Here’s some suggestions we have found that may be of value to help us all get through this:

Realize It’s Temporary

This is not the “new normal”. It will end, some things will have a long lasting effect, such as the blow to the economy and the way we shop. But we will get through this, and faster if we all pitch in and stop the virus from spreading. Just that realization alone provides us with the hope and encouragement to persist in the short term.

Clean Up and Organize

Aside from a positive attitude, now is the time to get ready for getting back into the action. We are systematically going through our stuff and making decisions about how to be more efficient and better organized. We want our immediate physical environment to reinforce a sense of order and preparedness, even though the world around us may be in chaos. This is productive, rewarding, and calming.

Reboot Your Body and Spirit

We are getting into nature as much as possible (while, of course, practicing social distancing). Walking in nature reminds us of the natural balances and beauty all around us. The physical exercise necessary to take a hike keeps our circulation up and our anxiety down. Natural sights, smells, and sounds reboot our attitude, give us a healthier perspective, and provide a needed break from “cabin fever.”

Learn Something New

This is an excellent time to learn something new. Never before has there been so many great things to learn online. Whether it’s taking a course or just researching what you are interested in, this is a perfect opportunity to expand your mind and your skill set. The more you know the better prepared you will be for the economy that will follow this crisis. Or maybe you can just finally learn that new language you’ve been talking about wanting to master for way too long.

Socialize Online

Take some time every day to call your friends and loved ones. People are lonely and feel deprived of social contact. It’s time to check in on them, find out how they are doing, and show them that you care. Your encouragement and support can raise their spirits and remind them that they are not alone and that you care. This “contact” can mean the world to them and improve their attitude, which most doctor’s will tell you is the foundation of mental health. Plus it makes you feel good as well!

Enjoy a Good Laugh

Get away from the constant drumbeat of the news. Watch a good movie, preferably something uplifting or humorous. It’s time for a good distraction and perhaps a good laugh! We particularly like some of the old movies like “The Thin Man,” a classic 1930’s detective film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy who with wit, flirtatious banter, and sarcasm solve mysteries with their dog Aster.

Find a Need

How can you pitch in? Our friend and neighbor, who is a Dr. and a researcher, has put his energy into researching and communicating the latest scientific information on COVID19. He is selflessly communicating his findings in plain English to his friends and neighbors and all who will listen. Another friend, a nurse, is not only on the front lines but is delivering food to those who are not able or at great risk to do so on their own.

Plant a Garden  

We are fortunate to have enough space to have a garden. We have started veggies and flowers inside and out. We will grow enough food for our friends and neighbors. Watching plants break ground and grow reminds us that life is strong and will endure. Planting a garden is an investment in a bountiful future. It’s fun, rewarding and delicious! Gardens grow more than edibles. As Bonnie’s mom used to point out, “They grow sanity!“  Every day you see some progress. Just what we need right now!

Count Your Blessings

Sometimes it’s hard to focus on the 9 good fingers when you have a sore thumb. But that’s exactly what we have to do at times like this. Count your blessings (chin up; help others who need consoling; enjoy your good health and do the things that make you feel good; hug your significant other and the folks you are sharing your household with). We will get through this! We wish you all safe and healthy times while we wait for this threat to pass.

PS: Our Canadian colleague who runs the Canadian National Library for the Blind said she binged on our new business audio theatre style audiobook, The Barefoot Spirit over the weekend. She said she found it “uplifting and inspirational.” It will be converted to a format designed for the blind and offered through the library, free of charge. You can enjoy listening to Chapter 1 here. It’s free, a great distraction, and it’s edutainment at its best. So, we hope this is valuable to you. We are here to help you get through this and we will be here when it has passed. Feel free to give us a call (our phone sometimes works), but our internet and online social media are unavailable to us at this time. Guess they got the virus, too.

Below is Bonnie’s shortlist:

Clean up your own backyard (or closet, or garage, or attic)

Educate yourself (improve your skills; take on-line courses)

Socialize (using video calls and phone calls) NOTE: folks need to connect, and when they do, they will talk longer than usual, so be prepared! Everyone needs assurances these days that, together, we can get through this.

