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Entrepreneur – 14 International Accelerators Speak Out on the Top 4 Components for Startup Success

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 20:11:09 +0000

If anyone could unravel the mystery of why some startups succeed and others fail, it would be the business accelerators. They have a front-row seat with real-world experience. Their reputation is on the line, and rapid turnover is not their friend. They have a vested interest in seeing their clients succeed.

Over the past three months, we have conducted a survey of 14 international business accelerators. With their experience, what was their take on startup success and failure? Over the next few months we will be publishing the results of that study.

Our first question was, “What are the most important qualities successful startup founders possess?” Interestingly, with such a wide range of international respondents, the answers were quite similar.

To read the complete article, visit please 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.

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Happy 34th Anniversary to M&B!

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 18 May 2017 17:00:18 +0000

We met on May 20th 1983 at a rock & roll club in Sonoma County, California. Our attraction to each was immediate, and we have been together as a couple ever since.

In 1985 we began working together, doing the research required to start our new business, Barefoot Cellars.

Couples love being in love! And business partners rely on the expertise of their partners! But, can these two ideal relationships be simultaneously successful with the same couple?

Folks ask us this question all the time: How do you make it work? Our first response is, “Kids, don’t try this at home!” For most couples, it generally doesn’t work well at all. But for those rare couples who successfully have both a romantic relationship as well as a business relationship, it is glorious!

We can’t accurately predict which couples will succeed at both, nor can we say exactly what they should do to keep both relationships healthy. But we will share with you what we did and didn’t do that worked for us.

First of all, we had respect for each other’s intelligence and motives. That enabled us to appreciate the other’s opinions and suggestions without wondering if they were self-serving. We were both headed toward the same goals, although on different tracks. That difference of opinion was welcomed! Two heads are better than one, they say.

Fortunately for us, we had different skill sets. Michael was good at seeing the big picture. Bonnie was keen on the details. Michael could talk easily with all sorts of people and boldly spoke in front of large crowds of salespeople. Bonnie worked well on a one-to-one basis with attorneys and accountants. She scheduled the bottlings, ordered all the necessary supplies, and oversaw the production at the winery. He made friends with everyone who touched our product along the way to (and including) the end user. She bottled it and he sold it.

Well, it wasn’t quite as easy as that, but by dividing up the responsibilities required and matching them with our natural talents, there was less disagreement. We weren’t looking over each other’s shoulders to make sure things were exactly this way or that. We agreed to allow decisions to be made by the other without interference.

The major goals were set by both of us. We preferred to go to a retreat, so we would not be interrupted during this essential planning phase. It wasn’t always possible. However, two of our favorite retreats were the island of Kauai and the historic Ben Bow Inn in Northern California. By removing ourselves from the day-to-day challenges, we could set our sights on the bigger picture – how to get from where we were to where we wanted to be.

These retreats were not only for business but for our personal goal setting as well. We keep “Goal Books” that go back to 1996! They include subjects such as home, social, spiritual, and health, as well as financial and business. These retreats always brought us closer together both romantically and professionally. We would plan them many months in advance, and get non-refundable tickets so we would not be tempted to cancel due to the “too-much-going-on-to-leave” syndrome.

We have identified many more ways of living happily as a romantic couple in business together, and we are planning a retreat for such couples at our home in west Sonoma County. Let us know if you are interested in joining us. It will be eye-opening! You will leave with a better understanding of just what it takes to keep your mate as the love of your life as well as your business partner. We know. We’ve been there, done that, and MADE the t-shirt! And best of all, we are still madly in love.

Who We Are

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

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Don’t Block Good Ideas from Getting to You!

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 18:00:36 +0000

Often the best ideas to solve problems, cut costs, and improve sales come from your own people – but they never get to you. Why? Because you have inadvertently allowed your company’s structure to prevent them from doing so.

Employees, vendors, and customers are loaded with good ideas to help you succeed. But are you willing to listen? If you think you know more about your product than anyone else, or that accepting ideas from others is somehow implying that you, the product creator, don’t have all the answers, you may be losing out on a goldmine.

This mindset is counterproductive to improvement. You may be making a statement, but losing a deposit.

You may think, “Oh, that’s not me. I want every good idea I can get my hands on!” But you may have permitted subtle roadblocks that effectively block those good ideas. If you unintentionally allow your company to grow into a “know-it-all,” top-down structure, you are blocking good ideas from getting to you and your decision-makers.

When we are helping a company with positive suggestion to improve their product or service, we often hear, “Nobody ever told me that before,” to which we respond, “Well, you can’t say that anymore!” But now we know two things about this company: first, “good” ideas do not flow easily; and second, they believe customers only complain and never offer useful suggestions.

It is easy to see how this happens. Production is charged with taking raw materials and developing them into products, which they hand down to Marketing. Then, Marketing develops plans to sell the products and hands them down to Sales. Then, Sales is charged with executing those plans. And then, if there are any dissatisfied customers, they go to Customer Service who is charged with resolving their complaints.

This is the classic pyramid structure. We say, “Pyramids are for dead pharaohs – don’t bury your good ideas under one!”

To remove the roads blocks that prevent good ideas from getting through a top-down structure start with a bottom-up philosophy and let it percolate into every level in your company structure.

Start by putting the customer on top. Every company says they put the customer on top. But to do this in practice requires turning that pyramid upside down.

Every call from your customers is a golden opportunity to get good ideas. So, change Customer Service from “complaint resolution” to “customer intell.” Create a formal upward path of communication that regularly allows those ideas to get to your production and marketing people.

