American | The Barefoot Spirit

Entrepreneur – Taylor Stitch Makes Us Rethink Our Wardrobe

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 14:30:10 +0000

According to McKinsey & Company and the Council for Textile Recycling, the world fashion industry produces 100 billion garments for seven billion people each year, the average American throws out 80 pounds of clothes each year, and 85 percent of all apparel ends up in landfills, even the ones we feel good about donating! Those shocking statistics were seen as an opportunity for an increasingly popular San Francisco based startup.

Why not fashion new clothes out of used clothes and recycled fibers? Why not address the growing number of consumers who are making purchasing decisions based on their desire to preserve and improve their own health and welfare, as well as that of their families and the environment? Why not offer consumers a chance to demonstrate their concern with the very clothes on their backs?

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur

Who We Are

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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How the Official Champagne for The Times Square New Year’s Eve Party Was Named

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 22:45:19 +0000

Michael Houlihan, Co-Founder of Barefoot Wines, came back exhausted from a sales trip to Southern California in late 1993. He told Bonnie Harvey, the other Co-Founder of Barefoot Wines, and her mom, Mabel Hurd, it was a disaster because the stores were stocking up for Christmas and New Years.

“We sell wine,” Michael said. “And everyone’s buying Champagne.”

“Why don’t you have a Champagne?” Mabel said. Mabel had been a Rosie-the-Riveter welder during World War II, helping build liberty ships in the Portland shipyards. In late 1987, Mabel was living in Sandy, Oregon, in the foothills of Mt. Hood, growing and selling organic blueberries. They asked Mabel to come live with them in Sonoma County, to help them grow their new business, Barefoot Wines.

“I can barely sell wine,” Michael said. But he thought, you know, why don’t we have a Champagne? “What would I call it, anyway?”

Mabel barely paused. “Well, I’d call it Barefoot Bubbly,” she said.

It took a few years. Barefoot’s sparkling wine didn’t hit the market until 1997. A year later, Michael and Bonnie toasted Mabel on her 80^th birthday with their Champagne named Barefoot Bubbly.

Thanks to the winemaking mastery of Jennifer Wall, Barefoot Bubbly became a reality and an American favorite! And her friend Mabel would be very proud to see the champagne she named become the toast of the town, heck, the toast of the planet!

Barefoot Bubbly will be the Official Champagne for the Times Square, New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, viewed by 3 billion people worldwide. Barefoot Bubbly is the first American champagne in years to toast this very American celebration. And we are especially proud of the fact that it was originally named by Bonnie’s mother.

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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Ireland Stands to Gain by Brexit

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 17:00:33 +0000

Whatever you think about the UK’s decision to leave the EU, American businesses must find a new gateway to Europe. For American’s, our ‘mother’ country has always been our foot in the door to Europe. If you could prove yourself in the UK, the door was open to the EU. Trademarks from the EU were respected in the UK and vice versa. That door may have just been closed. So now what?

Look no further than the only official English-speaking country in the EU, on the Euro, and closer to us: Ireland! Before the recession, Ireland was favored by US business for its low cost, highly skilled workforce, and business-friendly policies. Now it can add, “Gateway to Europe” with its unrestricted flow of goods and people to the mainland.

Interestingly, Northern Ireland, which voted to stay in the EU, will be more likely to stay in rather than barricading off its common borders with The Irish Republic which have become critical to families, trade, tourism, and their overall economy. Staying in the EU may likely mean exiting the UK and joining the Irish Republic. A larger EU member like a united Ireland can’t help but be attractive to American business hoping to trade in Europe.

We spoke at the World Conference on Entrepreneurship in Dublin a couple years back and were most impressed with their American-style cultural support for entrepreneurs. The willingness of the government, the business community, and academic institutions to help new ventures succeed is most attractive to new and established businesses alike.

Still pulling themselves out of recession, the Irish know that entrepreneurship is their key to prosperity. As a relatively small country, they know the world is their market… Oh! And did we say they absolutely love Americans?

Talk about winning by default! It reminds us of the way Quebec lost major business to Ontario when they tried to separate from Canada. The UK may have just handed Ireland a big break and a huge opportunity.

