The trillion dollar plastics industry is opposed to any efforts by the Federal Government and the State Governments to stem the tide of single-use plastics by law. But two states, Maryland and Maine, recently passed laws banning the use of at least polystyrene foam food containers, generally known as Styrofoam.

Meanwhile, in the last decade, in California alone, 120 cities and counties have passed some kind of regulations on polystyrene food containers. It’s evidently harder for the industry to affect the decisions of smaller governing bodies. Sebastopol, small town just down the road from us, recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale or use of disposable cups, burger boxes, clamshell containers and ice chests made of expanded polystyrene. This particular type of single-use convenience food and packaging material is especially dangerous since it is brittle, breaks up easily. It is mostly air so it blows around, and degrades into microplastics that get into the soil and waterways. It is very hard to capture.

Level Playing Field

So, what’s the effect on business? Well, for one thing, the regulations will create a somewhat level playing field in terms of competition. All retailers will be held to the same rules. Here-to-fore, businesses could claim that their competition was using the cheaper polystyrene and that if they voluntarily chose compostable products, they would be at a disadvantage because of the greater cost.

Reduced Costs for Compostables

Interestingly, as the demand for the alternatives grows, as we have seen in so many other alternative industries, the costs of those alternatives goes down. Sheer volume creates efficiencies of scale that are passed down through the competitive sales process to the retailer.

New Jobs and Industries

Opportunities for compostable and reusable containers are bound to increase. In the little town down the road, for instance, customers who bring their own reusable to-go containers get a 25-cent credit. All customers have to pay a takeout charge up to 10 cents to defray the costs associated with conversion to compostable lids, cups, straws, or utensils that may be more expensive in the short run. This, in effect, subsidizes the cost of reusable containers and single-use compostables.

Out of Control

So, how did the poisoning of the wildlife, the waterways, the soil, and even ourselves ever become so competitively advantageous to the takeout food industry? Simply, the entire cost of the post-sale packaging, including the hazardous effects were dumped on the environment and the consumer, not the producers. Now we are actually eating it! And because we gave them our money for their products, the producers became so strong, they could fund giant PR campaigns and lobbying efforts to protect themselves against the full costs of their packaging. The polystyrene producers are not fighting the ordinances so much as they are trying to use the government to stifle competition. This is just plain unfair and, as we’ve seen, dangerous!

Conclusion

We are business people and we support business, but not the monopoly of any industry. We think ordinances like this are good for business and innovation. They give new businesses a chance to compete. They raise the big picture issues that have to do with the real costs to the environment and our own health for which we as consumers are being asked to pick up the tab.

As Tip O’Neill, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives used to say, “All politics is local!” When little towns have to pass ordinances against big companies to protect the health and welfare of their citizens, wildlife, and environment, we are witnessing a failure of State and Federal Governments to protect the health and welfare of their broader constituents. It’s not OK to allow big plastic to say, “Eat our plastic!”

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.

The post Small Towns Stand Up to Big Plastic appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The show covered the answers to the most common questions asked when building a startup: “How to go from ideation to monetization,” and Michael’s personal favorite, “How to decipher your true cost of sales.”

How to decipher your true cost of sales

Most startups understand their cost of goods, also known simply as COGS. This is what it costs to assemble, build, or manufacture the product you are selling.  The budget will have a line item for COGS.

Other expenses such as advertising, taxes, shipping, and returns are simply lumped together into the general budget or even “overhead.” From our perspective, this is the biggest single mistake that startups make and it leads to a cascade of misconceptions that can put them out of business.

The cost of doing business is different in different territories. The selling costs, including taxes, shipping, promotions, representation, and distribution management, just to name a few, can vary widely from market to market. A fatal mistake we see startups making on a regular basis is underestimating the cost of sales in each market, not the cost of goods, but the cost of sales!

