Skolkovo is one of the top universities in the world and is associated with MIT. The students were in their 30s and many already had their own businesses. Others were either considering the prospects or just wanted a better understanding.

Introducing the Russian Students to Soft Skills

We knew they had seen a lot and heard a lot about hard tech in the Valley. Between the VCs and the auspicious examples of technical success, we figured they might appreciate a more natural environment and a talk on something entirely different, so we presented them with our course on “How Soft Skills Earn Hard Cash.”

We decided to take them through the three basic soft skills (Appreciation, Acknowledgement, and Communication), and how they apply to the three basic business relationships (Employees, Vendors, and Buyers).

Although soft skills are not the only thing you need to be a success, their absence can result in expensive and crippling turnover, higher costs, loss of credit, and loss of customers. In other words, there has to be a balance between tech skills and soft skills.

We were impressed with the students and their sincere interest in achieving business success. We started with what we had in common: a desire to have loyal and engaged employees, a need for extended credit and terms, and a need for ongoing and increasing business.

Even with the obvious cultural differences between our societies, business is business and people are people. How folks are treated makes a big difference in their discretionary decisions regarding your company’s products and services. And probably the most important consideration you can give others as a business person is respect for their concerns.

If they are employed by you, do you have their interests at heart?

Do you demonstrate it? For instance, can employees enhance their careers with your company? Do they get the compensation, recognition, education, security, and the time with their family they need to remain loyal?

If they are your vendor, do you treat their salespeople with respect?

Do you call in advance of a late payment with a plan to bring your account current? Do you consider a long-term contract so they can feel confident extending the terms and credit you need to grow your business?

If they are your buyer, do you service what you sell?

Do you honor your warranties? Do you provide the kind of support they need to stay with you, increase their purchases, and promote your products? Do you understand and address every level of buyer from your warehouse to your ultimate consumer so your products will move freely through the channels?

All of this really comes down to putting yourself in the other guy’s shoes. Know what they want, and get what you want by giving them what they want first. In other words, as our friend Ivan Misner likes to say, “Take off the bib and put on the apron!” Or, as we like to say, “If you are going to be a jerk, get out your wallet! It’s going to cost you more.”

These lessons are international and timeless. Anyone with a great idea that can change the world will have a much easier time doing so by practicing these soft skills. They can make the critical difference between success and failure.

When we first got into business, we thought that our product was so good, that it would sell itself (Gold Medal winners under $6). We couldn’t understand why the world wasn’t knocking out windows and kicking down doors to get to us. It cost us plenty of time, money, and anguish to finally learn and master these essential skills, which, ultimately, resulted in our major success.

We were thrilled to be able to share the practical benefits of soft skills in business with the impressive students of Skolkovo.  We wish them the best in their own businesses and hope they will return for  another visit to their “Outdoor Classroom in the Wine Country!”  Надеюсь увидеть тебя снова в ближайшее время!

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 Russian Students Visit the Russian River! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Something happened this summer in the wine country north of San Francisco that we’ve never seen before. We had several heat waves that were record in temperature and duration. You don’t have to be a climatological scientist to put the pieces together. Northern California had an extremely wet, record winter which pushed up the vegetation to an all-time high. Then successive back to back, 100+ degree record heat waves baked out the moisture and left the volatile fuel.

We are used to fires, but these were fire storms generating their own weather, and they were nearly unstoppable. The town of Santa Rosa was dead in its track and the high wind driven embers blew great distances ahead of the fires, ignited more and more fires. Our firefighters were quickly overwhelmed as entire neighborhoods went up in flames. They had to concentrate on saving lives.

This was an urban fire storm, and the results look like a scene from a war-zone. Thousands of homes were destroyed within a day or two. We’ve seen the burnt landscapes of forest fires, but nothing could have prepared us for the vision of extensive urban landscapes reduced to ashes. Here is what one neighborhood looks like now https://youtu.be/PHLeMZtmJbs

Then came the ominous predictions of long-term smoke poisoning.  That was chilling!

