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  3. Michael and Bonnie Houlihan and Harvey
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Michael and Bonnie Houlihan and Harvey

Partners
The Barefoot Spirit
Country or state 
United States
Available to 
Global
Fee 
Languages 
English
Volunteer
No

Personal Details

Bio

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey help companies become more entrepreneurial. They co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built Americas #1 Wine Brand. The book, chosen as recommended reading for the CEO Library in CEO Forum, chronicles their humble beginnings in a laundry room in 1986 to their creation of an international bestselling wine label. With virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas and strategic alliances to overcome obstacles and create new markets. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance based compensation. They took a comprehensive view of customer service.

In 2005 they successfully sold the brand to E&J Gallo. Since then, Michael & Bonnie share their experience and innovative approach as authors, keynote speakers, corporate trainers and consultants to Fortune 500s. Their clients are among the Inc. 5000 and Inc. 500. They are sought-after workplace culture experts in both print and broadcast media with hundreds of interviews and articles in professional and national publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, AMEX Open Forum, and Costco Connection. Their bi-monthly business articles are published by The Business Journals (in 43 cities). They co-author weekly, no-nonsense business blogs at: www.thebarefootspirit.com and www.thebrandauthority.net

Michael & Bonnie speak internationally for corporations, conferences, universities and symposiums including SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business), The World Conference on Entrepreneurship (ICSB) in Dublin, Ireland, The Conference Board’s Consumer Experience Symposium in NYC, The C-Suite Conferences, Persistent Systems, Liberty Tax, Retail Packaging Association, Renaissance Executive Forums, and over 60 universities that teach entrepreneurship.

They are highly sought-after interview guests on radio, television, & podcasts including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Bloomberg, and others.

They are highly recommended by business leaders and professors of entrepreneurship as inspirational speakers and entrepreneurial thought leaders. Their latest book, The Entrepreneurial Culture, 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People, was featured in Jeff Hayzlett’s C-Suite TV Network launch and The C-Suite Book Club.

Current position (2)

Partners

The Barefoot Spirit

Partners

Houlihan and Jones

Degrees (5)
BA Political Science, Liberal Arts
M - California State University at Long Beach
1966 to 1968
General Ed
M - Santa Barbara City College
1965 to 1966
Logic and Speech
M - University of San Francisco
1964 to 1965
Business
B - Bates Business College
1968 to 1969
Video Production
B - Oregon City College
1970 to 1972

Presentations

Presentations (7)
Hire Distinguished Speakers - Michael Houlihan&Bonnie Harvey

Gender neutral presenters:
- Male and female couple
- Entertaining banter
Actually did what they are talking about:
- Started world's #1 wine brand without money or industry knowledge
- Punctuate their points with entertaining stories from their experience
High degree of credibility:
- NYT's Best Seller, Media Guests, 100's of articles published
- Audiences familiar with Barefoot Wine

The Barefoot Story

The humorous and surprising story of how the World's #1 Wine Brand got started in a laundry room, by an American couple, with no money & no knowledge of the industry. The challenges they faced and overcame through imagination, resourcefulness, and tenacity. The takeaways that are applicable to any business. Entertaining, inspiring, and heavily endorsed. An American entrepreneurial success story.

The Two Division Company

All companies really have only two divisions: Sales, and Sales Support. Sales includes the sales division & the customer service division. Sales Support includes everybody else in the company no matter what their job or status. Customer & market feedback comes to the company through sales and customer service. Establish Formal lines of communication to get that feedback to sales support.

Worthy Cause Marketing

How Barefoot supported non-profits and community organizations to give their members a social reason to buy and advocate their products. How to target specific causes that resonate with your companies values and products. Why WCM is more targeted, effective, and less costly than paid advertising. Why employees want to stay with a company that gives them a chance to make the world a better place.

What They Don't Teach in Schools of Entrepreneurship

What schools of entrepreneurship should be teaching and how they should measure their success.

Protecting The Customer Experience

Comprehensive customer service and putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. The customers between the company and the final consumer: from distributors, jobbers and middlemen, retailers to their clerks and the general public to their communities. The 7 levels of distribution any product is funneled through to bring it to the mass market, and how to serve each level for success and longevity.

How to Motivate Your People

Find out how to:
-Identify and appreciate each participant for their function in the larger framework of your own goals
-Seek to understand and respect the objectives of every participant
-Demonstrate that you have their best interests at heart
-Achieve your goals by helping them achieve theirs
-Discover the metrics for any job that allows reward for performance
-Discover why fun works

Past talks (4)
What they don't teach in schools of entrepreneurship
ICSB World Conference on Entrepreneurship
Dublin, Ireland
2014
The Barefoot Story
C-Suite Network National Conference
Los Angeles, CA
2015
Protecting The Customer Experience
The Conference Board - Consumer Experience Conference
New York, NY
2015
The Two Division Company
SOCAP - Society of Consumer Affairs & Professionals
Charlotte, NC
2014
  • All (2)
  • Videos
  • Photos (1)
  • Slides (1)
This speaker hasn't uploaded any videos yet.
This speaker hasn't uploaded any one sheet yet.
This speaker hasn't uploaded any press information yet.

Books & Articles (10)

The Barefoot Spirit
Evolve Publishing,
2013
The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People
2014
Maintaining an Entrepreneurial Spirit in the C-Suite
8 Lessons For Budding Entrepreneurs
10 Lessons from the Barefoot Wine Founders
Oops, My Bad! 5 Ways Your Business Can Improve by Admitting to Mistakes
How baby boomers can stay relevant to millennials
Barefoot got up and running by taking the snobbery out of wine
Why Giving Stuff Away Works Better Than Buying Ads
You Won't Learn this is Business School

Expertise (23)

Business
Media & Marketing
Marketing Startup Marketing Strategy Brand Management Management Leadership Worthy Cause Marketing company culture Barefoot Wine Barefoot The Barefoot Spirit The Entrepreneurial Culture Branding Gender Balanced Presenters speakers Authors New York Times Bestsellers Consultants Training Business

Awards & certifications (5)

Surfrider Foundation Wavemaker Award
Surfrider Foundation
2013
New York Times Bestselling Business Book
New York Times
2013
VinoPRO Inc. 500 Insane Revenue Growth
VinoPRO
2013
2003 & 2004 Hot Brand Award
Marvin Shanken - Wine Specator
2003
Distinguished Entrepreneurial Speakers' Award
Bradley University
2014
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Why choose me? 

Founders of World's #1 Wine Brand, Barefoot, NYT's BSTSLR: The Barefoot Spirit

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