Production | The Barefoot Spirit

5 Tips to Sell More This Year

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 16:33:14 +0000

Want to sell more this year?

Of course, you do! Without sales, you don’t need production or even marketing. In fact, your whole company is supported by sales.

We like to say, “Regardless of what their organization chart says, all companies only have only two divisions, sales and sales support.” In other words, if you’re not in sales, you’re in sales support. You are there to support sales.

So, how can you improve sales this year? Here are our top five tips to do just that.

1) Believe in your product

Sales is frustrating more times than not. The sales cycle always take a lot longer than you expect. Meanwhile, you’ve got bills hungry for bucks. It can get downright discouraging.

What keeps you going? A deep belief in your product and the benefits it will provide your customers.

But it’s not enough for you to believe in your product. Your whole sales support staff has to believe as well. It’s not only what keeps them going — it’s what keeps your people engaged in the sales process. It’s what encourages them to come up with solutions to sales challenges. Everyone they talk to will know they believe in your product.

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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3 Business Functions You Can’t Outsource

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 17:00:06 +0000

The Burn Rate and Runway

It’s always painful for us to hear a new wantrepreneur talking about the first steps they’re going to take when they go into business. They usually say something like, “Well, if I’m going to go into business, I’m going to need to get an office, a production facility, and a warehouse.” And “I’m going to need a new car, a new truck, new furniture, and new machinery. Oh, and I’m going to need a full staff.”

Interestingly, they believe that their business success is based on the acquisition of those items. They’re excited to hear stories of how similar startups with similar wish lists got funded. Presumably, a big reason for the funding is to support all that overhead in lieu of income from sales for a period of time. This is also known as a “burn rate.” The idea is to get the business all set up with enough in the bank to pay your bills until sales “take off.” This is also known as a “runway.”

The Millstone Around Your Neck

We grimace when we hear these comments. True, their business will eventually need these things, for at least the startup and build up phase. However, these reoccurring monthly costs are a huge millstone around their necks, pulling them down while they’re trying to swim upstream to achieve a positive cash flow. Like it’s not hard enough already? So now, before we even achieve a positive cash flow, let’s put our precious time, money, and attention into building out the business? No!

Some startups may know that sales will be the most difficult part. They suspect it’s a lot of energy for very little return, especially at first. But they can put it off and take refuge in doing something that does “show”, like spending money on assets and overhead. Other startups may just plain underestimate the amount of time, energy and focus it takes to actually make sales happen.

What’s crazy for us is how easy it is to borrow money when there’s hard assets involved. This lending policy further temps startups to put on that millstone. It’s as if the lenders and investors believe they can take those assets back if you default. But even if they can, they’re hard to move and certainly can’t return the full cost.

Focus on Sales not the Millstone

For whatever reason, tying up precious capital in bricks and mortar and bringing on a staff can distract you from your primary objective, sales! You can outsource most of this stuff anyway. In fact, once you free yourself of the monthly millstone, you may decide you don’t want to burden yourself with a bunch of assets and overhead, so you can put more focus on sales. We believe that sales earns these types of assets, not the other way around.

When we started Barefoot Wine, the first thing people would ask us was, “Oh, the wine business! Where are your vineyards and how many acres do you have?” Our answer was simple, “None! But we have sales – lots of sales!”

When we got started, we couldn’t get financing so we had to make sales happen early and often just to survive. We had no runway and we couldn’t afford a millstone. So we outsourced as much as we could. Today we recommend this “beyond lean” startup strategy to our clients.

Outsource Everything But…

We believe you can outsource everything but sales, accounting, and quality control. By doing the sales yourself, especially to get started, you gain a deep respect for the customer and the market fit of your products and services. This will become a priceless experience as you grow your company and ultimately hire and train your own salespeople.

In-house accounting is critical. You need to see the numbers now! You can’t wait a month or two to see what’s happening in your business. It will be too late! That business plan you spent so much time writing is now replaced by the cash flow report. And successful cash flow management turns out to be a critical startup skill.

You can outsource production, but you can’t outsource quality control. You need to have your person in your contracted facilities to ensure quality. Your production contracts must specify in great detail all the requirements necessary before you will pay for those goods and services.