Soon help came, but it was already too late for many. We saw firefighters from Australia, California, and all over the Western United States. We are grateful for thousands of firefighters and their equipment that moved into the fray. The Sonoma County Airport was closed except for firefighting aircraft, personnel transports, and air-lifted relief missions. That was heartening!

We were fortunate …this time. Our small, west Sonoma County town was spared, probably due to the prevailing winds off the ocean that pushed the fires to the east and away from us. At first, we wondered like so many survivors, why we were saved? But it quickly became apparent as we provided shelter to friends who were evacuated. We could provide assistance …and hope! We also knew that had the situation been reversed, our friends would have done the same for us.

And that’s now the general tone around here in the wine country. People are busy raising funds, providing shelter, and volunteering. Lists have been published of businesses that either lost their establishments or whose owners lost their homes. We hope that shoppers will patronize them.

So, was this tragedy avoidable? And, more importantly now, can we prevent future tragedies resulting from extreme weather? Former President Obama said, “This is the last generation that can do something about climate change.” So, what are we doing? Our federal government is now pushing to open up preserves in Alaska where the tundra and ice cap is melting to drill more of the very substance that scientists say is causing it.

This is happening at a time when the petroleum-based international automobile industry itself just announced that their future is electric vehicles. This decision was made after the announcement by China, the fastest growing automobile market in the world, that they would be banning gas powered vehicles. Of course, the industry will follow the buyer!

Sure, there’s the question of how the electricity will be made. Sure, there is the question of what to do with the spent toxic batteries. But those challenges will be met by new creative entrepreneurs seizing an opportunity generated by public safety and governmental regulations. First, we have to stop warming our atmosphere!

So, if you are wondering how global warming will affect you, don’t wait to find out like the folks in Puerto Rico, Houston, Florida or California. We now know! Take action now with a letter, email, or text to your elected representative. Ask them to put the brakes on more oil production, provide subsidies for solar conversions, and offer tax incentives for electric vehicles. Ask them to help us all prepare for more catastrophes with better fire prevention, flood protection, and faster and stronger disaster response.

Our hearts go out to the families who are now suffering from the various effects of, yes, man-made climate change. If you want to donate, this site has been set up by Mike McGuire (our state senator), The Press Democrat (our local newspaper) and Redwood Credit Union (a local business). Please go to www.redwoodcu.org/NorthBayFireRelief  or https://www.gofundme.com/sonomacountymusicians a site set up for local musicians who lost everything.

We remain Sonoma County strong. May God bless us all.

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 Did Global Warming Cause the Wine Country Fire Storms? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

We appreciate your good wishes and look forward to working with our community to help rebuild. We will continue to write and speak to help others start and grow their own businesses by sharing the benefit of our experience. Wishing you all the best!

– Michael & Bonnie

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 Wine Country Fire Storms appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

This year we hosted 120 international graduate students studying for their master’s degree in technopreneurship and innovation.

What could we give these aspiring entrepreneurs that would help them the most in their journey? How about a Countdown to Success? It’s our list of understandings necessary for a successful launch and happy landing.

FIVE: The 5 guiding principles for success (GPS)

1. Make mistakes W-R-I-T-E. (Not just right). Write down all your mistakes, and more importantly, identify all the documents that need to be created, changed or improved so there will be no repeat.
2. Put yourself in the other guy’s shoes. In every relationship with your people, your vendors or your customers, ask what is important to them. Then, give them what they want first to get what you want.

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.

The post ​How to Count Down to Success appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

“We sell wine,” Michael said. “And everyone’s buying Champagne.”

“Why don’t you have a Champagne?” Mabel said. Mabel had been a Rosie-the-Riveter welder during World War II, helping build liberty ships in the Portland shipyards. In late 1987, Mabel was living in Sandy, Oregon, in the foothills of Mt. Hood, growing and selling organic blueberries. They asked Mabel to come live with them in Sonoma County, to help them grow their new business, Barefoot Wines.

