The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand

It is amazing that such an iconic brand as Barefoot Wines began as a start-up in the laundry room of a rented farmhouse. Even more surprising is that it was started by a business couple with no money and no knowledge of the wine industry.

They regularly ran into difficulties that nearly killed the brand. It was their unshakable belief in Barefoot's potential that kept it going, along with the use of classic business principles, and a never-say-die outlook. Hardship, hustle, and heart are the essence of The Barefoot Spirit.

The book was written by award-winning journalist Rick Kushman after hundreds of hours of research and interviews with the Barefoot Wine founders and many others. The Barefoot Spirit is not a dry business text. The lessons are woven into a humorous twenty-year business adventure story. It's an uncommon peek behind the curtain of the wine business that's inspiring, amazing, and entertaining.

This book is a testament to the power of out-of-the-box thinking. It is a guidebook for anyone in business, and a great read for everyone who loves a rags-to-riches story. Filled with encouragement, inspiration, and empowerment, it includes:

* How Worthy Cause Marketing out performed paid advertising

* How boot-strapping was used instead of conventional financing

* The surprising advantages of being small and broke

* How creating a fun, yet hardworking company culture encouraged innovative leadership

If you like wine, the wine country, or a story about how a plucky couple disrupted an industry, if you want to know what it takes to really succeed in the face of adversity, if you want to know how to use your core beliefs to build a national brand, then The Barefoot Spirit is for you.

Michael Houlihan is the co-founder of Barefoot Cellars along with partner Bonnie Harvey. Although his business card read "Head Stomper", he officially served as president and CEO for 19 years. Starting with no money and no knowledge of the wine industry, he and Bonnie used out-of-the-box thinking coupled with solid business principles to build a leading national brand. They relied on Worthy Cause Marketing, instead of conventional advertising to grow a loyal following and promote their favorite causes. Barefoot Wines went on to win the industry's top sales awards.They were selling well over a half a million cases annually when the E. & J. Gallo family purchased the brand in 2005. Since then, Michael has been a valued adviser to large and small corporations and start-ups, improving their profitability, culture, and brand with real-world experience. Sales, marketing, and performance-based compensation are his sweet spots. He also donates professional time to non-profits to help them improve their image, and achieve financial sustainability. Michael is a funny, informative, and inspiring speaker who delivers keynotes for conventions, corporations and national conferences. (Audiences love the quirky Barefoot stories he weaves in with how-to advice.) He is a seminar and webinar leader, guest lecturer at business and entrepreneurial schools, active blogger, and contributor to a variety of publications.

Bonnie Harvey is the co-founder of Barefoot Cellars, where she was Vice President for 19 years. While Michael's role was big picture visionary, Bonnie translated his ideas into workable processes and displayed a genius for managing the millions of details that come with a start-up. She proved to possess a rare combination of creativity and business savvy that served Barefoot well. In the early days, Bonnie was responsible for bottling oversight, supply inventory and label design. In fact, the famous footprint is actually hers! Later, she focused on overview and direction of the business, company goals, and board matters. She managed all financial aspects of the business, oversaw legal relations and compliance, and edited countless press materials, presentations, official manuals and other documents. Bonnie also donates professional time to non-profits to help them improve their image, increase donations, and achieve financial sustainability. With Michael, she coauthors 2 weekly business blogs at www.thebarefootspirit.com and www.consumerbrandbuilders.com, and consults with several clients. Bonnie has a passion for helping young entrepreneurs choose the right path. With her varied hard-knocks experience, she offers practical solutions for all aspects of starting a business. She and Michael shared their tales with Rick Kushman, who wrote The Barefoot Spirit, and she also edited the book. Today Bonnie is a workshop leader and a professional speaker on the subjects of company culture and entrepreneurship.

Rick Kushman is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-wining journalist who currently works in the wine industry and is based in Napa as a Communications Strategist. He is also the wine commentator for Capital Public Radio, Sacramento's NPR station, and is a contributing host for "Insight," the station's highest profile locally produced show. Rick is also the creator and co-host of the popular podcast "Bottle Talk with Rick and Paul," which is featured on the Capital Public Radio podcast lineup. Rick was a longtime columnist for The Sacramento Bee and his writing has appeared in publications ranging from Time Magazine to Sommelier Journal to Daily Variety. He has served as Co-Chief Judge for the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition and is currently Chief Judge of the State Fair's Home Winemaker's Competition.Rick holds a Certified Wine Professional credential from the Culinary Institute of America and earned an MA in Journalism from Stanford University and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. He teaches wine classes to professionals and regular folks, has taught culinary journalism and is a popular speaker for Northern California food and wine events. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, Deborah Meltvedt, who's a high school teacher, and with their cat, Anchovy Jack, who, they're convinced, used to be a pirate.