Our Barefoot Wine experience (or inexperience)

When we started Barefoot Wine, we knew there’d be some advertising, promotion, and merchandising costs. But we weren’t ready for the costs of airfare, car rentals, hotels, meals, samples, taxes, freight, not to mention salary and expenses for a representative in the territory. We found out about all these costs the hard way.

Fast sellers do not necessarily get reordered

Our product was a fast seller, so it sold out. That was the good news. The bad news was it didn’t get reordered after it sold out. It sold out and remained out of stock because we didn’t have a representative in each territory looking out for our products. We were shocked!

“Ya mean to say that even if retailers and distributors have a hot new product that is selling fast they won’t automatically reorder it?” we complained. The answer was demonstrated by their behavior. It could just run out and not be reordered. We had to pay to have a representative in every major territory. This was a big cost of sales. We wish we had known this going in. It wasn’t enough just to get into the big stores, now we had to pay big bucks just to stay in.

Don’t Forget Taxes and Shipping & Handling Costs

We had one big chain store in the Midwest that said they wanted to put our product on special for $5.99 in five different states. We were thrilled! We thought it would be a slam dunk. But as Bonnie says, “It was just a slam!” It turned out that in order to achieve the $5.99 sale price in two of the five states, we had to lose money on every sale. The taxes in those states were much higher, so was the shipping and handling. Instead of making a killing, we just got killed – by the cost of sales.

Michael’s Advice to Startups

One of the last questions that Yitzchok asked Michael was, “What advice would you give new startups today?” Michael’s answer was, “Start in a small place. Learn from your mistakes locally where you won’t fatally hurt your brand. Learn the cost of sales. Hire a cost accountant to analyze those costs ahead of time for each expansion scenario. Then, ‘All ahead slow’ with your eyes wide open and your notepad at the ready. You might find out it’s cheaper to do business in South Carolina than it is in New York!”

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.

The post Mind Your Business appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The answers were well thought out, professional, and involved the tactical and practical actions that students could take to avoid harm. We were reading the list of suggested tactics which included: drop everything and run; get into a classroom and block the door; and hide. But there was at least one thing that we think should’ve been added to the list: “Vote!”

We admire the students for refusing to be silenced about violence. But there are issues beyond gun-control that can make a difference. They have to do with the not-so-subtle ways that our children are influenced about the value of life itself.

Whether it’s the old time western shoot-em’-ups or gangster movies of the ‘40s and ‘50s, American movies have always been violent. People are shown being shot without a care.

But in the 80’s and 90’s things got even more bloody with a fascination for violence against teenagers in chain saw massacres and horror movies. Now the victims were innocent and young, not just the old “bad guys.”

Imagine being young and impressionable and being submitted to that kind of “entertainment.” How can movie actors walk with the student in protest, and then take money to perform in movies that cheapen life?

But wait! Then comes the video games that quickly go from Pac-Man to you-are-the-shooter. The games have become wildly popular with teenagers. This experience of easily blowing people away is now becoming available in virtual reality. Should we be surprised about the increased instances of violence when “reality” is in the name of the experience?

We were in our friendly neighborhood pizza parlor last week. It’s just a couple blocks from our local high school.  Video games were screening and screaming. They were vying for teenage attention, shooting one person after another, without consequence, and the player was pulling the trigger.

Then comes the constant news feeds that are deliberately designed to get our attention with headlines that feature death and destruction and other threats to our lives. This comes to us daily on all platforms and inundates our young people with messages that de-value life.

We’ve all heard that most young people know that this is all “fantasy” and that they can easily distinguish this from “reality.” But what about the mentally depressed, isolated, and psychologically imbalanced? They are constantly and visually exposed to this violent avenue to demonstrate their frustration.

What about the impressionable, unstable, and risk tolerant aspects of the still -developing teenage brain? And what about the reduction in mental health funding? Now let’s add to that the “copycat factor,” and you have a real “hot mess!”