But pretty much everything else can be done by somebody else. And in many cases, better than you can do it yourself. Don’t encumber your fledgling business with a bunch of overhead bills hungry for monthly bucks. Jump on the hardest job, sales! Once you make that sale, you’ll be surprised at how many vendors jump out of the woodwork to help you keep those sales going. After all, your sales are what’s paying everybody’s bills.

The next time a wantrepreneur tells us about their startup plans, we would love to hear them say, “To get started, I’m outsourcing everything except for sales, accounting, and quality control!”

Who We Are

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

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3 Reasons to Start a New Branded Product Now

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 20:31:42 +0000

Are new brands getting squeezed out of the packaged goods markets?

It seems like every day there’s some new merger to further consolidate the production, distribution and retail channels. The markets are getting monopolized by a few big players with hundreds of brands.

Access to market is getting tougher and tougher. There’s less shelf space and more retailer-owned control brands.

So why do we think the time has never been better to start a new CPG brand?

1) Corporate compliance

Due to increasing litigation in the marketplace, the big boys who have a lot to lose have given tremendous power to their legal departments. “Everything has to go through compliance” is the refrain that echoes through their halls.

For all its good intentions, this trend dampens risk taking and creativity at the corporate level.

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.

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5 Ways to Get Good Ideas Out of Your People

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:00:54 +0000

Companies ask us, “How can we get the entrepreneurial spirit?” The real question should be, “How did we lose it?” When their founders started in that garage or basement so long ago, there was no question in their minds, if they didn’t make sales, they’d go out of business. But something changed along the way. They lost the entrepreneurial spirit!

What happened? Did they get so carried away with the specialization of human resources, they forgot what their founders knew – that sales are essential to survival? Did the various siloed specialties, like engineering, marketing, R&D, and admin, actually begin to believe that they were more essential than sales?

The specialties began to organize, have their own groups, their own conferences, their own publications. And as they became isolated and insulated from sales, they began to take sales for granted. “Sales can’t happen without my skill set,” became the refrain. Or worse, “Sales? That’s not my job!”

A “good idea” was thought to be all about improving some part of the production process. But did the folks who executed and improved those processes know why their process was essential to sales? Probably not. Management might say “They didn’t need to know.” But knowing why you are performing a process is the backbone of the entrepreneurial spirit. Sales is the reason!

We were honored to be the Keynote Speakers for the 75^th Anniversary Summit for IdeasAmerica. These are the folks who brought you the suggestion box in the early 1940’s and have advocated for employee-authored good ideas ever since. We decided that our message should encourage them to explore the cultural conditions that allow for, and promote, the engagement of employees.

Here’s our short list:

Overkill on Orientation. It’s not just where the bathroom, coffee, forms, and go-to person are. It’s how the money that’s in paychecks, benefits, and bonuses gets to your employees. Show them a graphic “money map” that identifies everyone who touches your company’s products or services, and what each one wants from your company. They will see more clearly how they fit in.
Pay for Performance. At least some part of your employees’ compensation must be tied to sales, growth, and profits. When you put all your people on the same bonus plan, you create the comradery of a well-practiced team with the same goal. The most effective bonuses are given quarterly – long enough to get the numbers and short enough to stay attainable.
Know the Need. Some companies are convinced that their people don’t need to know about sales, marketing, or competitive challenges. But when your people get the big picture, see how they fit in, and realize that you view them as a valuable problem-solving asset, they become more creative, and more loyal.
Grant Permission. Mistakes will happen. Make them permissible, as long as they are followed by immediate improvements to the company’s processes and procedures so they will be less likely to reoccur. Grant permission to brainstorm and entertain “crazy” ideas to solve problems. They often lead to a bright idea and a practical solution.
Give Acknowledgement. Make acknowledgement both public and written, and copy the whole team. Everyone will know more about who is being praised and have more respect for that person. They will likewise anticipate public praise when they solve problems. Some studies show that being appreciated is even more important than salary.

We salute IdeasAmerica and acknowledge the fine work they continue to do for both American and international companies. With a bit of encouragement, your people will provide a plethora of good ideas!

