The Business Journals | The Barefoot Spirit

5 Missteps and Remedies for Building a Consumer Packaged Goods Brand from Ground Zero

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 15:44:04 +0000

Misstep #1: private label

You need capital so you provide your product to a retailer as their house, control, or own brand. Now you are a commodity supplier. Now you are no longer building your brand. Now they have you over the barrel since you can (and will!) be replaced for a few pennies less. But yes, it helps your cash flow …for a while.

Instead, build a brand. The reason retailers don’t like brands is because they have power outside their stores. If the brand is hot enough, the retailers have to keep them in stock because their customers are demanding them. And that’s what your acquirer wants.

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.

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How to Turn Your Customers Into Advocates (even during a pandemic)

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 18:00:48 +0000

The pandemic has resulted in many businesses closing. Many are hanging on by a thread. Others have been turned upside down. And many more have lost customers and sales. What can you do about it?

Some may advise you to advertise more. That can be effective. But there is a form of advertising is the most effective in these uncertain times, a form of advertising that folks are looking for right now: Quality. That’s right. Quality.

Tough times require longevity

People want to get the most for their money right now. They don’t know if or when they will get more. If they are going to part with their precious savings, it better to be for a quality product. They can’t really afford to buy disposable products that need regular replacement. Now they need products that will last, services that over-deliver, and brands that guarantee performance and longevity.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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Why It’s Time to Stop Trying to Have Virtual Conferences on Your Phone

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 17:50:34 +0000

Just like everybody else these days, we are being thrust into virtual conferences. We had them before Covid-19, but now they are mandatory. Unfortunately, this situation was thrust upon us so fast that we didn’t have time to develop and agree upon a set of virtual conference manners.

There are problems with the media itself and the use of the media that we would like to address. It’s bad enough that you can’t be there, but if you’re a speaker, others want your time for free, and then there is the feedback problem: There’s no laughing or clapping in real-time from the audience. It’s all very sterile and detached.

Lost etiquette

So why do folks further isolate themselves from the conference by trying to watch it on their phones? If someone makes a virtual conference date with you, don’t they deserve a bigger monitor than 2” x 3”? Don’t they deserve to appear on a screen that is closer to life-size? And don’t they deserve your attention uninterrupted by constant mobile phone connectivity issues?

When we used to meet in person, we gave them, and they gave us, their undivided attention. It was considered polite. How much attention can you give someone on a tiny screen? And what about the attendees, they are in even smaller boxes?

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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How Resourcefulness Can Help Your Business Survive Major Disruptions

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:05:01 +0000

Since some of us are still locked down, we may as well have some fun perfecting one of the two most commonly heralded ingredients of entrepreneurial success, resourcefulness.

The other one is tenacity, and together they make an unbeatable duo that most successful entrepreneurs will readily credit for their success.

But for now, let’s just explore resourcefulness (or self-reliance).

Spoiled?

This is almost a lost skill when we live in an age of “push button — get banana” and “write business plan — get financed.” What happens when the buttons don’t work so well and the investors starts to pull in their horns, sort of like now?

To read the complete article, please visit The Busines Journals

Who We Are

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

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Pandemic Mentality Drives Older, Big Brand Growth … at First

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 17:00:03 +0000

According to Thomas Heath writing for the Washington Post, an interesting anomaly is taking place in the brand world. Older big brands are taking off again.

This is a trend we didn’t see coming, but we should have. When people are uncertain, they seem to gravitate toward the perceived certainty and comfort of familiar, good ol’ American brand standards like Cheerios, Quaker Oats, Goldfish, Oreos, Campbell Soup and Doritos.

Chris Growe at Stifel Financial says, “We’re seeing significant market share gains for the most dominant brands.”

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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7 Re-Branding Considerations for Covid-19

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 17:00:48 +0000

The coronavirus and its consequences will be with us for a long time.

What does this mean for business and more specifically, how your brand is perceived? Simply, is it viewed as a necessity or as just a non-essential option?

The brands that can sell themselves as practical, necessary, and relevant will not only survive, but grow.

And what exactly is essential these days? Basically, anything that can keep you fed, safe, medicated, clean, healthy, entertained, and somehow earning a living from home are essential.

Safety seems to be at the top of the list, especially with the premature reopening of the economy. And as we begin to experience the second wave, safety will be top priority.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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The Novel Coronavirus Spotlights Opportunities for New Consumer Packaged Goods

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:00:37 +0000

It’s clear that the direct-to-consumer business got a big shot in the arm from the shelter-in-place orders that many of us are now living under.

Even though these restrictions are temporary, they have trained many new consumers to use online services to order their CPGs (consumer package goods) and have them delivered. This includes food, beverages, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and other packaged goods.

Many new on-line shoppers will never go back to physical shopping. Once they discover the convenience of home delivery, they will rely on it permanently.

What does that mean for CPG brand builders? Online consumers will tend to stick with the brands they know. They will not be as likely to stumble upon a new brand or make a notion or an impulse buy.

This means, the older, more established brands will get stronger as more and more shoppers go to “same-as-last-time” repeat ordering. Sure, there will be more paid pop-ups and paid side-bar advertising.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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Why Brand integrity Matters and How to Get It

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 00:09:39 +0000

There’s so much noise out there, you don’t have the luxury to try to be all things to all people. You must focus on the core value you offer to your customer.

We are successful consumer brand developers, but we made a ton of mistakes before we finally achieved our success.

In our impatience to achieve a positive cash flow as soon as possible, we diluted our brand message several times. We were desperately trying to find the perfect product-market fit that would please our buyers.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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These Business Tasks Should be Outsourced

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 18:00:36 +0000

As successful brand builders, we are often asked, “What is the biggest single mistake that new consumer product brand builders make?”

Our answer is always the same: “They focus on production and not on sales!”

Unfortunately, the first thing that goes through most startups’ heads is something like, “Oh, if I’m going to produce and sell a new branded product, I need a factory, an office, a big staff, trucks, warehouses, and several in-house professionals.” Then they write up a business plan and try to get financing to pay for the whole thing.

Plus, they cover a runway for six months to a year to achieve a positive cash flow.

To read the complete article, please visit The Busines Journals

Who We Are

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

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Discrimination Against Older Job Applicants is Illegal — and it’s Bad for Your Bottom Line

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:42:31 +0000

The ad says, “Recent College Grad.” Another says, “Digital Native.” Still another says, “Looking for a Cultural Fit.”

Most recent college grads are under 30. Most digital natives were born after 1980. A cultural fit in a company of predominately younger employees leaves out older folks.

Are these add words discouraging to older applicants? You bet.

Recently, Michael was interviewed on the FOX Radio Network during drive time as a workplace cultural expert on this issue. But instead of dwelling on the legalities and enforcement issues involved, he took a much different tack. Whether it can be proven illegal or not, whether the threat of liability is strong enough to end this type of discrimination, the fact is, it’s just plain bad business.

Here are a few good reasons why.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

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

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