In Dubai, for example, five-star hotels lavish buffet meats, vegetables, and desserts each night during Ramadan. Iftars and suhoors – places where Muslims gather to breakfast – are becoming increasingly commercialized. Also, with Dubai’s economy in recession and hotel occupancy rates low, managers are pressing their staff to keep the business up.

Egypt is also offering low hotel rates, while a Toyota newspaper ad offers a special holy-season sale – no payments until Ramadan 2011. Since Muslims also have more leisure time due to reduced working hours, special Ramadan soap operas are created and advertising spending spiked up to 62%.

Like Christmas to US and to other parts of the world, the United Arab Emirates retailers are counting on the Ramadan sales to serve as the foundation for a year’s worth of business.

With this changing attitude, some charitable groups have launched campaigns to remind Muslims of the real spirit of Ramadan. Hefth Al Ne’ma, a charity that collects leftover food from banquets and weddings since 2004, has collected Ramadan leftovers to donate to suhoors. The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi also reminded Emiratis against wasting food. After all, the Koran teaches the faithful that God is with those to restrain themselves.

Source: Time

Myth #1 The Myth of Resources

You don’t need more time, money, experience, or contacts to start earning extra cash. You can always focus on providing a service, like consulting, tutoring, or even dog-walking, instead of selling products.

Myth #2 The Myth of Type

Stop convincing yourself that only risk-takers succeed in the game called entrepreneurship. You don’t have risk everything just to be a successful entrepreneur. Running a quiet, safe business can also be financially rewarding.

Myth #3 The Myth of Opportunity

Don’t wait for the perfect timing to launch the perfect idea to start earning from the perfect entrepreneurial venture. In reality, what you really need is to start looking at your prospective market and see how you could combine your idea with what people are willing to pay for.

It’s always easier to make excuses, to whine, and to daydream about a better financial standing. Stop wasting your time. Don’t let these myths fool you into thinking that keeping your job and earning more is impossible.

Source: Gulf News

Investing on business attire can be costly. Decent business suits can run up to a few hundred dollars and with today’s economy, not everyone can spare that much money just to appear a bit more formal and crisp.

Then again, there’s still value on dressing to impress. For starters, it sends out the message that you’re not that hit by recession. And people always want to deal with someone who’s recession-proof. Suits also connote importance and authority.

You can always be a recessionista. Finding good deals and bargains. It’s really more about the style of dress. You need not be in $1,000 suits to be able to power dress. Neatness, fit, and confidence can trump any Italian brand.

Then again bums wear suits.

I always go back to that “Coffee is for Closers” scene in Glengarry Glen Ross and even in today’s business (especially in today’s business), it does take a lot of brass chutzpah to do well in business.

I know many other businessmen will be saying that there’s no need to dupe poor schmoes to sell. But one way or another, the population still consists of people of average and with a bit more guile and that killer instinct, you are bound to make money from them.

And it’s not just with the customers. There’s also the competition. We now see this in the form of big business stomping down mom and pop shops. How many local grocers have been shut down by those huge superstores?

So do you think you got the killer instinct? Can you sell to Average Joe for a premium even if you know he can get a better deal elsewhere? Can you shutdown or takeover competition?

If you’re dealing with organizations, you’d come across people performing different roles. Secretaries would often serve as “gatekeepers” who may limit your access to the key people to talk to.

This applies to a whole lot of things as well. There’s usually no point in arguing with clerks. If you have an issue with a purchase and can’t get any results with the clerk, knock it up a notch and bring your issue to the manager.

This works with haggling as well. Sales people often are reluctant to give you bigger discounts. Their commissions might be based on their gross sales so discounts would mean less for them. Take your case to the manager who might oblige.