Certainly, reducing easy access to firearms is a big part of the answer. Invoking parental responsibility can significantly reduce the instances of school shootings and other atrocities.

But don’t we have a responsibility to hold the entertainment and video game industry to task as well? We’re not advocating censorship, just good judgement and sensitivity. When entertainment producers deliberately go after teenage dollars with violence that diminishes the value of life, shouldn’t their actions be subject to public scrutiny?  We think it’s hypocritical to stand with the students while making money depicting violence and devaluing life.

We work with students every day. Many of our events are in schools. We owe it to them to speak out against this ominous trend in teenage “entertainment.” Let’s show them why life is precious. Let’s get them into the parks. Let’s show them the wonders of nature. And let’s teach the values of empathy over enmity.  Let’s all agree to set good examples for others to follow, especially our youth whom we know emulate what they see.

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.

The post Has Life Become De-Valued in America? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

But you’re not. Far from it! Now you have given up equity to raise capital that you can spend in ways that may not be necessary or effective. Now you have given yourself the false sense of security that because your plan got financing, it must be right.  Now that you have secured a “runway” and “burn rate,” you attract service suppliers interested in grabbing some of that capital. They want to sell you goods and services you don’t necessarily need, including staff, facilities, and other overhead with monthly bills hungry for your money. Have you made adequate sales to justify those expenditures?

So, now you have funded your company without thoroughly understanding the sales or growth process, especially the most often overlook and underestimated expense: the cost of sales. Do you even know what it costs to make sales?  And what it costs to service what you sell? Now you can get into trouble because the only funds you have are from financing …and you are burning through that at an alarming rate. Pretty soon, you go back for a second and third round of financing and you give up more of your equity.

We have heard many startup founders say, “We had to close down because we couldn’t raise additional capital.” But that’s not the real reason! They simply didn’t have sufficient revenue to achieve a positive cash flow given their hasty commitment to overhead. In other words, they focused on production and administration instead of sales.

There’s a good reason why VC’s look for returns that are ten to twenty-five times their investment. They are losing on nine to twenty-four of their investments.

On the other hand, the startup using the Barefoot Spirit focuses on achieving a positive cash flow much sooner. It’s not as sensational as the promise of “six digits in six months,” but it is solidly based on sustainability. It’s not the glamorous rocket to the top, but it is a practical way to discover the true cost of sales before you get over-extended or commit yourself to regular monthly bills you just can’t sustain. It’s not an instant success that’s crushing it on a national scale, but it is a slow, step-by-step process that is deliberately small in scale to allow you to get  the real market education you need to make sensible growth decisions and preserve your equity.

The Barefoot Spirit is an attitude and a philosophy that puts you in the other guy’s shoes at every turn. From your own people to your vendors, from your supplies to your bankers, from your distributers to your retailers – learn what they want. This is how you discover your strategic allies, be more resourceful, and save time and money. This is how you can grow your business on a positive cash flow!

The Barefoot Spirit has proof that you can do it without VC money. And you may even do it better.

In the coming months, we will be describing and advocating the Barefoot Spirit approach to starting a business. Isn’t it about time we got back to basics?

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.

The post Think You Need a VC to Start Your Business? Try the Barefoot Spirit Instead! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

But wait, there’s more, a whole lot more! In fact, the entire year can be divided up into at least nine selling seasons. Each one can have special significance for your product or service.

What most selling seasons have in common is that they begin right after the last three-day bank holiday weekend and run through the next three-day bank holiday weekend. During that period, most retailers and smart producers are putting out signs, decorations and trade dress on their consumer products in an effort to take advantage of the seasonal theme. In most cases, every seasonal selling promotion has to be scheduled substantially in advance to reserve display space, ad space and special pricing.

Let’s examine the first five of these nine selling seasons (theme-promotional periods) and the opportunities they present for producers to help their retailers decorate, celebrate, and move product:

To read the entire 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.

