Process | The Barefoot Spirit

Do You Deserve Success Just Because You Follow a Process?

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 16:37:28 +0000

Nowadays it seems like everybody wants to work from home and make six figures in six months.

The internet marketing folks are quick to pander to those who are believers. They also are quick to take advantage of impatient and inexperienced views of what it really takes to be successful.

If you think that all you have to do is follow a process and you therefore deserve success, you may as well have a big target on your back with a dollar sign in the bull’s eye. They are looking for you.

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 Process Without the Philosophy Behind It is a Recipe for Trouble

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 17:00:57 +0000

We often hear, “Just tell me the one thing!” Or, “I just want the step-by-step process!” But when you don’t know why and just “cut and paste” you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’. Sooner or later you will make a bad decision unless you grasp the overriding reason for the process.

If you can’t extrapolate the principles behind the processes, you will not recognize the disguised variations.

For instance, the principles behind paying bills is not to just to satisfy the invoices. The principles are to develop a good credit rating, improve relationships with your creditors, and stay in business. In our experience, we found 15% of the invoices were wrong! Still, we know of several bookkeepers who blindly paid invoices because they thought the process is their job, and all there is to their job!

We surmise that they too were rushing to complete the nitty gritty process of bill paying without understanding the reason behind it. Keep this in mind when training or learning.

Look at the big picture first, and then break it down from there. If you are learning, ask, “Why are we doing this?” If the answer doesn’t take you back to a clear understanding of how your business makes money, ask again until you get it. Don’t be quick to say “got it” when you don’t. It’s not enough to know the process if you don’t know the reason behind the process.

Today we can learn all kinds of processes without having a clue why or what the big picture is. You Tube is full of overly short lessons on how to do stuff, but they assume you know the why. You may also think you know the why. But if you want a rock-solid education that won’t show its limitation when you have to make that decision that wasn’t in the procedures, you’d better get the reason down cold first.

We always look for employees who can extrapolate. Without this skill, they can drive you crazy with ‘’Like what, like what?” as they demand more and more examples. In fact, if they make a mistake, they will tell you that you did not give that particular example. But it’s the principle behind the example that is the real lesson. If you want your people to really “get it,” you must spend the time to make sure they see the correlation between the examples.

The definition of extrapolation is: to use known facts as the starting point from which to draw inferences or conclusions about something unknown. Here are three ways to identify and improve extrapolation learners:

At the Interview. Ask them the reasons behind the processes they were responsible for on their last job. Listen for over simplifications, and reasons that don’t tie into the big picture. Ask them how and why they solved a new problem based on their understanding of the reason for a process they were taught.
During The Training. After they have a gotten a process down, give them a situation you haven’t discussed and see if they can noodle it out on their own. If they can, you have successfully communicated the “Why.”
On the Job. Watch for misconceptions or shortsighted assumptions about the “Whys” in their work and in their queries. Listen for questions that show they don’t understand the big picture. Spend the time to show them how they can make better choices if they understand the “Why.”

It is a big picture world out there, so remove the blinders you put on your people when you just give them “the one thing” and “the step-by-step process.”

Who We Are

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

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5 Reasons to say Thank You and Get More of What You Want

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 04:00:07 +0000

Sometimes we get so busy, we forget to say thank you to acknowledge a great referral or appreciate a job well done. We tend to get overwhelmed by today’s news and financial pressures. Rather than appreciating what’s going right, we tend to focus on what’s going wrong. We are challenged to meet our deadlines, show a profit, and put out the fires. We wish there was a way to make things a little easier.

There is. Say thank you more often.

Do it with intention. Don’t just say thanks and move on. Get specific and say what you are grateful for in detail. Personalize it. For example, we recently got thanked by a client for an introduction we made on her behalf. She sent us a note that said, “I want to thank you guys so much for putting me together with Peter. He introduced me to Mary and now I am doing more business as a result.” Our reaction? Send her more introductions, of course!