Recreate (get into nature – the parks remain open)

Play nice with others (face it – we are stuck with our roommates, significant others, kids and relatives. It might take some getting used to, but it seems like we have the time required to adjust to living 24-7 under the same roof. Luckily for us, we (Bonnie & Michael) have had decades to build up a tolerance to each other, and therefore have already adjusted each other’s shortcomings; when discussions come up, stick to matters you agree on; now is not the time for strife!)

Distractions are your friend (old, feel-good movies; your fav series; our audiobook, which the director of the National Library for the Blind, said she “binged” on.

Find a need and fill it (Dr. Brad is doing research on this virus and sharing it with friends, family, and neighbors; discover needs your community has, such as a personal shopper and home delivery services)

Plant a veg garden (we plan on tilling up a grassy area in our fruit orchard, and planting enough veggies for our neighbors and our workers; consider sprouting seeds indoors and planting the starts once you are convinced there will be no more freezing temperatures – good luck guessing when that may be)

Count your blessings (chin up; help others who need consoling; enjoy your good health and do the things that make you feel good; hug your significant other and the folks you are sharing your household with)

Keep the Spirit alive!

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 Holing Up at Home (Sheltering in Place) appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

One question is, how would a “free” social network support itself without income? This is the question social networks have been wrestling with since their inception. The answer is simple, they can’t! What we have today is income models that basically use you and the records of your activities as the product. And who are the paying customers? Anyone who will pay for that information and access to you, of course.

No big surprise there. For decades, even before social media, our snail mailboxes were stuffed with junk mail. The junk mail senders were using information about us from public records and purchasing histories to know how to zero in on us. With social media, we have, in effect, made our choices public and they can be mined and analyzed to tailor ads catering not only to our buying patterns, but to our specific ideological patterns and tendencies. Now they’re really  zeroing in on us. This is very valuable data!

It seemed okay and quite innocent when the commercial marketeers hit us with ads seconds after we made a purchase. It was commercial, they were selling stuff, and that’s just part of business, we thought. But now it’s clear that anyone could buy the data and use it for whatever sinister purposes they want. They can interfere with our elections, undermine our institutions, exacerbate our political divisions, vilify those we oppose, and validate our suspicions – no matter which “side” we are on!

“Divide and conquer” is an ancient and classic war strategy. It is being used effectively today by the weaponization of the social media. You voluntarily provide the data that makes you vulnerable. It gets sold to the groups who use that data to manipulate you and others.

There’s talk today about regulating social media. These regulations would presumably make it harder to sell sensitive data, post hateful comments, disseminate false news, and proliferate political messages. But they would apparently leave in place the sale of personal data for commercial uses. At this point social media platforms want to protect their source of income while appearing to reduce the abuse of this data for political reasons.

Because the service would still be “free,” the proponents expect wide ranging support. But it will be almost impossible for the platforms to prevent political abuse while allowing commercial access to your data.

So, we ask again, would you pay a monthly or annual fee for a social networking service that used your fees as their income stream and not the sale of your data? Proponents of this idea say that fees would be minimal to support the platform and provide the services you now enjoy for “free.” And your data would be private!

Imagine a platform where you are not solicited either commercially or politically. Imagine a platform where your choices and data history were not for sale. In other words, imagine a platform where you are the customer and not the product! What is that worth to you?

With the next scandal just around the corner, this “preposterous” idea of paying for something we now get for free may become practical, feasible, and even desirable. At some point, you might prefer being the customer rather than the product! This may be a disruption whose time is rapidly approaching. After all, there is no “free” lunch!

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 How Much Is Your Privacy Worth? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

By developing and using good social skills you can reduce your need for capital. Conversely, poor social skills will increase your need for cash. Why? Because people simply don’t know you, like you, our trust you enough to take a chance on you. And people are ultimately making the decisions… not algorithms!

Here are a few examples of how poor social skills will increase your need for capital:

1. Increased turnover because of poor relationships, resulting in loss of knowledge, skills, and critical supplier and buyer relationships.
2. Increased need for prospects, because you will be closing (or converting) less.
3. Reduced opportunities to extend lines of credit because of poor communication.
4. Everything you want to do takes longer because of lack of cooperation.
5. Reduced knowledge of your industry because folks simply don’t want to talk to you!

