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
Back to School – Back to Entrepreneurship
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
Harvey, Houlihan Went Barefoot Building Wine Giant
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
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
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
Michael Luchies, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Mar 11, 2013
Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are two of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of talking with, and they just so happen to be incredibly successful and world renowned entrepreneurs. Michael and Bonnie founded and grew the Barefoot Wine brand, which is now the #1 wine brand in the US and one of the best selling and most recognizable wine brands in the world.
Santa Barbara News-Press Article on Michael Houlihan
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
Getting Barefoot With Michael Houlihan ’63
When Michael Houlihan ’63 and his partner Bonnie Harvey launched their Barefoot Cellars wine business in 1986, the pair was sorely lacking many things – most significantly knowledge of the wine industry and money.
But that didn’t stop the dynamic duo from building an award-winning national brand, eventually selling well over a half million cases annually
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
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
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
