Although the well-known brand is a runaway success today, the founders of the wine company take readers back to early days when they had no capital, struggled to build partnerships, and when the couple knew little about their industry. As they recount real stories of a financially rocky time, lessons unfold frequently in an uncertain adventure. The tips provided in their book are priceless lessons worth far more than the cost of The Barefoot Spirit. There's just as much showing us what happened as telling. The balance of this presentation lends itself to crisp dialogue and reader engagement.
This book should easily inspire, entertain and educate struggling, young or aspiring business owners, leaving them to question what essential changes they too can make to improve their own venture. Additionally, I appreciated that The Barefoot Spirit's information could be used in any business setting. This is the most down to earth business book that I've read thus far, due to the admission and inclusion of the ugliest part of making mistakes. The difficulty to carve out a niche in the business world was not romanticized, but unbridled honesty gives insight to possibly help others to prepare better. I highly recommend reading The Barefoot Spirit and extracting tips for future reference. I typically am not impressed by most business books, but I easily rate this one five stars. I strongly encourage others who are hungry for business and marketing knowledge to buy The Barefoot Spirit. Kudos to the authors for reminding us that climb isn't easy, but making it to the top is possible.
An interview with Michael Houlihan is in this new edition of Grove Street:
