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Dependence on Tech Crutches Threatens our Cognitive Abilities
Long before the advent of the smartphones permanently attached to the end of our arms, we had to use our brains to solve problems. We had to give our undivided attention to a book or a lecture to discover a solution. Our brains had to function! We’d be forced to...

With a Little Help from Our Friends at USF
We had the honor of presenting to the MBAs at the University of San Francisco. Professor Thomas Maier gives a unique class on business modeling, research, and development where students form into teams and become their own virtual “consulting” firms. But that’s where...

Problem Solving, Barefoot Style: 5 Steps to Approach Any Problem
The success of the Barefoot Wine brand is living testimony to the problem-solving methods Bonnie Harvey and I employed in our early days. You can use these same methods to help overcome the problems your business faces on its journey from start-up to build-up and from...

To Succeed in Business, Delegation is Not a Choice, it’s a Requirement
We like to say, “Do what you do best, and delegate the rest!” That sort of flies in the face of, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Is there a middle ground that gives you the time you need to focus on moving the company forward using your best skill sets...

Is Your CPG Company on the Right Side of History?
Because we successfully built a popular consumer packaged goods brand, now known the world over, we are often asked about packaging. Our audiences want to know, “What’s the latest in packaging?” and, “What are the new trends?” After all, the “P” in CPG is “package.”...

Immigrants Built Our Economy
Michael’s grandfather, John Francis Houlihan, came over from Ireland in the late 1800s. He was 19 years old. The only passage he could book was above deck on an ocean steamer headed for New York loaded with cattle in the hold. All the immigrants had to make the...

Stop Single-Use Plastic Pollution by Leveling the Playing Field
The European Union finally voted this week on a proposition that's been on the table since May 2018. It's a proposition to ban single-use plastics. How this finally happened at this highest level of European government is a testament, in our opinion, to the more...

Put More Money in the Bank by Treating Salespeople Right!
Salespeople have been given a bad name. It is depicted in The Music Man, the musical decrying the manipulating tactics of a salesman selling horns in a town where no one needed them. It’s portrayed in old movies like Used Cars, where unsuspecting folks are tricked...

Solve Business Problems with What You Have at Hand
We recently had the opportunity to speak to the Aalto Fellows, a group of the top students from Aalto University in Finland. They were in Silicon Valley for the entrepreneurial tour and we caught up with them at Stanford University. What was most impressive about this...