“I can barely sell wine,” Michael said. But he thought, you know, why don’t we have a Champagne? “What would I call it, anyway?”

Mabel barely paused. “Well, I’d call it Barefoot Bubbly,” she said.

It took a few years. Barefoot’s sparkling wine didn’t hit the market until 1997. A year later, Michael and Bonnie toasted Mabel on her 80^th birthday with their Champagne named Barefoot Bubbly.

Thanks to the winemaking mastery of Jennifer Wall, Barefoot Bubbly became a reality and an American favorite! And her friend Mabel would be very proud to see the champagne she named become the toast of the town, heck, the toast of the planet!

Barefoot Bubbly will be the Official Champagne for the Times Square, New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, viewed by 3 billion people worldwide. Barefoot Bubbly is the first American champagne in years to toast this very American celebration. And we are especially proud of the fact that it was originally named by Bonnie’s mother.

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 the Official Champagne for The Times Square New Year’s Eve Party Was Named appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Last December, my fellow FORBES contributor Robert Reiss, wrote a great piece entitled “The Incredible Story Of Starting The World’s Largest Wine Brand, Barefoot Wines.” The article was essentially a get-to-know two amazing people who launched what is now an iconic brand in a laundry room of a rented farmhouse in the Sonoma County hills.

I had the pleasure of meeting with and speaking with the two founders, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, last year at a C-Suite Conference in Marina del Rey, California. Read more…

The post 8 Lessons For Budding Entrepreneurs appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

BTN interviews Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey on how they built the Barefoot Wine brand and took it national.

Barefoot Wines started out as a business idea between a hopeful business couple living in the Sonoma County wine country of California. With little experience in the wine industry, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey wanted to create a fun, new wine that they could build into a top selling brand across the USA. From their converted laundry room office, they set out with innovative ideas and a willingness to learn from everybody who touched the Barefoot brand.

Michael and Bonnie founded Barefoot in 1986 and it quickly became known as a ‘disruptive’ label. Against traditional stogy and exclusive wine marketing customs, Barefoot was an award winning, non-vintage brand targeted at the female USA consumer with a simple, easy-to-understand label that was bursting with color and fun. Buyers were hesitant to put in what they were offering.

The industry was very resistant, but Michael and Bonnie were relentless in their pursuit and fulfilled their dream. In 2005 they sold Barefoot, which at the time was one of the USA’s top selling brand, to EJ & Gallo. Barefoot has since gone on to become the world’s largest wine brand.

We recently sat down with Michael and Bonnie to discuss the strategies they employed to grow the Barefoot brand into a national icon. Below is the second part of a two part interview.

BTN: Would you say you disrupted the existing market when Barefoot was launched?

Bonnie: We definitely disrupted the existing market and in a number of ways. First of all, we had a fun label. There weren’t any fun labels when Barefoot first came out. We were also non-vintage. There weren’t any non-vintage offerings on the market that were award winning like we were.

We also designed the label specifically for a female buyer and that was really something that was quite different. We found out the major buyer of wine in California, which is where we started out, was a female shopper in chain stores shopping for her weekly staples. We wanted our Barefoot Wine to be one of those items on their list. We made it non-vintage so that we had a consistent flavor and blend, that we matched year after year. Our target female customer wanted something she could depend on week in and week out, and year in and year out. She also wanted a package that was friendly and brightly colored, and easily recognizable, so we gave her that too.

Michael: You can go in and disrupt the US market, but get ready to sweat-it out for a while because it is going to be an uphill battle. Barefoot is one of a number of fun labels right now, but we were the first and only fun label. Can you imagine what that was like? We had buyers who were telling us we couldn’t put a foot on the label because “Wine is a serious business.” There were years of “missionary work.”