Who We Are

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

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Why is The Barefoot Spirit So Relevant Today?

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 17:00:36 +0000

We talk a lot about the Barefoot Spirit. But exactly what is the Barefoot Spirit in essence? It is sales! Period! Presales before you open your doors; growth supported by sales; overhead justified by sales; new team members oriented with sales process maps; company-wide bonuses based on sales; and expansion based on the cost of sales. The Barefoot Spirit is a sales-driven culture.

Why this obsession with sales? It’s how everyone gets paid – everyone! Without sales, there would be no need for production, marketing, R&D, HR, legal, admin, and CEOs – nobody!

Why is the Barefoot Spirit so important today? Because many of us have actually lost our focus on sales in favor of engineering, programming, technology, legal, HR, and production. We have gotten to a place where we think that a killer app, a disrupting technology, or a new financial model is somehow more important than sales. They’re not.

In fact, in what we call the Barefoot Startup, the product itself is determined by sales. The design is not complete until after a thorough understanding of what the market wants and how the market will be accessed.

Today many believe that business success is based on securing financing. It’s not! You can secure financing and never make a sale. You can have a burn rate that quickly smokes investor dollars without sales.

We have allowed ourselves to believe that getting into a major box store is in itself a recipe for success. It’s not. It’s only the beginning, not the end. Real success is staying in the market with sustained and increasing sales.

In fact, we have seen companies that have discounted the importance of sales and elevated marketing – who will gladly take a bow when sales are up and blame “those salespeople out in the field” when sales are down.

Today, you can even get financing with a cool idea, no real sales plan, and no sales experience. Startups are not alone in this thinking. Investors abound who take sales for granted. They shouldn’t. The startup failure rate is on the increase. According to Small Business Trends, over 50% of small business startups fail in the first four years.

No one’s idea, no matter how brilliant, is going to sell itself. All ideas must be sold and more importantly resold on an ongoing basis.

Today, much of the focus is on the cost of goods, when it should be on the cost of sales. If you can’t service what you sell, you are soon off the market. If you can’t achieve a positive cash flow quickly, you are back trading more of your precious equity to the investor just to keep the lights on.

The current thinking seems to be that if you have a good enough idea, and a catchy marketing plan, you just hire some people to sell it. If they don’t, just fire them and hire some more. Right? Wrong. With that attitude, you never find out why your idea didn’t sell – until it’s too late!

How has this happened? Sales itself has gotten a bad name. Nobody wants to be “salesy!” Nobody wants to face personal rejection. Sales is generally not taught in school. And salespeople are seen as shifty characters, out to trick you, only after your money, and with very little to offer in return. Good salespeople offer excellent customer service, and should be the highest priority for a startup, not the last.

From startups to enterprise companies, the time is right for the Barefoot Spirit. Now is the time to focus on the top priority for success, sales!

Who We Are

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

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How to Keep The Entrepreneurial Spirit as Your Business Grows

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 23:56:50 +0000

The entrepreneurial spirit is the spirit of the entire team, and is represented by their commitment to customer service, resourcefulness, and going the extra mile to make sales happen. There is no question in the minds of start-up entrepreneurs, in a garage, undercapitalized, and having to make do with less, that they must make sales happen no matter what or they will be out of business — fast! They all know the customer comes first.

Beyond the start-up phase

Then, if they are fortunate, dedicated, and diligent, they progress beyond the startup phase and into the buildup phase. Now they have a few solid customers that keep them going. Their volume picks up. They begin to see some pressure on production, customer service, and supply chain management. In an effort to satisfy these demands, and in the name of efficiency, they begin to specialize their use of human resources. Thus begins the degradation of the entrepreneurial spirit.

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 How to Keep The Entrepreneurial Spirit as Your Business Grows appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Sales Should Be Taught In School

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 18:00:21 +0000

In the past few years we’ve spoken at over 40 schools that teach entrepreneurship. Only one of them teaches Sales – not sales forecasting, not sales management, and not sales analysis, but real, “get out of my office,” to “I’ll take two truckloads,” Sales!