We have found that the best way to get out of a slump is to take inventory of what you do have and thank the folks who helped you get it. Several beneficial things start to happen:

Improve Your Focus. When you take the time to identify the things you are thankful for, you are less likely to overlook those same kinds of things when they come around. Tune up your focus and dial in on what you want, instead of what you don’t.
Improved Your Attitude. When you focus on what’s wrong it’s easy to get nervous, pressured, and downright depressed. The sore thumb is only one out of nine fingers. Let the other nine “stick out” occasionally and you will realize that you already have a lot going for you. That should raise your spirits. And people want to do more business with someone who is happy and positive – rather than haggard, hurried and hassled. You will be more effective in all your relationships.
Get More of the Same. By acknowledging the folks who have helped you and thanking them in specific terms, they will be more likely to do more for you. We all like to be appreciated; it’s part of our human nature. So, acknowledge others for what they have done and see if you don’t get more of the same. Friends, employees, vendors, suppliers, customers, and your network of associates all want to be valued and will be even more helpful if they know you appreciate them.
Be Aware of the Process. When you thank someone sincerely and specifically, you see their reaction and renewed efforts on your behalf, you notice more opportunities that you may have overlooked, and you improve your own productivity by being more agreeable, happy, and friendly to others. You become aware that the process itself of giving thanks, showing appreciation, and giving acknowledgement actually helps get you more!
Demonstrate Your Thoughtfulness. Giving thanks shows folks that you didn’t just take their efforts on your behalf for granted. You actually took the time to send a short email, or even better, a hand-written card.

It’s appropriate that “The Holidays” start out with Thanksgiving. It reminds us that the best gift we can give each other on every card and memo we write is a sincere and specific “Thank You!”

We want to thank all of you for reading our articles and sincerely thank YOU for all your help with connections, introductions and suggestions to help us better serve other entrepreneurs. Happy Holidays!

Who We Are

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

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How to Turn Your Customers into Advocates Using the Discovery Process

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 18:00:38 +0000

You love sharing a new restaurant or hiking trail with your friends, right? It’s part of human nature to want to share a new discovery with others. You not only sincerely want to improve their lives, but you also want to be appreciated for doing so. You certainly can’t enlighten them about something if you know it’s widely advertised. But if you think that there’s no other way they could find out, you will be more likely to spread the good word – and be thanked for doing so! That’s the discovery process in action.

As most of our readers know, when we first started the now famous Barefoot Wine brand we simply couldn’t afford commercial advertising. We were told that we would have to advertise over and over again before we got any traction. When we looked at the costs involved and the long-term commitment to this form of advertising, we quickly realized that we simply didn’t have the budget.

That’s when we stumbled upon a different method that really worked well for us. We began to support non-profits organizations that championed causes our customers cared about, and causes we cared about. We donated our goods for their fundraisers and took their message to the marketplace in ways they could not. In the process they discovered our products and where to get them. Our support of causes they supported gave them a social reason to buy our product, and in this way we developed advocates. We called this Worthy Cause Marketing.

We finally got to a point where we could actually afford commercial advertising. We thought about it and listened to all the arguments, but in the end we chose to continue with Worthy Cause Marketing as our sole means of advertising. What clinched it for us was the realization that we ourselves would not tell anybody about any well-advertised product. We figured others already knew, so why bother?

It takes years to build up a customer base that is actively advocating your product. Why spending tons on advertising only to take away the appreciation your customers will receive when they share their new discovery with their friends, family and colleagues?

We have actually worked with companies whose marketing people told us that their budget was based on how much they spent last year in advertising, and if they didn’t spend as much this year they would lose the difference. It would adversely affect their status and personal salary. So they wanted to advertise because “everybody was doing it” and they had a vested interest in spending all the money in their budget. Their companies where resigned to expensive ads and their marketing folks were happy to go along with it.

Many companies think they have to out advertise their competition lest they be conspicuous by their absence. New entrepreneurs don’t have the luxury to embark on this expensive slippery slope. New entrepreneurs must think about every dime and how it affects their bottom line – right now. They don’t have the funds to spend tons to “gain traction,” nor do they have the time required to see results.

The best form of advertising in our opinion for new businesses is excellent customer service with customer feedback directed to production and marketing, and support for the causes their customers are keen on. Let customers have the appreciation they deserve for being the first to turn their friends on to that great product they recently discovered, a product their friends would not have found out about otherwise.

Who We Are

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

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Ask the Right Questions to Get the Right Answers

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:00:41 +0000

Last week we had the honor of hosting 21 undergraduate students from the Minor in Entrepreneurship (MiE) program at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. For most of them, this was their first time in the US. They went on to visit the great entrepreneurships in Silicon Valley, but our home was their first stop.