The market is very resistant to being disrupted because it is the gatekeepers who are going to say, “No. I’m not going to take on a wine with a silly foot on it geared towards female buyers who want to buy non-‘vin’ wines that taste the same from year to year. I’ve never had anything like that in my store and I’m not going to start today.” Even though we told them that our market research told us that our customers want the same tasting product year after year, they weren’t ready to be a part of our ‘revolution.’

The idea we are trying to get across is that you need to address a very narrow niche. You have to see how it is that you are going to attack the market. Who is your consumer and what do they want that they can’t get now? Wine has become such a commodity that unless you focus on a very narrow segment, at least at first, you really don’t stand a chance. You’ll just be an “also ran” and get beaten up on your pricing. So distinguish yourself and address an under-served market. It’s a great foot in the door.

And don’t overlook American conventions and prejudices. For example, the South Americans thought they could sell wine in tetra-packs (also known as bricks.) We even tried to help them, but you know why they failed at selling bricks in the USA? Americans believe that there is more volume in a 0.75L bottle then there is in a 1.0L brick just because bottles are taller than the squat, compressed tetra-packs. Americans like tall things and just because of their diminutive stature, bricks failed in the US market.

We also have another example of a beautifully bottled Riesling from Germany that tried to do something special with their 17 inch tall, elegant, blue bottle called a Hawk. Guess what? American shelves are only 16 inches tall. They were relegated only to the very top shelf. Even if consumers wanted to buy it, they couldn’t reach it!

It’s little things like this that make a huge difference and you need to be ready to push your idea to the edge and this is why we encourage brands to hire professionals before they enter the market.

BTN: What allowed you to successfully disrupt the market – how did you take advantage of the opportunities that you were given?

Michael: The US market is really influenced by stories and current events. For instance, if you have won the LA County Fair then the next day you have POS material on every shelf and every market place in the LA area. It is really important that it is very fresh, current news.

Big companies can’t work that fast because they need to go through marketing and get it approved by management. You need to have reps that work in LA that are so resourceful that they will make their own signs and put them up on the shelves the next day! When you are working for a commission, then these things become important.

Some really good advice we like to give is to never pay your people on the basis of boxes alone. You have to ask yourself, “What do I really want?” Brian Tracy says that 90% of all behavioral problems in the market place are caused by compensation systems. In other words, people do what they are paid to do, so don’t pay them to do something you don’t want them to do. If you pay them to sell boxes they will sell boxes, but they will spend your entire budget to sell those boxes – they won’t consider profitability. What’s worse is if they sell boxes and make commission, but your company doesn’t grow.

Here’s what we did. We told our teams, “Let’s figure out what this particular territory did same month last year. If you sell 10% more than you did same month last year we’ll give you a dollar a case on every case over that amount.” In other words, if they didn’t grow they didn’t make any commission. We would sweeten the deal by telling them that if they sold 20% more than they did last year we would give them 2 dollars a case back to every case that is over same month last year. So now, that first 10% could be worth $1 or $2. If they made it to thirty, we’d give them $3.

We didn’t figure that strategy out for five years. If they ever argued about last year’s numbers being too high for some market anomaly or another, we’d just average the previous and following month into the calculation to make everybody happy.

BTN: How about your biggest challenge developing Barefoot? What was it and how did you overcome it?

Michael: People are always surprised by our answer, but it’s one of the biggest problems facing any new brand. “Out-of-stocks!” Some people seem to throw up their hands and say, “There’s no way I am responsible for my product once it hits the distribution channel. I have no control over somebody else’s company.” In the wine industry, that is one of the furthest things from the truth. At the very end of the day, your brand is a product and your product is only as good as it’s availability. We’ve seen some really great brands designed to succeed perish soon after they’ve gone to market due to the fact that their products were continually out-of-stock.

