CPG | The Barefoot Spirit

Americans are Getting a Crash Course in Distribution Management

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 03 Apr 2021 15:07:27 +0000

As consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) brand building advisors with real-world experience on how to build a successful brand, we are taking a special interest in the formidable challenges governments and private companies face in trying to manage the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. There are important lessons to be learned here.

Popularly held misconception

We tell our clients that “It doesn’t matter how great your product is, what a great value it is, or even if there is a huge demand for it, you cannot succeed if you don’t focus on distribution.” Alternatively, “You can’t get it if it isn’t there.” It’s that simple.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

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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The Novel Coronavirus Spotlights Opportunities for New Consumer Packaged Goods

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:00:37 +0000

It’s clear that the direct-to-consumer business got a big shot in the arm from the shelter-in-place orders that many of us are now living under.

Even though these restrictions are temporary, they have trained many new consumers to use online services to order their CPGs (consumer package goods) and have them delivered. This includes food, beverages, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and other packaged goods.

Many new on-line shoppers will never go back to physical shopping. Once they discover the convenience of home delivery, they will rely on it permanently.

What does that mean for CPG brand builders? Online consumers will tend to stick with the brands they know. They will not be as likely to stumble upon a new brand or make a notion or an impulse buy.

This means, the older, more established brands will get stronger as more and more shoppers go to “same-as-last-time” repeat ordering. Sure, there will be more paid pop-ups and paid side-bar advertising.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

The post The Novel Coronavirus Spotlights Opportunities for New Consumer Packaged Goods appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Entrepreneur – Chewing Their Way to the Top

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 18:00:45 +0000

We’ve often said, “If you really want to change things, put a buck on it.” That philosophy has been recently documented by Nielsen, the leader in CPG market data. The biggest mega trend we see for 2019 is being driven by consumers who want to “vote with their purchases.” They are increasingly demanding transparency from CPG producers …and getting it!

Americans love their dogs. So why shouldn’t they want transparency from the company that provides them with their dog chews? That was the catalyst for Nature Gnaws founders Jay Mokbel and Steve Mamak. The risk they took in 2016 to produce and sell, all-natural dog chews has been validated by stellar growth over the past two years.

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur

Who We Are

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

The post Entrepreneur – Chewing Their Way to the Top appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Is Your CPG Company on the Right Side of History?

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 22:09:21 +0000

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.”

In the 1967 movie, “The Graduate,” a young man, recently graduated from college, is given advice from his dad’s best friend, “I’ve got one word for you, Benjamin: Plastics.” If we were giving advice to college grads today, we would add one more word, “alternatives,” making the best advice we have to give, “plastic alternatives.”

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur

Who We Are

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

The post Is Your CPG Company on the Right Side of History? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

I Followed the Process. Where’s My 6 Figures in 6 Months? – Entrepreneur

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 00:27:38 +0000

First published on Entrepreneur.com on 12/16/2017

Just because you learn how the chess pieces move doesn’t mean you will win the game. In fact, you can’t lose the game until you learn the moves. But how the pieces move is just the beginning. To win, you need to know the strategies and philosophies of the game.

We all know this is true when it comes to parlor games. But when it comes to successfully building and monetizing a consumer package goods (CPG) brand, it’s easy to focus on what you think your immediate need is. If you don’t understand the end game and the strategies and philosophies to get there, you can choose to learn a process that gets you into big trouble fast! Why? Because what you think you need may not be what you really need.

The hype is out there, ready to take your money, ready to sell you the process you are asking for, but do you have enough experience to know what to ask for?

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur

Who We Are

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

The post I Followed the Process. Where’s My 6 Figures in 6 Months? – Entrepreneur appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The 7 Habits of Highly Brandable People

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 21:47:24 +0000

First published on Entrepreneur.com on 10/12/2017

Having built the wine brand Barefoot, we learned a few things about branding consumer products. Get your product in front of the folks who will benefit from it. Be clear about what you are selling. Distinguish your product from the competition. Understand and work the distribution system. Deliver a consistent message. If you want to build a successful consumer product brand, you don’t have the time nor the luxury to deviate from this path.

We’ve become experts at branding in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space. But what if you want to build a personal brand? Are there definitive rules like branding packaged goods?

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur.com

Who We Are

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

The post The 7 Habits of Highly Brandable People appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.