Have we become so dependent on email, social media, and texting that we have forgotten how to communicate in real time? Are we so afraid of personal rejection that we need that constant security “screen” that gives us the lag time to ignore, delay, or delete any uncomfortable or negative communication? Are we afraid to face a person in real time because we may not have all the answers they want? If any of this sounds familiar, get out your wallet! You’re going to need a lot more money!

Perhaps, instead of asking for more money, you should be asking “How can I improve my real time, face-to-face communication skills with vendors, suppliers, employees, and buyers? How can I improve the first impression I make with total strangers in real time?”

Not too long ago before email, social media, and texting, the Baby Boomers had to do their communication in real time. Just imagine! Phones were used only for verbal, real-time communication; meetings were in person; sales calls were in person; and suppliers gave credit if they felt you were trustworthy based on your face-to-face meetings! Personal relationships built trust, and business relationships are built on trust.

So how did these Boomers build the greatest economy, the greatest infrastructure, and the highest standard of living the world has ever seen? They did it by building trust through real time relationships. What are the social skills that made them so powerful and effective in real time?  Basically they practiced what we call today the Humanities (AKA the Liberal Arts or Human Studies). They learned how humans tick! They learned through formal education, their upbringing, or just plain hard knocks!

We speak internationally at universities that teach entrepreneurship. Each school of entrepreneurship comes from a different place. They come from the school of business, the school of technology, and from the school of engineering or agriculture. But all have one purpose, to teach their students how to succeed in their own businesses.

Students ask us, “What else should I be taking beside business courses to be successful?” We always answer, “Communication, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Studies, History, Culture, Religion, Literature, and Political Science.” Why? Because it is through the mastery of these Human Studies that you will be better prepared to conduct more fruitful, real-time conversations that will save you money, time and effort. It is through these Human Studies that you will be able to turn real time into real money!

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 Social Skills Can Reduce Your Need for Cash appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Document Processing and Note-taking

• Google Drive – Google Drive stores spreadsheets, documents, images and slideshows across your devices. Not only can you edit on the go, you can share, comment on resources and be prepared no matter where your work takes you. At present, Drive offers users 15 GB of storage for free and allows you to purchase more as needed, for fees beginning at $4.99 USD per month.
• Evernote – Like Google Drive, the free Evernote syncs your notes across devices. Somewhat of a digital clipboard, Evernote can be used to take notes, draft speeches or reports, create to-do lists and more. The ability to tag items and save frequent searches helps you find what you need faster, ideal for entrepreneurs on the go.
• Personal assistant tools – Siri, the iPhone’s personal assistant, takes dictation and can draft text messages or emails for you. The free Dragon Mobile Assistant for Android performs similar functions. These tools can automate workflow and help you make the most of downtime.

Financial Resources

• EasyStart Bookkeeping – If you don’t have a financial background, EasyStart Bookkeeping will help you organize, track and report on finances all from the comfort of your mobile device. This program allows you to create and send invoices, track and remit sales tax and run basic reports including profit and loss, tax reports and balance sheets.
• GoPayment – If you sell directly to consumers, a GoPayment credit card terminal allows you to accept credit card payments directly from your smartphone or tablet. Plug the reader into your phone or tablet, open the corresponding app, type in your customer’s purchases and swipe to charge.

Connectivity

• Skype – For conference calls and videos, Skype offers an easy-to-use and low-cost solution for desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Skype users can talk to one another via any device for free, and make low-cost calls to landline numbers worldwide. Costs range by location called. More comprehensive information can be found on Skype’s website.
• Hootsuite – The free Hootsuite allows you to sync your business social media and quickly see and control all accounts from one basic dashboard. Post to Facebook, tweet your latest news and see who has Yelped you — all while you wait for your latte.
• MailChimp – Stay in touch with your audience with MailChimp, a low-cost newsletter utility. The free plan allows you to email up to 2,000 subscribers 12,000 emails per month. If you need to stay in touch more often, plans range from $10.00 to $20.00 USD per month.
• Desk.com – Desk.com offers easy customer service relations with plans starting as low as $3 USD per month for beginner service that covers email, social media and phone support and going up to $29 USD per month for premium services.