Salespeople become more than the folks who execute the marketing plans. They get customer feedback, they witness market dynamics, and they see competitors’ strategies. Sales must be encouraged to collect and pass on this critical info to marketing and production.

Well-meaning Compliance, HR, and even 1^st and 2^nd line Managers can discourage and even stop good ideas coming from your own people. Good ideas wane when not acted upon quickly. To speed up the process, ask you compliance people to identify parameters inside of which staff suggestions can get fast-tracked. Then, actively encourage suggestions, followed by written memos of appreciation to those with the best ideas. Copy the entire team. This acknowledgement gives your people more appreciation for what that person did, and they will all know that if they do the same, they too will also get acknowledgement. This encourages them to be engaged and creative.

Your customers, employees, and vendors have valuable suggestions that can help you succeed – if you only let them. Get out of the way and let ideas flow!

Who We Are

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

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BeInkandescent Magazine June 2013

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:00:15 +0000

Inkandescent Magazine Wrote a recent article on the art of leaning in after the book “Lean In” by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg. Inkandescent asked us for insights on how we worked together to build Barefoot Wine and about our book “The Barefoot Spirit”

Here’s a partnership perspective from an entrepreneurial couple without kids.

We asked Barefoot Wine co-founder Bonnie Harvey for insights on how she and her partner, Michael Houlihan, worked together to build their business into what is now the #1 bestselling vino in the country. Not only that, but they co-wrote “The Barefoot Spirit,” which was published in May and is the June 2013 New York Times #2 Business Bestseller. Harvey said:

Working with your significant other in the same business is a challenge not recommended for everybody, but building the Barefoot Wine brand from nothing to a national and international bestseller with my business and romantic partner was a positive and profitable experience.

Skills. For one thing, we had different skill sets, and we each needed and respected the other’s contribution in order to succeed. He was front office and I was back office. For another, we did not micro-manage each other. We gave each other the freedom to do our own thing and control our area of the business unfettered.

Decisions. All of our big decisions were unanimous. If we didn’t both agree, we didn’t do it. Even when we had a proper board of directors, it was made up of two women and two men, and we all agreed that all decisions would be unanimous. If three people couldn’t convince one, then it probably wasn’t a good idea anyway. This policy avoids the I-told-you-so’s that can go on for years and hurt working relationships.

Space. We made sure our workplace got out of the domestic part of the house as soon as possible. Starting out, we couldn’t afford a washer and a dryer, so we had plenty of space in the laundry room. It was important for us to physically and behaviorally separate work from our private lives. We had rules. One was no business talk in the bedroom. We also gave ourselves some space and time away from business to keep the romance alive. Every January, we would plan, and buy tickets in advance, for a few vacations a year. Then we would look forward to the break and plan our work around those breaks.

Chores. We had different skill sets in the home as well. I cooked and he cleaned. We also decided when we met that one of the things we both wanted in life was services. So as soon as we could afford it, we got a regular house cleaner, gardener, and maintainence person. Sure we could have saved the money, but instead we saved the time and made more money because of it.

Working with your partner in business is not for everyone, but if you follow whatever rules you agree on together, you will have a much better chance of success.

Click here to read our BeInkandescent cover story on Barefoot Wine.

Who We Are

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

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Successful Hiring takes Preparation, Permission and Patience

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:50:59 +0000

No matter what business you think you are in, you wind up in the personnel management business. Your first hires will require a great deal of your time and energy with no guarantees. Your way may conflict with their previous way of doing things.

For the most part, great employees are not found, they’re made. In order to delegate and allow your company to grow, you really have no choice.

All this takes time, energy, preparation and lots of patience, but by working together in concert, you can see wonders.

1. Good Seed. Start with people who demonstrate a high degree of integrity, take responsibility for their own behavior and have a history of long-term commitment. They should be willing to learn and extrapolate conceptual ideas and apply them to new situations. A good way to test this is to give the applicant a verbal run down of the job, the company’s challenges and your expectations for the position. Then, have them send you a one-page summary on a deadline. This will tell you volumes.

2. Good Ground. Make sure their job is clearly defined in writing and explains how your products and services produce the income to pay their salary, bonus and benefits. We used to give our people a “Money Map”. It started with the consumer and worked its way back through distribution, production, and all the payables to finally get to their check. This gave them respect for how and where the money came from – the customer, of course.

3. Care. You must inspect what you expect, especially in the first year. Once you are convinced you have “good seed” it’s worth your while to regularly spend time with them answering questions and mentoring. Listen to what’s behind their questions to discover what they really need to excel in their new position.

4. Light and Space. Give them permission to make mistakes. That’s what allows them to develop into the independent decision makers you need to confidently delegate. To “make those mistakes right,” have them write down what needs to be done to prevent those mistakes in the future. Have them make new polices, procedures, checklists, sign-offs, or whatever, but they have to document everything. Consider rewriting their job description to fit their real skill set.

5. Nutrients. Give them the training they need, in person and in writing. If a document doesn’t exist, have them write it. Create a mini manual for every job with the growing list of frequently asked questions and as many charts and graphs as are necessary to depict processes, relationships and decisions. Provide outside training with conferences, or field time with sales or production staff. The more they understand your total operation, the faster they will become invaluable.

6. Time. How much time you give them before they “get it” really depends on the position, their ability to learn, and how much faith you have in them personally. Some folks take longer but “get it” at a core level. Others may learn a specific process quickly, but miss the big picture. So it’s a judgment call based on your assessment of their progress and conceptual understandings, and the preparation, time and energy you have put in.

Even if you do these essentials, there’s no guarantee of success, but you will be much more likely to succeed. To grow those new hires into fruitful producers it takes preparation, permission and patience.

Who We Are

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

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