On Tuesday, October 16, 2012, we will do something entirely out-of-the-box for the book industry, as far as we know. We will offer a limited number of advance eBooks 90 days before the official release of the paperback,
The Barefoot Spirit
. Further, we will offer a limited number of packages which will include the advance eBook along with the final release paperback including free US delivery in January 2013 (the official release date). So a limited number of people will get to read
The Barefoot Spirit
in eBook form
prior
to publication.
This is a classic American brand story. It traces the humble beginnings of the famous Barefoot Wine brand from the laundry room to the boardroom. It demonstrates how being undercapitalized was a catalyst for innovation, it celebrates tenacity in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and it champions bootstrapping and just plain hard work.
Today, Barefoot is one of the largest wine brands in the country. It didn’t get there overnight. It got there through solid branding principles that respected the distribution system and the community. Its legacy of Worthy Cause Marketing freed it from expensive, repetitive advertising and helped hundreds of non-profits for two decades.
In contrast to today’s impatient world of “get rich quick” schemes, ours was a get rich slow scheme. We learned a lot of what we know the hard way and much of it is still not taught in schools. Unlike the popular prescriptive texts that fill the brand building book shelves, The Barefoot Spirit is a business adventure story that takes the reader on a seat-of-your-pants, real world journey of formidable challenges, astounding discoveries and unlikely solutions.
We told our story to our friend, Rick Kushman, who for years was the wine writer for the Sacramento Bee . We enjoy his humorous, easy-reading, conversational writing style and asked him to help write the book. The lessons are cheerfully woven inside a 20-year tale that’s inspiring, amazing and entertaining. It’s a case study, an idea book, an uncommon peek behind the curtain of the wine business and a snapshot of the American spirit West Coast style.
“They grew one of the great brands in the industry bottle by bottle, account by account, month by month, and year by year. They have been there, done it, and now have graciously put themselves out there to pass on the wisdom to others.”
- JOHN A. HINMAN, Hinman & Carmichael LLP, Wine Industry Spokesman and Advocate
If this sounds like an ad for The Barefoot Spirit , it is! We hope you’ll take advantage of this pre-release offer to read our story first and tell us what you think. Our goal is to help others avoid the pain we endured and learn from what we did right – and wrong! Here’s to the growth of your brand!
Get The Barefoot Spirit today!
Who Are We.
Having built and sold a best selling national brand, we appreciate the value of brands and everything it takes to make them successful. Companies are valued by their brand equity. Achieving and maximizing brand equity requires tremendous respect for all your customers, from your wholesaler to your end user.
Starting in our laundry room with no money and no knowledge of the industry, we built the famous Barefoot Wine brand. We learned a lot they don’t teach in school and much of it the hard way. Although our success was in consumer products, our real world experience will be helpful to anyone looking for information and advice about brands.
On this site, you will find our blog and many other contributions, interviews, indexes and info-graphics, which we hope will help you design, develop, build, and monetize your brand.
Today, we produce several blogs, teach branding, and perform public speaking on the subject throughout the country. We have written a book, entitled “The Barefoot Spirit” which chronicles the history of the Barefoot Wine brand from its inception through its acquisition. Available in 2012, we hope this book will provide inspiration and encouragement for all those contemplating starting a brand or wanting to improve their existing brand.
We welcome comments on our blog posts and look forward to your suggestions for how to improve this site. It is our intention that The Brand Authority will ultimately be one-stop shopping for all things Brand.
Thank you for joining us.
Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey
Barefoot Wine Founders