Whether we like it or not, we are all connected to a global market where uniform standards and business practices support commerce, and ultimately, our very standard of living. Voting to decouple from that interdependence may seem emotionally attractive at the time, but the days following that decision will educate those voters about what they sacrificed.

Whatever the UK voters thought they were saving by leaving the EU, they have disrupted the flow of trade and ultimately wiped out those “savings” many times over. Oblivious to consequences and uneducated about the benefits of EU membership, they were bowled over by a populist movement that promised huge savings that probably can’t be delivered any time in the near future.

Once the press becomes more entertainment than educational, the door is open for populist movements to persuade emotional and naïve voters who simply don’t know any better. This is quite a wake-up call for the US and other democracies, should they take notice. Unwarranted, but popular, quick-fix claims can now win the vote and reverse the efficiencies of scale common markets can deliver.

Meanwhile, Ireland has been waiting for a break like Brexit! Keep a close eye on their next moves. What is a great opportunity for Ireland may well be a great opportunity for US business as well.

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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The 9-11 Memorial

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 17:00:38 +0000

When we were in New York last week keynoting at the Customer Experience Conference, we had the opportunity to visit and pay our respects at the September 11th Memorial . Last year the new Freedom Tower which symbolizes the rebirth of the World Trade Center was completed, and we witnessed the installation of the needle-like spire that points skyward from the very top.

The scale and classic beauty of the memorial reflecting pools and the underground museum at ground zero were truly impressive. The pools sit at the bases of the former twin towers with cascades of free-falling water roaring into reflecting pools several stories below the ground, then disappearing into a dark square hole at the center. Surrounding the two pools are the names of the victims preserved and honored in a permanent memorial.

The tour of the memorial museum was particularly moving. First of all, it is a credit to the City of New York and the redevelopers of the World Trade Center that so much of this precious Manhattan real estate was permanently set aside to honor the victims and tell the story of this appalling day. The museum is right under ground zero, hollowed ground not just for Americans but for all freedom-loving people.

The self-guided tour begins with a long ramping gallery with low lighting. Descending deeper with the hushed group of visitors we saw and heard memorials of the folks who perished that day. These were vibrant innocent people of all races and creeds – just like us.

Then we saw what looked like pieces of modern impressionist sculpture until we realized these were huge, heavy, steel support columns and beams that were twisted beyond recognition by the heat of the burning jet fuel and the force and weight of the collapse. Witnessing the sheer power of this catastrophe was humbling.

Here and there, quotes, descriptions, and memorials were projected on buckled metal plates and chards of wreckage, reminding us of the horrific events of that day. The entire memorial is tastefully done and demonstrates a profound sensitivity to the memory of the victims. The use and integration of the very remnants of the buildings to deliver the message is at once sobering and a credit to the designers.

Along the way are numerous multimedia presentations including artifacts, letters, tools, scorched office equipment and many videos of the attack and aftermath.

There is a particularly interesting historical perspective that takes you through the events leading up to 9-11, chronicling the growth of the terrorist movement, where at one point, Bin Laden declares war, not just on the American forces in the middle east, but on what he calls “the American taxpayers,” the American people themselves.

Further on was gallery after gallery devoted to the heroism and sacrifice over the days and weeks that followed. You are struck by the dedication of the firefighters and emergency rescue people who risked and gave their own lives to save others. It made us realize what a high value we put on life in this country.

We were also struck by the way the technology of the day was frozen in time, now relics and artifacts of our world in 2001. It reminded us of how far we have come in the last 14 years. Burned blackberries, big clunky walky-talkies, scorched and bent paper file drawers bear testimony to a time not so long ago.

Every American should go and pay their respects to the innocent, the brave, and the heroes of 9-11. You will leave with more pride in your country, what we stand for as a society, and our resilience as a nation.