The post Get More Sales by Recognizing These 5 Selling Seasons appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

No matter how sincere you try to make that note sound, just doesn’t hold a candle to a hand-written one, personally delivered in a festively wrapped package, topped with a colorful bow. On line shopping is so perfunctory. Sure, you thought of the person and bought the gift with them in mind and even thoughtfully chose the words for the card. But they got it in a plain brown shipper with a commercially prepared note. It’s somehow mechanical. It just doesn’t feel right.

On the other hand, when you physically go out to the stores, something wonderful happens. You are excited about the effort you are making on behalf of others. You enjoy getting dressed for the occasion and being seen in public. The stores are decorated and there is an air of entertainment and Holiday spirit that adds to the occasion. You through in a great lunch or even some holiday cheer!

And something else happens that’s hard to do on line. You are liable to buy something you hadn’t planned on. The notion buy, or impulse buy, is something that you have to be there to experience. You weren’t shopping for it, but there it is. You discover it. You might think, “That would be perfect for Jim!” It’s a pleasant surprise and you are thrilled to make it your gift. We have found that impulse buying is half the fun of physically shopping.

Retailers know they have this old-fashioned advantage over online shopping – and so do producers. It’s a perfect opportunity to get a new product out there at a time when there’s plenty of traffic and plenty of motivated buyers. Customers get to see it for the first time, touch it physically, appreciate its quality and compare it to other like products. They know what they are buying and they get the instant gratification of taking it home the same day.

Last year 97% of retail sales were sold in bricks and mortar stores. 70% of shoppers polled said they would rather shop in a “real” bricks-and-mortar store. No question, online is the fastest growing segment of the retail market, but retail stores still provide shoppers with that real shopping experience.

Retailers certainly feel the heat from online sales but they are not taking it sitting down. They are stepping up the shopping experience with more decorations, more entertainment, and more events, with additional live and in-person customer service, better inventory control, and more surprising new items just waiting to be discovered by shoppers just like you.

So, if online shopping leaves you feeling a little bit like a purchasing agent and a little empty in the excitement department, why not get dressed up and go shopping? You just might find that perfect gift for that special someone. And you will enjoy doing it! We say go check out the stores this year. Happy Holidays everybody! And happy shopping!

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.

The post Impulse Buying in Retail Stores is Exciting for Everyone appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Some Boomers are quick to point out how they were able to work their way through college without relying on the easy-to-get college loans available to the new generation. Some ask, “Why didn’t they realize that the money would have to be paid back?” as if somehow shifting the blame will make it their problem? This is not their problem. This is our problem!

Just like the stock market and housing sector collapse in the last recession, a major segment of the economy is beginning to buckle. 20 and 30-year-olds, saddled with high levels of student debt, have already begun to cut back on their retail spending. This should be their most productive and strongest time to contribute to our economy. Retailers are already seeing the hit. This will affect jobs, commerce, finances, – everything.

We all need these new buyers to spend to support the future of our economy. Their contribution is essential to our standard of living. None of us can afford to lose the buying power of this generation. Our economy has always been driven by retail sales. It has always been the canary in the coal mine. How can we save the canary? And by “we,” we are talking about retailers, lenders, the government, and the general public.

Perhaps we can reverse engineer a solution by starting with the goals that would work to everyone’s advantage? The folks with student debt get a reprieve. The retailers make the sales they need to keep the economy going, the lenders get paid, the government avoids a catastrophe, and the general public side-steps another recession.

We think a possible solution has to involve a large-scale refinancing program, interest forgiveness, and in some cases, where grad businesses create jobs, actual loan forgiveness. What is the cost of another recession? Can we avoid it with timely, and ultimately less costly, measures designed to free up the productivity and financial contribution of current student debtors? What is the value to the economy of increased sales, new jobs, and increased tax revenue? What is the value of a stronger and more wealthy generation that can ultimately be in a better position to pay those loans off? Are those values greater than the cost of a solution? We think so.

