Over one hundred years ago Michael’s grandfather, John Francis Houlihan, left his hometown of Limerick, Ireland, heading for the port city of Cork where he boarded a cattle steamer bound for America. The only passage he could afford was above deck, so in order to stay warm he had to huddle near the smokestack. It was there that he met and fell in love with Nelly Donohue from Donegal. When they finally arrived at Ellis… Read More

How the Irish Got Barefoot
Posted on March 22, 2014 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog

Back to School – Back to Entrepreneurship
Posted on September 7, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
The prospects for self-employment have never been brighter. Information is at your fingertips. Rents, labor, and interest rates are at an all-time low. Big corporations, stifled by their own structures, outmoded compensation plans and legal constrictions, are hungry to acquire new and innovative ideas from the outside.
The prospects are great and the opportunity is now, but can entrepreneurship actually be taught?… Read More

Investor’s Business Daily – Barefoot Building Wine Giant
Posted on August 8, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
By CURT SCHLEIER, FOR INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
In the early 1980s, the wine market was largely dedicated to what Michael Houlihan calls “the sniff, sip and spit crowd.”
That is, people who prided themselves on their knowledge of fine wine — or could fake it.
But Houlihan and his partner, Bonnie Harvey, saw a market for inexpensive yet quality

Achieve Success On Your Own Terms
Posted on July 27, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
Creating your own terms can better define your niche, distinguish your offering from the rest, and lead your product to success. When we started Barefoot Wine, we didn’t know enough about the conventions of the wine business to define our product within the conventional categories. Besides, there wasn’t a particular category for what we were doing. We didn’t understand how controversial it would be if we created… Read More

Women Entrepreneurs Radio with Deborah Bailey
Posted on July 18, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
Bonnie Harvey is the co-founder of Barefoot Cellars along with partner Michael Houlihan. She was Vice President and “The Original Foot” for 19 years. There she had a wide variety of duties, doing whatever was necessary to operate the business. 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… Read More

The Barefoot Spirit is a Strong One; Interview with Michael Houlihan
Posted on March 14, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog

Santa Barbara News-Press Article on Michael Houlihan
Posted on March 8, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
By SCOTT STEEPLETON NEWS-PRESS CITY EDITOR
March 7, 2013 5:59 AM
When he returns to Santa Barbara for a speaking engagement this week, Barefoot Cellars co-founder Michael Houlihan will be treading familiar territory.
He attended City College 1965-67 and it was here, in the early stages of Barefoot, that Mr. Houlihan, who founded the brand with partner Bonnie Harvey, pounded the pavement making the sales.
Mr.… Read More

Michael Houlihan Awarded Bishop O’Dowd’s Alum of the Month
Posted on February 6, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
Getting Barefoot With Michael Houlihan ’63
But that didn’t stop the dynamic duo from building an award-winning national brand, eventually selling well over a half million cases annually

Vineyard & Winery Management Article
Posted on January 26, 2013 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Event
Linda Murphy talked with Michael about the story of Barefoot Wine, including the challenges, successes, and lessons learned along the way. It’s all here in the January/February issue of Vineyard & Winery Management.
… Read More

Landing the Perfect Job Applicant Requires Seasoned Piloting Skills
Posted on September 13, 2012 by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey in Business Blog
When we owned Barefoot Cellars and were recognized for our success, we had our excellent staff to thank. So, it is not surprising that people ask us how we found such good people. Probably the most stressful part of hiring is, as Forrest Gump’s mom said, “You never know what you’re going to get!” Hiring anxiety is well founded.
Suddenly you are faced with the loss of productivity caused by the vacancy and the urgency… Read More
-
-
-
-
Search
Recent Posts