As a society, have we gotten so focused on technology, engineering, production, and the next shiny ball that we have forgotten how all the goods and services that give us such a great standard of living get to us? It’s through sales!

Without sales, nothing happens: no engineering, no tech, no production, no salaries. Nothing. Zilch. So how did we get to a place where we think we can teach, of all things, Entrepreneurship, without teaching Sales?

We think it’s because, as a society, we look down on salespeople, and anything that seems ‘salesy.’ From the classic Music Man to a myriad of films like “Used Cars,” salespeople are depicted as devious, cut throat, sleazy types who will take advantage of you, trick you, and saddle you with something you don’t need and can’t afford. They are regularly portrayed as low lifers who couldn’t get a decent job. So why teach Sales to an entrepreneur? Certainly, they can find someone else, less educated, to tend to that tawdry task.

The one school we visited that did teach Sales including prospecting, qualifying, communications, opening and closing, was the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. When we asked why they taught Sales, they responded, “One of our benefactors, a very successful entrepreneur, asked in a curriculum meeting on entrepreneurship classes, why they didn’t teach Sales?” They couldn’t give a good reason, so they began teaching Sales.

Like that benefactor, we also believe you can’t teach Entrepreneurship without a providing a solid foundation in Sales. More than 80% of the great ideas that fail do so because their startup companies could not achieve a positive cash flow before the investors pulled the plug! In other words, they couldn’t make more in sales than it cost them to be in business.

We like to say, “The day after the launch, the business plan takes a back seat to the cash flow report.”

We also believe that all companies are made up of just two divisions: Sales and Sales Support – where everybody, and we mean everybody, who is not in Sales, is working to support Sales. Sales is your paycheck, your security, and your reputation. Who wants to hire someone from a bankrupt company? So, let’s rethink where sales should rank in the scheme of things. Any successful entrepreneur will put it near the top.

A couple years ago we spoke at the Norwegian Technological Institute in Trondheim to predominantly Engineering students with dreams of starting their own businesses. The main question we got from them was, “What other courses should I take to prepare myself to sell my products and innovations?” Our answer would have been Sales – if they taught it, but they did not. So instead, we recommended the basis for excellent Sale skills – the Liberal Arts, also known as Liberal Studies or The Humanities. You know, communications, social studies, cultural studies, critical thinking, psychology, philosophy, history and literature. Sure, you can teach the tactical skills of Sales, but first you have to master the art of relationship building.

Now does this sound like a low-lifer’s profession? On the contrary, this sounds like a profession that requires a high level of education, plus respect and understanding for fellow human beings. Let’s put Sales back on the pedestal where it rightly belongs. And let’s teach Sales in our schools. When it comes to entrepreneurial success, Sales cure all ills.

Who We Are

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

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Are You Paying for Attendance or for Production?

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:00:01 +0000

When you are a startup entrepreneur, you must hire those who are production driven and not attendance driven. Brian Tracy says, “Fully 80% of all production problems are caused by compensation plans!” In other words, you get what you pay for. If you pay by the hour, you get hours. If you pay for production, you get production. We think the best hires are other entrepreneurs.

When you pay by the hour or based on tenure, you’ll hear, “I haven’t had a raise in a year,” like the amount of time that has passed earns them the raise. You will also hear, “I’ve got enough to keep me busy,” as if keeping them busy is a goal of the company. And then there’s the classic, “I was there. Pay me,” as if their mere attendance is all you needed.

This is not to say that hourly employees and outsourced services ipso facto aren’t good producers. Many are. Especially the ones who know their job is on the line, and the ones who clearly understand their goals and deadlines. But there is far less lurking and sandbagging among folks who get paid for deliverables. They simply can’t afford it any other way!

As an entrepreneur, there is no question in your mind about the critical nature of sales and customer service, but what if your team gets paid whether or not you make sales, and whether or not your customer is happy? Do they have the same incentives you have? Probably not.