In the meantime, what can retailers do beside further reducing prices and extending payment terms? Retailers have the credibility and the influence to advise their elected officials on the solutions to this pending new recession.  They can warn about its attendant tax and financial implications to the government and overall economy. And they can call for immediate action before the next domino falls.

A quote from this post appeared in a recent article recent article in AMEX Open Forum.

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are the Founders of Barefoot Wines, New York Times Bestselling Authors of The Barefoot Spirit, How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand and The Entrepreneurial Culture, 23 Ways to Engage and Empower your People.  

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.

The post Student Debt is Everyone’s Problem appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

We learned our tough lessons because we were selling to the general public through distributers who then sold to retailers, and we had to do their jobs handling our product.  “What? Shouldn’t they have an interest in making money on a product they bought to sell?” you may ask. Even though we were new and unproven, we expected them to sell our products and get the reorders. We also thought they would put up our sales materials to help them move our products. We found both distributors and retailers to be disinterested and unreliable. Still, we faced discontinuance if our products didn’t sell a certain amount in a certain period of time. We had to do the work required, and we had to do it right!

So here we thought we were in the “wine business.” You know – swirl, sniff, sip, maybe say a few French words, hold your pinkie out, and talk about mid-notes. Forget about it! We were in the same business that anyone selling any consumer packaged goods is in: the distribution management business!

Our success depended on stocking and pricing our own items (where legal), dusting bottles, checking item codes, confirming pricing, staying on top of the retailers’ and distributers’ inventory and reordering our products for them as well. It took years to get them to realize that our product was making them so much money that they had an interest in merchandising it themselves. And a good 10-20% never did pick up the slack.

The big companies know this. You know when you go to a store and ask the “clerk” where something is and he says, “Sorry, I don’t work here!” That person works for a product producer who understands what the real work is. It is merchandising! And their own rep is in that store to merchandise their products for the retailer.

Now let’s say you think the stores will do this work and that the distributers are going to get the reorders when the stores are out of stock. You think someone else is going to be responsible for the distribution process. Or you think your product is so good, priced so right, and recommended by so many that somehow you will avoid this inglorious work all together. Guess what? Your product fails. Period.

Unless you make it a priority with your new and unproven product to demonstrate, for an extended period of time, that it will “sell” (and that means constantly move smoothly through the distribution system), you will get the reputation of being a non-starter or a slow mover.

In the early days we spent most of our time in the stores vigilantly watching the shelves, the back rooms and the warehouses – doing whatever needed to be done to make sales happen. It was not uncommon to see us to working on our hands and knees on dusty linoleum floors! That was the real work! So, stop dreaming and get out there and do what has to be done to be successful!  You can (and must) do it!

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.

The post True Entrepreneurs Do What It Takes – No Matter What! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

What most selling seasons have in common is that they begin right after the last 3-day bank holiday weekend and run through the next 3-day bank holiday weekend. During that period most retailers and smart producers are putting out signs, decorations, and trade dress on their consumer products in an effort to take advantage of the seasonal theme. In most cases, every seasonal selling promotion has to be scheduled substantially in advance to reserve display space, ad space and special pricing.

Let’s examine these selling seasons (theme-promotional periods) and the opportunities they present for producers to help their retailers decorate, celebrate, and move product:

