this question, we have interviewed business owners currently trading in the global marketplace […]

In the packaged consumer goods industry, the condition of your label telegraphs the condition of your goods. Even though it has nothing to do with what’s inside your package, your consumer will avoid purchasing any product with a damaged label or package. And it makes sense, because she can only see the damaged package and […]

These days we’re not supposed to call them “problems.” Now they’re “challenges.” But no matter what you call them, every day we entrepreneurs seem to face a new one, from putting out small fires to tackling ongoing threats to our business. All problems have this in common:  They must be solved and generally with some […]

Good business relationships are built on trust. People who depend on you, from your creditors to your employees, need to confidently rely on you to treat them fairly. Once they know you can be depended upon, they will extend their cooperation and even make allowances for you. This is absolutely critical to your success. The […]

Hiring people who are paid, whether or not they produce, has been the death of many startups. In the early days of growing your business with limited time, resources, and funds, you don’t want to hear, “I was there, pay me!” Paying for attendance, instead of performance, will quickly drain your budget and cause you […]

Michael was interviewed on “Winning the Game of Life” by host, Shawn Chabra. To listen to the interview, visit Winning the Game of Life