If you are contemplating running your business from your mobile device stay tuned! Every day there will be more tools you can use.

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 Top Apps to Help You Run Your Business From Your Mobile Device appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Your physical presence can build trust you can’t even approach with a keyboard, screen or profile image. People want in-person attention, it’s that simple. If you make the time necessary for a personal meeting, they will not only remember you, but they will appreciate the effort it took. We could not have built the Barefoot brand to become a national best seller without face-to-face meetings and long-lasting relationships all over the country. Those relationships were kept healthy and current with recurring personal visitation.

Here are a few more of the 7 advantages of in-person contact:

5. Vulnerability. Unlike a virtual relationship, the other person can see you in 3-D and observe your dynamic behavior including tone of voice, expression, dress, and body language. They can see your human imperfections and are aware that you are vulnerable to potential personal rejection. But wait! This is a good thing. It makes you appear more believable and sincere. Most people will overlook any foibles in appearance and speech because you are there for them. It’s special! This can be a big advantage in the long run. In the short run, you take precedence over all their virtual relationships.

6. Personalized Attention. This is perhaps the biggest key to sales and the establishment of any long-term relationship. Unless you are together working on a project, it’s hard to multi-task on something unrelated when you are in person. You are focusing on the other person. You are responding to not only what they say, but also their mood, movements, and many other non-verbal signals. You will read these signs and adjust your behavior accordingly. This personal touch is generally better received than letters on a screen. When you use their name, with eye contact and an attentive demeanor, they are more likely to be agreeable, and give you the benefit of the doubt. They know that your time is valuable, and you chose to give it to them. The next time they see you they will be more relaxed and familiar with you. The more visits you have, the more your relationship with that individual strengthens. People want to do business with people they know. You can get to know them better off screen.

7.  Employability. Real social skills, not just social media skills, are quickly becoming the biggest advantage in securing employment today. As more job applicants become dependent on virtual communication, there is a growing demand for employees who know how to relate to people in person. Whether it’s other employees, senior staff members, vendors, suppliers, distributors or customers, employers want employees who can communicate effectively to establish and grow key relationships essential to their business. Just getting past the interview process requires some level of social skills – the better yours are, the more likely you will land that job. Customer service is the backbone of any business, and applicants who can best relate to those customers will have the advantage.

Like any skill, social skills take practice. A good way to start is to eliminate virtual communication when in-person communication is possible or more effective. So shake hands and come out winners!

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 Building a Relationship is More than Texting and Friending – Part 2 appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

If you are born into a world where you apparently didn’t have to communicate in real time, and if you inherited a technology that provided a comfortable firewall that insulated you from personal rejection, are your social skills more likely to be handicapped? Could we learn to walk if we were handed a crutch at birth?

A close friendship is one that builds on trust and empathy. A relationship can start using text, email, or social media, but in order to be lasting and dependable it has to grow in person. And like learning to walk, we are going to be vulnerable, but that’s why we get so good at walking! Being vulnerable is a requirement in learning social skills. Personal interactions help both parties gain a level of trust for each other. Facebook can’t compare with face time when it comes to building a strong relationship.

Here are 7 advantages to real time, in person, face-to-face relationship building:

1. Facial Expressions. The human face has at least 20 muscles that work in concert to create a myriad of telling facial expressions. Observing those expressions during verbal communication can give you instant feedback about how your message is being received. You can quickly adjust you message on the spot to make it more meaningful or agreeable, and avoid possible misunderstandings.

2. Body language. Unlike a posed profile shot or any still image sent over the internet, you have an opportunity to see the other person’s dynamic reaction and make adjustments. Their real-time body language also provides tons of non-verbal communication you cannot read in a text or email. As humans and social animals we are already wired to get this feedback instantly.

3. Time investment.  When you travel with someone you really get to know them. There likely will be situations that cause stress and anxiety. You will both get to see how the other handles a variety of situations. When you spend time with others, you find out what you truly have in common and you have an opportunity to share your opinions. Spending an extended period with anyone helps you both get to know each other. Visiting someone repeatedly over a period of time can also provide valuable non-verbal clues to his or her values and concerns.