This would be their first impression of America and American entrepreneurship, so we had to set the tone for their visit and lay the foundation to interpret the keys to successful entrepreneurship.

We decided to start with the basics by asking key questions and giving them the three core competencies necessary for success. We examine these critical issues in depth with plenty of examples and stories in our new full length course (The Entrepreneur’s GPS) designed for aspiring, startup, and growth-phase entrepreneurs.

Here’s a brief summary of some of the questions we posed in the live, in person seminar we put on for the Nanyang students:

Why are you starting a business anyway? Are you looking for a lifestyle, a legacy, or are you building a brand that you will one day sell? If it’s the later, that goal will have a great bearing on how you organize, strategize, and grow your business. It will greatly influence your decision-making process.

How will you pay your bills? Cash flow management is absolutely crucial to the survival of any successful business. You simply must make more than it costs to stay in business. Not only that, but you must find ways to reduce your need for cash through resourcefulness, strategic alliances, and fostering critical relationships that build trust.

How do you engage your people? The hiring process is the most important part of this process. We shared what to look for in selecting new hires and how to orient them to understand exactly how their job makes a difference in sales, the overall security of the company, and ultimately the security of their own job. We discussed how to pay them, acknowledge them, and get their insight to solve problems.

How do you get your product to market – and keep it there? In reality, this is the biggest single challenge a new entrepreneur will face. A popular misconception is that price, quality, and value alone will do the trick. It’s just not so! What does each person who touches your product really want? It may not be what you think. And are you ready to do their job if necessary? Who are the real owners of your brand?

All these questions and more must be answered correctly by every successful entrepreneur. When you see a big, successful company, remember, they weren’t always this way.

We tasked the Nanyang students to look for how each of the successful companies they would visit actually answered these questions. We did not give them all the answers, but we did give them most of the important questions. We hope they enjoy and learn from their exposure to successful American Entrepreneurship.

Who We Are

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

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Successful Hiring takes Preparation, Permission and Patience

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:50:59 +0000

No matter what business you think you are in, you wind up in the personnel management business. Your first hires will require a great deal of your time and energy with no guarantees. Your way may conflict with their previous way of doing things.

For the most part, great employees are not found, they’re made. In order to delegate and allow your company to grow, you really have no choice.

All this takes time, energy, preparation and lots of patience, but by working together in concert, you can see wonders.

1. Good Seed. Start with people who demonstrate a high degree of integrity, take responsibility for their own behavior and have a history of long-term commitment. They should be willing to learn and extrapolate conceptual ideas and apply them to new situations. A good way to test this is to give the applicant a verbal run down of the job, the company’s challenges and your expectations for the position. Then, have them send you a one-page summary on a deadline. This will tell you volumes.

2. Good Ground. Make sure their job is clearly defined in writing and explains how your products and services produce the income to pay their salary, bonus and benefits. We used to give our people a “Money Map”. It started with the consumer and worked its way back through distribution, production, and all the payables to finally get to their check. This gave them respect for how and where the money came from – the customer, of course.

3. Care. You must inspect what you expect, especially in the first year. Once you are convinced you have “good seed” it’s worth your while to regularly spend time with them answering questions and mentoring. Listen to what’s behind their questions to discover what they really need to excel in their new position.

4. Light and Space. Give them permission to make mistakes. That’s what allows them to develop into the independent decision makers you need to confidently delegate. To “make those mistakes right,” have them write down what needs to be done to prevent those mistakes in the future. Have them make new polices, procedures, checklists, sign-offs, or whatever, but they have to document everything. Consider rewriting their job description to fit their real skill set.

5. Nutrients. Give them the training they need, in person and in writing. If a document doesn’t exist, have them write it. Create a mini manual for every job with the growing list of frequently asked questions and as many charts and graphs as are necessary to depict processes, relationships and decisions. Provide outside training with conferences, or field time with sales or production staff. The more they understand your total operation, the faster they will become invaluable.

6. Time. How much time you give them before they “get it” really depends on the position, their ability to learn, and how much faith you have in them personally. Some folks take longer but “get it” at a core level. Others may learn a specific process quickly, but miss the big picture. So it’s a judgment call based on your assessment of their progress and conceptual understandings, and the preparation, time and energy you have put in.

Even if you do these essentials, there’s no guarantee of success, but you will be much more likely to succeed. To grow those new hires into fruitful producers it takes preparation, permission and patience.

Who We Are

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

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