Like many others, I’ve been thinking a lot about which businesses are recession-proof, businesses that continue to thrive despite an economic downturn. So, I was really interested to read about an industry that is thriving during these lean times despite the fact that it was struggling prior to the economy taking a turn for the worse.

I would never have guessed (but it does make sense) that the recession has given cobblers something to smile about. Cobblers are reporting that sales have increased between 25% and 50% in the past year.

The WSJ article goes on to name a couple of other industries that fare better when most are suffering: CV writers, employment lawyers, and auto mechanics are not complaining about the economy.

People are tightening purse strings and one way to do that is to get a little extra mileage, whether it be a pair of Manolo Blahniks or the old jalopy.

If you’re looking to launch a new business in these uncertain times, consider goods and services that provide a financial gain to the consumer, in the form of savings or earnings. Think pawn shops, used car parts, or a less expensive way to provide a good or service.

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Blogtrepreneur has a lot of good advice and interesting posts - it’s one of my preferred stops when making the rounds of “news I need”.  It’s definitely worth taking some time to poke around but I wanted to highlight this recent post that points you in the right direction when finding directories to list your blog.

Now I’m going to take my own advice and ensure that AskMax is listed in Blogtrepreneur’s Top 10 Free Blog Directories.

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As a teenager I read ‘Atlas Shrugged’ and I have been a fan of Ayn Rand and her philosophy, Objectivism, ever since. I’m always happy to see Ms. Rand’s work receive positive press, such as this opinion piece by Stephen Moore at The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Moore is of the opinion that we would rise from the ashes of our current financial mess a lot faster if ‘Atlas Shrugged’ “were required reading for every member of Congress and political appointee in the Obama administration” since “our current politicians are committing the very acts of economic lunacy that “Atlas Shrugged” parodied in 1957.”

I highly recommend taking the time to read ‘Atlas Shrugged’ but at the very least read Mr. Moore’s piece. His comparison is an interesting one and I feel he does a great job of capturing the essence of this great novel.

“Ultimately, “Atlas Shrugged” is a celebration of the entrepreneur, the risk taker and the cultivator of wealth through human intellect. Critics dismissed the novel as simple-minded, and even some of Rand’s political admirers complained that she lacked compassion. Yet one pertinent warning resounds throughout the book: When profits and wealth and creativity are denigrated in society, they start to disappear — leaving everyone the poorer.”

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I want to share a recipe for my favourite holiday beverage. Every Christmas since I was a tot we would break out the eggnog and drink it by the gallon. But it always came from the supermarket and as I got older I became more sensitive to how synthetic it tasted.

I decided to embark on a quest to find the perfect eggnog recipe so I could rid myself of pre-packaged stuff for good. The testing was laborious… should it be made with light rum? Dark rum? Bourbon? Brandy? Eventually I emerged from the haze of my testing with a winner. Here it is:

• Use an electric mixer or whisk to beat 6 eggs with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar until frothy (bubbly) and pale yellow. I know that there is a risk of salmonella when consuming raw eggs. In my opinion the deliciousness of this eggnog outweighs the risk of salmonella, but everyone has their own threshold for danger.
• Add about 4 cups of half and half cream (10%). If that much cream scares you then feel free to use a combination of cream and whole milk or 2% milk or whatever you have in the fridge.
• Add 1 cup of brandy and 2 cups of either dark rum or bourbon (my preference is dark rum only because I’m not a big fan of bourbon) and a few drops of vanilla extract.
• Stir it all together and chill for a couple of hours.
• Serve over ice and with a garnish of nutmeg (freshly grated nutmeg is ideal).

I’m sure someone will question the ratio of booze to cream but I assure you that it’s not a typo. This eggnog is meant to be enjoyed by the fire as you chat with family and friends or decorate the tree. It is meant to give you a built-in excuse not to be productive but rather to take some time during the holidays to put up your feet and savour the season.

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I have to admit that although my intentions were good, I still haven’t started tweeting regularly on Twitter (or even semi-regularly for that matter).

Maybe Mr. Tweet will give me that push I need (I’ll get there one day!). I was introduced to this very cool tool by Jacqueline Ng. Here’s how it works:

Head over to the website and elect to “follow” Mr. Tweet on Twitter (note that you need to have an existing Twitter account for the service to work). Shortly after you’ve started following Mr. Tweet you will receive an email with a link to a personal page where Mr. Tweet will make suggestions of people you should consider following or people that are following you but that you are not following. Are you following me?

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I am writing this post so that come February, embattled by our cold northern winter, I can return to this entry and hopefully find the courage to power through the last dreary weeks…

Outside the window, there is gently falling snow which has blanketed the houses, and trees and streets, and it makes me feel excited and happy and warm inside.  Not so warm on the outside mind you, because it’s chilly here in my office in the East wing, far from the burning fire, and my nose and fingers are frozen.

Nonetheless, few things in life are better than those first real snowfalls of winter and here are a couple of my personal all time favorite things:

1. Watching your neighbour shovel from the warmth of your house, when your driveway has already been done

2. Watching the dog run out the back door, and hop like a gazelle through 3 foot snow banks to get to his destination (and imagining that he’s swearing a blue streak the whole way!

