The Barefoot Spirit by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey - Book review

The Barefoot Spirit

How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand

By: Michael Houlihan, Bonnie Harvey

Published: May 21, 2013
Format: Paperback, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 0988224542
ISBN-13: 978-0988224544
Publisher: Evolve Publishing











"Within our story are lessons all entrepreneurs need to survive, to thrive, to be successful, and to give their own brands and companies a spirit of fun, purpose, innovation, and heart", write entrepreneurs and co-founders of Barefoot Wines, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, in their inspirational and engaging book The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand. The authors describe their entrepreneurial journey, from the founding of the winery in the mod-1980s, share their challenges and triumphs, and offer valuable experience and lessons for business and for life with other entrepreneurs.

Michael Houlihan (photo left) and Bonnie Harvey understand that an entrepreneurial venture is so much more than a business. It is also a journey of learning about yourself, your values, and finding a mission to improve the world for everyone. The authors open the curtain and show the activities, creativity, and social conscience that transformed Barefoot Wine into the leading national wine brand.

The Barefoot Wine story is one perseverance, overcoming shortages of cash, and staying true to the founders' personal values and convictions. That emphasis on values formed the foundation of the company's transformational Worthy Cause Marketing initiative that not only built their brand, but helped hundreds of non-profit organizations achieve their goals as well.

Bonnie Harvey (photo left) and Michael Houlihan recognize that entrepreneurship is both a difficult and challenging endeavor for anyone. It is also a very rewarding journey through life. The authors found a way, through a combination of dedication, hard work, and sticking with a vision of giving back to others by living their values every day. Without money for advertising, the founders discovered a better way, and a more effective means for building their brand identity. The creation of the Worthy Cause Marketing concept became one of the true cornerstones of their success; far surpassing any benefit that could possibly result from traditional advertising.

The book is divided into a series of lessons and principles that guided the hand of the founders as they built the company. Instead of being blocked by an obstacle, they found a way past the barriers that was even more effective that simply traveling a clear road ahead. The founders turned adversity into opportunity, and placed that opportunity into their values based vision of the company. The various chapters of the company's life are as follows:

* How hard could it be?
* Now what?
* Taking on the behemoth
* Have you had your brick for the day?
* Hit the enemy where the enemy is not
* Mama Mabel, surfers and monks
* The romance of the wine business
* Never waste a perfectly good mistake
* A smaller slice of a larger pie
* The spirit lives on

For me, the power of the book is how Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey combine the the story of their entrepreneurial venture of Barefoot Wine, with a series of lessons learned and shared with other entrepreneurs who may be seeking advice and guidance. The book is a deeply personal book, as the winery business was part of the very heart of the founders themselves. They acted in their business with conviction that their vision was not only good business, but also service a much larger human purpose. The founders demonstrate clearly that it is not only possible to live your values and make them the core of the company culture, but that values based companies are also business success stories.

The internalization of the principle, that ethical business is good business, formed the overarching ideals by which decisions were made and put into action. The Worthy Cause Marketing values formed an integral part of this overall vision. The founders also believe in sharing their ideas and methods with other entrepreneurs, to give back more to the community, as mentors and teachers of visionary business business people.

I highly recommend the deeply personal and proven entrepreneurial idea packed book The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand by Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, to any entrepreneurs seeking a clear and concise guide to establishing and operating a business based on a vision of living and acting on one's own personal values. This book demonstrates that a values based business is not only a successful business model, but is also one that will leave the competition behind.