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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Thanksgiving – A Time to be Thankful for a Culture that Supports Entrepreneurship

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 19:30:39 +0000

We have so much to be thankful for in the United States, and Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to express our gratitude. The economy appears to be improving, employment seems to be on the upsurge and home values have been on the rise. But there is something else, something that promises to sustain our economy, something unique about us as Americans, for which we all should be thankful. It’s our culture that encourages and supports new businesses to get off the ground and survive.

These new businesses create new jobs, improve our standard of living and extend our very lives. The products and services they provide can be seen all over the world. Other cultures want to know what is it about those Americans that keeps them innovating and improving our world. The answer is it’s our culture of entrepreneurship!

Television shows like Shark Tank and movies like The Social Network celebrate entrepreneurial success. Publications like Entrepreneur, Inc., Fast Company and Forbes keep us on top of the latest real-life challenges and victories of entrepreneurs. Just in the past decade we have seen an explosion in secondary education as school after school focuses on entrepreneurship. Start-up hubs, launch pads and innovation centers are blossoming in every city throughout our great country.

Young people growing up in our society admire entrepreneurship and recognize it as a valid alternative to employment. Many are encouraged to think out of the box and to start their own ventures. Contrast that with the skeptical attitude exhibited in other parts of the world where people are actively discouraged from starting their own businesses.

In those societies, entrepreneurs are seen as people who couldn’t hold down a good job, people who had to seek an alternative means of support, people who took needless risks, and people who failed. They are seen as giving up “all that security” to pursue a sketchy proposition. Failure is seen in many countries as a scar for life, as a situation from which there is no recovery. These people are disrespected and perceived as an embarrassment to their friends and family.

For us, people who take risks are seen as courageous. They mitigate their challenges with imagination, innovation, hard work and tenacity. For us, failure is just a pit stop upon the road to success. When setbacks occur, we cheer entrepreneurs on while other cultures may say, “You are making a big mistake!” We encourage them to pick up the pieces, keep on trying, and when they do succeed, we say, “We knew you could do it!”

Thanksgiving Day is a classic American holiday where we as a nation take the time to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. Our culture of support for the entrepreneurial spirit that makes our quality of life possible is also classically American. This year let’s take a moment to appreciate this culture and recommit ourselves to fully support aspiring, struggling, and successful entrepreneurs. It is our support and belief in their success that keeps them going to the benefit of us all. It is their success that creates new jobs, products and services, and helps to keep our country strong. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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The Whole World Looks to the United States as the Cradle of Entrepreneurship

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 18:30:11 +0000

As we travel throughout the world and speak about our entrepreneurial experiences and the lessons we’ve learned, we were surprised to discover that the United States is viewed by our international audiences as the cradle of entrepreneurship. Of course, there is leading-edge entrepreneurship in many countries, but none have quite the public cultural support for risk takers like the United States.

Many countries, we find out, have cultures that actually discourage people from starting their own businesses. Their families remind them of the many who have tried and failed. They encourage them instead to go for the security of employment with the government or a large corporation. Some actually view starting your own business as foolhardy and bound for failure. If the young person’s enterprise does fail, they are too often chided with “I told you so.”

By contrast, in the United States we not only understand that our economy is supported by entrepreneurship, but we have deep respect and admiration for those who have taken the risks, suffered the sacrifices, and had the tenacity to see their entrepreneurial concepts become a reality. In the United States, entrepreneurs are often revered like folk heroes, with movies celebrating their challenges and accomplishments; on television shows like Shark Tank; and publications like Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and Inc.

American public and social media increasingly offer articles and tips on the hows and whys of successful entrepreneurship. Sure it’s risky and many enterprises fail, but in the United States we view failure, as Edison once said, as successfully discovering what doesn’t work along the path to success.

This week we were honored to be keynote speakers at the Western Region EO Alchemy annual conference held in Las Vegas. This event brought together members from chapters of Entrepreneurs’ Organizations from the western United States. For the Entrepreneurs’ Organization to choose Las Vegas for this conference was both fitting and symbolic. These are the real gamblers, betting on themselves, betting on their teams and betting on their enterprises.