3. The look of wonder on my daughter’s face each morning as she peers outside, having forgotten that the world is now snowy

4. Snow days, when the city’s schools and businesses shut down, and we all get to play hookie (except those die-hard finance guys and gals in power suits who refuse to let Mother Nature make a mockery of them)

5. Driving through deserted streets, in deep, fresh snow, weaving and skidding about (if you try this and crash into a tree, don’t sue me)

6. Those oddly warm winter days, when you step outside expecting to be greeted by frigid air, but instead find a mild, soft day

7. Finally being old enough, and mature enough, to really dress for winter and not feel self-conscious in massive winter boots and a tuque

These are some of the true gifts of winter in my mind, and I would trade them reluctantly despite their high cost (frostbite, bad drivers on bald all-season tires, 6 months of hat hair, snow down your collar, bad imported fruits and veggies…).

So I hope wherever you are today it is snowy and beautiful or balmy, sunny and humid, cause that’s wonderful too.

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The one thing I read semi-religiously is Seth Godin’s Blog.  This is notable because there are very few things I do consistently, for any significant period of time, with the exception of necessary activities related to earning a living, childcare, and personal hygiene.

Seth’s blog makes me laugh. It’s insightful.  It strikes the perfect balance between rant / opinion / verifiable fact / reflection / observation.  It is neither obnoxious nor pedantic, two characteristics which generally annoy me.

So if you have a moment, perhaps once a week or so, I encourage you to read it too.

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The countdown to Christmas has begun. In our house that means advent calendars, gingerbread men and eggnog, lots of coloured lights, a sub-zero trek through the woods to secure the *perfect* Christmas tree, and a lot of whispering and covert activity. I love every moment.

Things I don’t love about the Christmas season: crowded stores, slushy streets, and the need to stalk people in order to secure a parking spot. Fortunately there’s a really easy way to avoid all of the above - online shopping. Online shopping provides another advantage to the harried gift giver. You can delegate it to your virtual assistant.

Selecting the perfect gift for friends and family is no easy feat and not one that can easily be handed off to someone else - you’re on your own for that! But once you know what you want to buy for whom, let Maxine shop around for the best price and arrange to have your gifts shipped directly. Before you know it everyone will be crossed off your list and you’ll be thinking to yourself, “That didn’t take me long at all!”, as you curl up in front of the fire with a glass of eggnog and Bing Crosby.

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Over the course of my career I have placed upwards of 100 people in jobs…from Presidents, to Managers, to basic staff positions - and regardless of what level job they are applying for, it still shocks me the extent to which applicants are consistently unprepared. 

The *great* candidates, the ones who send professional resumés, attached to grammatically correct, courteous emails, are few and far between…in fact, I’d say they number no more than 20-30% of total applicants.  The remaining 70-80% of communications we receive in response to our postings range from mediocre (”i want to apply to the job you posted please call me“) to poor (”call me Bob“) to totally and utterly incomprehensible (”job opening of interest great qualities start 4 weeks low pay“).

So I have done some research and prepared this post in hopes of influencing those of you who really would love a great job, and have a lot to offer, but haven’t quite mastered the art of Applications yet.  Please take this advice, and then drop me a line when you get that job you really, really want!

1.   Every single communication you have with a potential employer / recruiter is crucial-even the first email.  When your emails are well written, it’s a sign that you take care, invest the time required to do a task properly, and have basic skills required to communicate effectively.  These are key criteria for ALL JOBS.  So, please, write your emails carefully; check your spelling, use correct sentence format and punctuation, sign off with your full name and phone number. 

2.  Keep a log of your applications.  Sometimes when we contact candidates who have applied to a posting we are met with complete confusion - they simply don’t remember having applied, or they have applied to so many postings they don’t know which one we are calling about.  We understand that it can be hard to keep it all straight, but when we have to spend 5 of the 10 minutes we have allocated to the follow up explaining who we are and what job you’ve applied to, it’s a waste of time for everyone.  Keep a detailed log of the jobs you apply for, including date and source (website or publication). 

3.    Prepare a clean, concise CV before you apply for any job.  When candidates apply for jobs and don’t have an up to date, accurate CV to send, it signals that either they are not serious, or have something to hide.  A CV is the only method you have of conveying who you are and what you can do, and a potential employer shouldn’t have to drag the information out of you.  

Please note that there is no good excuse for not having a CV (trust me, I have heard them all:  “I don’t have a computer”, “I don’t know how to make a CV”, “I am not actively looking for a job, so my CV isn’t up to date”, “This CV doesn’t include my last 3 jobs…”, “I have kids and don’t have time to make one”, “I can’t remember all my jobs”…)

Here is a great, simple link to help you develop a solid CV.   How to write a resumé, Jobboom.com

4.  Follow up.  If a recruiter or employer contacts you, even if you have found another job or have lost interest in the one they have to offer, please follow up.  It’s enough to drop a line letting them know that you are no longer looking.  Often I respond to applicants only to discover they have disappeared into the abyss. That’s fine, but I admit it is hard to be enthusiastic about their candidature when they contact us down the line because they’re on the market again…

OK, that’s my 101 on Job Search.  Stay tuned for Job Search 102, coming soon. 

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Before I found MyTextFile my desk was constantly littered with scribblings on sticky notes and any other random scrap of paper that was within reach when the need to record something hit me - and it drove me crazy!

All my work is done on the computer and I wanted my notes to be on my computer too. I tried Google’s desktop application that has a built in notepad but it was overkill. Too many unwanted features just to get an electronic notepad. A word processor is an obvious choice but I found it tedious to open Word and then have to toggle back and forth between it and my browser.

Finally I found MyTextFile, an ajax-powered text editor for a single plain text file. You can log in with your google account and add, save, or delete text as you see fit. I placed a link to the site on my toolbar so I always have a piece of paper and a pen handy.

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