Harvey Mackay – Business Trailblazer, Master Communicator, and Bestselling Author
Michael Houlihan is a visionary entrepreneur and brand-building expert who co-founded Barefoot Cellars (later known as Barefoot Wine) with Bonnie Harvey. What began in a Sonoma laundry room with no wine background and little capital blossomed into the world’s #1 wine brand, largely through their pioneering strategies in performance-based compensation, worthy cause marketing, and customer-centric culture. After selling the business to E. J. Gallo in 2005, Michael remained as a brand consultant before transitioning to a celebrated career as a keynote speaker, leadership coach, author, and branding consultant .
He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand, and their follow-up The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People. Michael continues to share his experience through international campus talks, corporate presentations, and media contributions in Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Business Journals, and more.
Signature Speech & Workshop Topics
1. “Worthy Cause Marketing: Build Your Brand Without Advertising”
Explore how partnering with nonprofits creates authentic community engagement and builds trust—without a traditional ad budget.
2. “The Two-Division Company: Everyone Sells”
A revolutionary model that aligns sales and support teams through shared purpose, boosting performance and cohesion.
3. “Branding by Doing: How Barefoot Became #1”
Lessons on turning grassroots hustle, resourcefulness, and culture into global brand dominance.
4. “Spend Less, Monetize Faster”
Actionable insights on growing businesses by prioritizing efficiency, identifying opportunities, and building from the bottom up.
5. “Entrepreneurial Culture: Engage and Empower Your Team”
Strategies from their bestselling follow-up: 23 proven tactics to inspire innovation, ownership, and alignment across organizations .
