One of the highlights of their visit has traditionally been a visit to the Napa wine country. Bonnie happened to be sitting next to their organizer at the World Conference on Entrepreneurship in Dublin, Ireland where we gave the keynote address last June. She suggested the students visit Sonoma County’s wine country instead this year and offered a two-hour seminar personally hosted by us.
Last Saturday they arrived in Sonoma County where we took them on a walk-and-talk. At each stop we gave them an essential lesson in entrepreneurship:
The 3 Core Competencies. No matter what business you think you are in, you are actually in 3 core businesses which you must master to be successful.
The 2-Division Company. The most successful entrepreneurs think of their businesses, no matter how many divisions they have, as having only two divisions.
The #1 Rule. At every level of business, put yourself in the other guy’s shoes. Ask yourself how would you like it if you were on the receiving end of your own employment, sales, buying, and accounts payable policies? Empathy drives and bonds all business relationships.
We offered the students some infographics we have developed which take some of these complex concepts and graphically represent them for easy understanding. They are available to you as well with our compliments at www.barefootbonus.com.
We wish the students of Nanyang U. good fortune in their own businesses!
Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.
Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.
They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.
Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.
To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.
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