Bonnie: The distribution channel is your responsibility and one of the biggest factor that will affect your brand image, your bottom line and your ultimate success is your brand’s perceived convenience – it’s availability to your consumers. Your customers can’t be loyal if your product isn’t even available to buy! You are in deep water if your brand becomes known to your distributors, retailers AND consumers for being hard to find. Your retailers and distributors might love your brand and the pretty margin you offer, but in the end they’ll say, “I love that brand, but I just can’t depend on it.”

Michael: It’s important to be on the ground running when your brand first hits the street. You’ll want to watch inventories at every level of the distribution channel. Typically, if you are marketing a new brand, spend more time out of the office and on the street. Encourage not just sales, but more importantly, reorders from wholesalers and retailers well in advance of stock depletions. Take the extra step and calculate all of your critical turn-around times. That means calculating the time elapsed from the wholesaler purchase order until goods are received, how long it takes wholesale reps to get the retail order, turn over from the wholesaler to the retailer, and how long it takes retailers to get your product back up on their shelves. It takes a lot longer than you think, and knowing all of this will allow you to take full control of your overall stock so that “out-of-stocks” don’t become your number one enemy.

Bonnie: It’s actually a very interesting phenomenon. Out-of-stocks typically aren’t the number one problem for lazy or slow moving brand owners. If they can’t get their product back on the shelf there’s probably a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. It’s the fast moving, successful brands that have to deal with out-of-stocks as a serious problem. Especially new, fast selling brands. Barefoot was moving so fast that our retail partners didn’t have enough back stock to keep Barefoot on the shelves. Do you want to know why? Retailers don’t have enough data on their new brands to justify holding more product. Distributors and retailers don’t ever want to be caught sitting on unsold inventory and Barefoot didn’t have a track record in their markets, so their order volume wasn’t optimized yet. We had to be quick on our toes to make sure that we replenished supply and kept distribution running smoothly, even though it wasn’t technically our ‘fault.’

BTN: Finally, What are your top 5 tips for owners ready to take their brands to the USA market?

1. Bonnie: Don’t start off with too many SKUs. It will divide the attention of the market, of the distributor, of the retailer and of your sales person. Your “brand-width” can only be so big. In the beginning it’s important to keep it narrow because there is only a certain amount of mind share that each person that is touching your product has. You tend to expect too much from them, particularly as a new brand starting off.
2. Michael: Start in a small market geographically. Make your mistakes in an area where you can run around personally, hat-in-hand, and apologize to everybody. If you get spread out too wide geographically you are going to make mistakes and they are going to be broadcasted over your entire market. You want to start off with a Beta and just go into one area. Study, learn and apply. Get your act together before you take your show on the road.
3. Bonnie: Attack where the enemy is not. Do not go to New York first, that’s crazy. Go to some small to mid-sized market where nobody is and make your product a big hit there. They’ll be glad to see you and you’ll make that golden reputation as a fast mover (even if it’s in a very small market).
4. Bonnie: Learn all of your lessons BEFORE you expand. As you get into a new market there are huge lessons to be learned. Make no mistake about it, you will be making a lot mistakes. Make sure you learn all of them in one territory before you move on to your next territory.
5. Michael: Make strategic allies. For us, we were a really an odd-ball brand. People really couldn’t understand us, but you know what? They couldn’t understand Trade Joe’s either. So, we went to Trader Joe’s and said, “We should work together.” You need to find people who are already selling what you have defined as your niche.

—

This is the second part of a two part interview with Michael and Bonnie about how they built the Barefoot brand.The first installment discusses how they first found traction in the US market, where they found the most valuable advice and how they took the brand national.

The post How the World’s Top Selling Wine Brand Disrupted the US Market appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

We were interviewed by the Beverage Trade Network.

To read part 1 of the interview, please visit BTN

To read part 2 of the interview, please visit The Barefoot Spirit 

The post Beverage Trade Network – How Barefoot Wines Became the World’s Largest Selling Wine Brand appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Get Barefoot and Have a Great Time!

Uncorking the Success of Barefoot Wines

The post Article/Interview at Cornell University appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The Barefoot Spirit Review by Dan Clarke

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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