1. The Martin Luther King 3-day Weekend – the 3rd Monday in January celebrating the great civil rights leader. The selling seasons begins on January 2^nd. It’s relatively short but this is the time when retailers try to sell off any unsold inventory they bought for the Christmas – New Year’s selling season. Expect big sales and volume discounts during this selling period, making it difficult to sell in when retailers want to reduce inventory. It’s a great time for snow sports and winter recreation, however.
2. The Valentine’s Day- President’s Day Weekend – the 3^rd Monday in February and because Valentine’s Day (February 14^th) falls so close, we end up celebrating our two greatest presidents and romance around the same time. Super Bowl Sunday also occurs during this period. The period starts the day after MLK Day and is a month-long selling season. You guessed it, a perfect time for all thing romantic – flowers, chocolate, wine, pajamas, travel, restaurants – you get the picture. How can you make your product romantic?
3. St Patrick’s Day – Easter. Although neither is a bank holiday, Good Friday is generally observed as a day off making Easter a 3-day weekend. Some years when Easter falls early, it’s very close to St Patrick’s Day which can combine the two into one selling season. When Easter falls late we can have an up to three-week Easter selling season. You get the idea, shamrocks, eggs, bunny’s and new items.
4. Memorial Day – in honor of our military service people, the last Monday in May. It is also considered by many as the “official” first day of summer, with picnics and barbeques, outdoor activities, and vacation time. Discover how your product can fit in. This is a two-month selling season starting the day after Easter. The only big selling day in between is Mother’s day, the second Sunday in May, which obviously has its own theme.
5. Independence Day. Depending on how close it comes to a weekend, it can be a 3 or 4 day weekend. Get out the red, white and blue! The Independence Day selling seasons starts the day after Memorial Day and continues with the summer vacation and recreational theme for over a month. The only other big selling day is Father’s Day, the 3^rd Sunday in June.

Next time we will examine the last 4 selling seasons of the year and their commercial implications. But knowing what’s coming and how you can lever each one gives you a real advantage, if you sell with the seasons!

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.

The post The 9 Selling Seasons: Seasonal Selling Can Get You More Sales appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

That’s why we put such emphasis on sales. In 2015 there are still very few secondary schools of entrepreneurship that actually teach sales. They teach sales management, how to add up the numbers and write reports, but not nitty-gritty sales.  They teach the “sales funnel” and the elevator pitch, but not sales as we know it. For us, sales is the ability to get a prospect to buy your goods and services time and again, and remain loyal.

Entrepreneurial success is not about getting funded. You can easily burn through those funds without sales. It’s not about launching your business either. Every ship that sinks was first launched. It is not about offices, production, or even a disruptive world-changing idea. For us, true entrepreneurial success is still being in business three years later. And even better, having sold your enterprise at a huge profit. You can only get there through sales. So let’s focus on sales first.

We are frequently asked, “What is the world’s greatest sales pitch?” We think it’s, “I can help you sell your product!” Why? Because it compels the prospect to answer, “How?” This is a buying signal. He has given you the floor. You have said something he wants to hear. So now you have to answer the question. How can you help him sell his product?

Well, first of all, you had better know what his product is. This mean you have done a lot of research, questioning, listening and observing. It also means that you know to whom you are selling and what is important to them. Each person who touches your product must be sold, and what each of them wants is not the same as what your eventual downstream consuming customer wants. Not by a long shot!

If you are selling to your wholesale distributors, jobbers, or middlemen, their product is strategic importance to retailers or other distributors. Perhaps you presold a big retailer they supply and your product strengthens their strategic importance. Perhaps your product rounds out or distinguishes their portfolio.

If you are trying to sell your retailers, their product is retail goods on precious shelf space that must turn quickly. Perhaps your product has a reputation for fast turn and profitability. Your sales pitch might be that your marketing materials help them decorate their retail business to celebrate seasonal events to attract more shoppers.

We are also often asked, “Who is the world’s best sales person?” We always answer, “The assistant buyer.” Why? Because when your prospect sees you as having their best interests at heart, they will trust you and hand you the keys to their warehouse. They are relieved that they don’t have to worry about being out of product any more. They don’t have to worry about your motives any more. Now they rely on you and will ask you what they should buy.

We have seen many successful entrepreneurs over the years. What they all had in common was their ability to help sell their customers’ products and be their “assistant buyer.”

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.

The post World’s Greatest Sales Pitch: I Can Help You Sell Your Product! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.