We like to say, “If you are paying your people right, the non-producers can’t afford to stay, and the producers can’t afford to leave!” Just take a moment to think about that…

When you pay your people right, you increase production, engagement, urgency, sales and the excellent customer experience you are looking for. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Clearly Define the Deliverables. Plainly state exactly the expectations you have of each team member. It is likely different for each player, so consider this carefully. One approach to get going is to ask each person to make a list of what they do and the relevant deadlines. This gives them ownership and forces them to think in terms of outcome. Then refine this list to better suit your company goals.
Create a Bonus Structure. It’s easy to pay the salespeople on production – their commission is based on it! But what about the receptionist, the assistant, and the bookkeeper? What about the marketing, legal, production and administrative people, and other folks who are paid by the hour industry wide? For them we created a quarterly bonus. The bonus was paid as a corporate contribution to their 401K tax-free retirement plan, matching at 50%, 100%, or 150%, and was based on sales, growth, and profitability.
Take a Smaller Slice of a Larger Pie. Be prepared to share the wealth in various ways appropriate to each individual’s accomplishments. One way is to bonus for a specific accomplishment that clearly adds to profits, like a new client, a big savings in overhead, achieving a stretch goal, or meeting a difficult deadline. Once your team sees the direct relationship between their production and their compensation, they will become more interested and engaged in the process of making your business more successful. Plus, now you have more “found money” to share with them.

Congratulate each one publically for their achievements, especially those who impact everybody’s bonuses. You’ll see more of what you acknowledge, create a stronger and more cohesive team, and get the production you paid for!

Who We Are

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

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4 Tips to Avoid Drowning in Startup Expenses

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 18:00:36 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute near Boston may not be a familiar name. However, many major tech and engineering companies regularly recruit WPI grads. They appreciate the well-rounded education of many of their students who also take classes in business, management, and entrepreneurship.

We recently spoke as part of their executive speakers series about the three core competencies of entrepreneurship: Cash Flow Management, Personnel Management and Distribution Management. We shared with the WPI students and faculty lessons we learned from our experience building the Barefoot Wine brand that we believe all businesses must master in order to survive and thrive.

Many wanna-be entrepreneurs fear failure or loss of control of their companies due to lack of funds. They know many startups fail because they have made too many financial commitments before achieving positive cash flow.

Actually, what they really need is sales! Sales earn investments in real estate, equipment, and personnel, and not the other way around.

In our talk about Cash Flow Management, we offered these tips designed to avoid unnecessary expenses and lengthen the runway until sales take off:

Use Your Hidden Assets. Maybe you have a garage or an unused room you can use as an office to get started. We used our laundry room for the first two years. Maybe you have family members who can do some of the work. Bonnie’s mother and nephew came to live and work with us. What can you repurpose for your workspace? We used an old door on two sawhorses for our desk. This allowed us more funds for the surprising cost of sales required to get our business off the ground, as you too will soon discover

Outsource to Local Producers and Service Providers. Right in your own region are companies that can provide you with many of the goods and services you need. You can pay as you use them, eliminating the need to tie up capital in manufacturing, hardware, or office space. In fact, if you write your contracts properly, you don’t have to take delivery of any products not up to you strict quality control guidelines. We succeeded without ever owning an office, a vineyard, or a winery.

Hold Minimum Inventory. Strive for just-in-time production. Although it’s tempting to go for the quantity purchases to reduce your cost per unit, sitting on unsold inventory can be costly and get your business in trouble. Sales volume must justify quantity purchases. Instead, find suppliers who will warehouse goods for you until you need them. And offer buyers quantity discounts for cash to help your cash flow. We found when buyers buy big, they sell big – and reorder quickly!

Extend Your Credit and Terms. Treat your vendors as strategic allies. Grow together, each benefiting from the growth of the other. Gain you supplies trust by monthly or quarterly meetings where you share your goals, opportunities, and challenges. Show them empathy when you can’t pay your bill on time by giving your vendors advance notice and payment plans. Give them a long-term contract so they see your loyalty. Be patient. Your positive performance over time will win you the higher credit limits and terms you need to save your cash flow.

There’s more than one way to achieve a positive cash flow in the early days. These are some that worked very well for us. And, if you are lucky enough to have investors, they will be more comfortable working with you when you demonstrate resourcefulness by reducing your need for cash.

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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