Simply put, it was all about mitigating risk with proven methods, attitudes, and processes that give these gamblers a fighting chance. At EO Alchemy, as it is called, we heard from entrepreneurs of all ages, sharing their lessons and best practices. That’s right, they were here sharing their secrets, and helping each other to succeed! Far from the classic view of dog-eat-dog competition, these EO members had one goal: sharing their experiences so that all their members would find the success they’ve found.

The event’s culture of support for entrepreneurs attracted several entrepreneurs from other countries including the Netherlands, Mexico and India. Those delegates told us how much they appreciated the unselfish sharing, stories of challenge and success, and the concrete practices they can’t wait to get home and try in their own businesses.

The entire experience made us proud to be part of the American entrepreneurial culture that says, “We did it. You can do it!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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The C-E-O is the Future of The American Economy

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 01:08:31 +0000

The C-E-O (Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization) had their Annual Conference this past October 31 – November 2 in Chicago, and we were thrilled to be a part of it. When we got up to the stage and even before we began our keynote address, we were taken back by the spectacle of nearly 1,200 college students, faculty, and young entrepreneurs from around the world.

This gathering of aspiring collegiate entrepreneurs was representative of the future of the American economy. Ranging in age from 18 to 24, this was Generation Z at its finest! It was a moving experience to realize that among these young people would emerge the next Steve Jobs and similar business rock stars of the future.

Over the three days of the national conference, we heard many inspiring speakers share their experiences on what it takes to make it in business. We were most impressed by seasoned entrepreneur and senior editor of Inc. Magazine, Norman Brodsky. Norman began his keynote speech not from the stage but from the back of the room, true to his out-of-the-box theme. Then, as he walked through the crowd of young people, he asked a series of questions and provided some surprising answers.

At one point he asked, “What is the main job of the CEO?” The young crowd peppered him with an array of answers from “leadership” to “fundraising,” from “the buck stops here” to “company vision.” After each suggestion, he gave a loud emphatic “NO!” After a period of silence, Norman said, “Culture! The CEO’s main job is to build positive company culture – because true success ultimately comes from your people!”

We couldn’t agree more, and, as a matter of fact, our success with Barefoot Wine was really the success of our team culture. We gave them permission to be creative and, yes, even to make mistakes. This inspired a culture that was fun and friendly, open and respectful of the contributions of others. With the customer at the top, serviced by our sales people, everybody else in the company understood that they worked in Sales Support. Creating positive company culture is the main job of the CEO. Thank you Norman for the reminder!

We met hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs from C-E-O chapters in 43 states and several Canadian provinces. They were all there to soak up as much as they could from proven successful business executives. Throughout the conference, we found that the #1 misconception most folks had was they thought the distribution of their product was somehow going to take care of itself, and that the strength of their idea and the demand by the public would be enough to pull their product through the distribution channels.

Once again we had to remind them, “You can’t buy it if it ain’t there!” And it won’t be there unless you see to it yourself. This is especially true at first when you are an unknown. We live in a wonderful country with the most efficient distribution infrastructure in the world. Shopping in stores brimming with choices of all sorts of products gives us the mistaken idea that everything we see is all there is. But there are thousands of products we never see because they simply never made it to the shelf. Sure, you have to have a great product at an affordable price with a cute logo and compelling catch phrase, but distribution management is ultimately the deciding factor.

We hope our experience and the experience of others who spoke will give these young people the insights they need to succeed. We want the new entrepreneurs of Generation Z to be Generation Zero-limits! Go get ‘em, Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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Rags-to-Riches Beach Reading Material – Yahoo Small Business Advisor

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 27 May 2013 17:35:11 +0000

By Adrienne Burke

Looking for a good book to get lost in this Memorial Day weekend? The Barefoot Spirit is an entertaining rags-to-riches story of American entrepreneurship. Released this week, the paperback has already climbed to the top of the Amazon bestsellers list.

It’s the first-hand tale of California rule breakers Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, founders of the country’s top-selling wine brand. The couple conceived Barefoot Cellars in 1986, three years after they met in a Santa Rosa blues bar. They sold the business to E&J Gallo in 2005 for an undisclosed price that they say left them “satisfied.”

To read the complete interview, please visit Yahoo Small Business

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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