Ryan describes himself as a proud ginger whose past was “sparkled” with that being the one thing that people held against him. He was classically bullied as a kid because he was the only one with red hair and freckles. That soon got him interested in non-verbal communication. Specifically, he turned to the martial arts and learned how to use his body, his eyes, his eyebrows, his shoulders and his posture to communicate confidence — even when what he was feeling inside was the exact opposite.

It was the first time he used the innate force we all have to communicate strength and confidence in a way that is sometimes more powerful than words. He went from being bullied to becoming a proud ginger and took on many leadership roles thereafter.

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur 

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 More You Talk, the Less They Listen appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Any good gardener knows that skillful and timely pruning increases the strength and yield of your plant. Pruning can determine the direction of growth and suppress disease. But you have to do it!

Now is the time to take a good look at your business and sharpen those pruning shears.

When we were building the Barefoot Wine brand, we would sweat out the new year because that’s when the chain buyers and big box stores would cut out the “dead wood.” We knew that if our brand didn’t perform to their expectations, it could get discontinued. And well it should, since there was only so much shelf space. Buyers had to prune out the losers in order to make more room for the winners. Luckily we were rarely cut out of the sets because we were doing a lot of pruning of our own.

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 ​It’s a New Year, So Get Out Your Pruning Shears appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.