4. Tonality. When spoken, the same words used in a text or email can have different meanings based on the tone, inflection and emphasis of the speaker. You can quickly be aware of intentions behind the spoken word. This can give you a unique opportunity to discuss ideas they may not understand or be comfortable with.

Text, email and friending are great communication tools, but they are not relationship building. Virtual communication is just that – virtual. When you get real, you gain much more than the price of time and vulnerability.

Next week, we will explore other great advantages of face-to-face, real-time communication including Vulnerability, Personalized Attention, and Employability. Plus, we will explore ways to improve your social skills. So, stay in touch.

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 Building a Relationship is More than Texting and Friending – Part 1 appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Brands have to stand for more than the products they represent. We call it the “Soul of the Brand”. Today, the brands that communicate and give back and work with their customers perform the best.

There are many ways to show the customer you care. Customer service and consistent value are just the beginning. How do you stand on the issues your customers care about? How do you show it? How does your product communicate that message?

When we started Barefoot, we had no funds. We actually started in debt, somebody else’s debt, which we assumed. We traded that debt for wine and services to begin Barefoot.

The idea was to achieve a popular price for “personal house wine”, — an everyday wine for your house — by selling to the chains in large quantities. It sounded simple enough, but in 1986, none of the big chains would carry Barefoot because it was unknown.

We knew we had to get the word out somehow, but couldn’t afford traditional advertising. That turned out to be a blessing. We discovered what we called “worthy cause marketing” and became an early case study for “The Thank You Economy” Vaynerchuk writes about in his new book.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but being under-capitalized is surely the father. Without money, we turned to worthy cause marketing and what we did have: kindred spirits, the marketplace, and wine, lots of wine.

We could donate wine to fundraisers for charities and causes, help them get their message out in the marketplace, and we could be part of their activities and events. But who to support?

It seemed pretty clear that if we were going to produce “personal house wine”, we should support the causes that mattered to our customers. That guided us to support the environment and conservation, recreation, health, and the arts, because those causes resonated personally with us, too. We felt like we were making a difference beyond just selling wine.

Barefoot became a best seller without conventional advertising. It achieved the industry’s coveted “Fast Track Growth Brand” and “Hot Brands Award” – all through “Worthy Cause Marketing”. I’ll cover that more in a future post.

Like it or not, companies are becoming more transparent, and what you stand for can be more important than what you produce. We need to rethink how we advertise and build our brands. Thank you Gary for reminding us to get 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 “The Thank You Economy” appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Brands have to stand for more than the products they represent. We call it the “Soul of the Brand”. Today, the brands that communicate and give back and work with their customers perform the best.

There are many ways to show the customer you care. Customer service and consistent value are just the beginning. How do you stand on the issues your customers care about? How do you show it? How does your product communicate that message?

When we started Barefoot, we had no funds. We actually started in debt, somebody else’s debt, which we assumed. We traded that debt for wine and services to begin Barefoot.

The idea was to achieve a popular price for “personal house wine”, — an everyday wine for your house — by selling to the chains in large quantities. It sounded simple enough, but in 1986, none of the big chains would carry Barefoot because it was unknown.

We knew we had to get the word out somehow, but couldn’t afford traditional advertising. That turned out to be a blessing. We discovered what we called “worthy cause marketing” and became an early case study for “The Thank You Economy” Vaynerchuk writes about in his new book.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but being under-capitalized is surely the father. Without money, we turned to worthy cause marketing and what we did have: kindred spirits, the marketplace, and wine, lots of wine.

We could donate wine to fundraisers for charities and causes, help them get their message out in the marketplace, and we could be part of their activities and events. But who to support?

It seemed pretty clear that if we were going to produce “personal house wine”, we should support the causes that mattered to our customers. That guided us to support the environment and conservation, recreation, health, and the arts, because those causes resonated personally with us, too. We felt like we were making a difference beyond just selling wine.

Barefoot became a best seller without conventional advertising. It achieved the industry’s coveted “Fast Track Growth Brand” and “Hot Brands Award” – all through “Worthy Cause Marketing”. I’ll cover that more in a future post.

Like it or not, companies are becoming more transparent, and what you stand for can be more important than what you produce. We need to rethink how we advertise and build our brands. Thank you Gary for reminding us to get 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.

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