August in Maine

It’s hard to believe it is already August.   Between getting Jimmy off to camp , getting Emma ready for her freshman year in college, and oh…starting a new commercial  real estate division at RE/MAX By The Bay,  the summer seems to be slipping away. I have not had much time to spend in my favorite downtown coffee shop.  A morning at Bard Coffee (www.bardcoffee.com) provides me with the perfect latte and great networking opportunities.  One of larger transactions I have completed this summer came as a result of a chance meeting over a latte.

The weather this year has been nothing short of glorious.  After the misery of last summer, we certainly deserve it.   The Old Port is crazy busy.  There are tourists on every corner and cruise ship season is just getting underway.

While I have seen a definite increase in commercial real estate leasing and sales activity, the beautiful weather seems to have lulled people into a sense of complacency.   I know of a number of companies whose lease terms will expire at year’s end and I expect a full fledged panic to ensue after Labor Day.  I will be ready for them.

Monday Morning Musings

Monday mornings are hard enough without adding in torrential rain.  The fact that the kids are on summer vacation and were still in their nice dry beds when I left this morning adds insult to injury.  Somehow, my trip into the office got detoured and I ended up at Bard www.bardcoffee.com.  I just don't know how that happens.

It is definitely summer in Portland.  Despite the rain, the sidewalks are full of tourists and there was barely a seat to be found here at Bard.  It's amazing how much happier those vacationers look trudging about in the rain compared to the rest of us poor working slobs.

For those of us whose livelihood depends on the "improving" economy, busy sidewalks are nice to see.  Rumor has is that this year, people are actually leaving stores with packages in hand as opposed to just window  shopping.   Hopefully the remaining empty storefronts will be filling up with some fun new stores...and it would be even better if those new business owners would call me to work as their Tenant Representative.   Send them my way!!!!

Iced Coffee and Conversations

It’s not a latte from Bard www.bardcoffee.com , but a Starbucks Iced Coffee To Go will have to do.

We all know where that road paved with good intentions leads to. When I started blogging back in January, I had visions of daily entries. It soon became apparent that working two full time jobs was going to make that feat impossible, so I decided once per week was doable. That was my last post...in March.

 

Well, now I am back! Summer will provide a respite between the excitement of my daughter's high school graduation and the trauma of sending her off to college. The position at Community Counseling Center is winding down while the new Commercial Division at RE/MAX By The Bay is getting ready to explode. Leases are being signed, properties are being listed (the 1st RE/MAX By The Bay Commercial FOR SALE sign went up today!)!

There is definitely a feeling of optimism in the marketplace – of course, summer in Maine can make anyone an optimist.

It's raining and that is not always a bad thing

I finally found the time to spend the morning in a coffee shop.   I settled in at Bard, www.bardcoffee.com, with a latte that is a work of art and my ever present laptop.

On a cold, miserable day here in Maine, the old adage “when it rains….it pours” is true on multiple fronts.  Just over two months ago, I found out I was going to be leaving a job I liked and had no idea what I was going to do.  While the thought of unemployment was terrifying, there was something appealing about starting over.  Given the current economy, I anticipated a long dry spell and many mornings blogging from coffee shops and cafés.

Flash forward to today.  I am starting a new Commercial Division at a company I love!  Business is remarkably good and we have not even formally launched yet.  After less than an hour sitting at my little café table, I have run into a couple of former clients and at least one potential new client. Plus I had the chance to catch up with a dear friend and a little gossip.

For now, I am also running the Trauma Intervention Program…work that truly feeds my soul.  Hopefully that will be morphing into a long term position as well. Right now, with a huge fundraising event next week and a 55 hour training to lead at the end of April there are not enough hours in the day.

An occasional quiet morning at a coffee shop is good for both my business and my general demeanor and I will be making a commitment to see that it happens at least once a week.   There is a lot to be said for taking a breath, pausing to reflect and enjoying that perfect latte.

Lattes, Leases and Life Lessons

It's already the 2nd week of March and so much has happened since my last blog post. On February 22nd, I started the next phase of my career when I joined RE/MAX By The Bay as the pioneer in their entry into the wild world of commercial real estate. What an amazing opportunity to be on the ground floor of this new addition to the leader in residential real estate in Southern Maine. Adding a commercial real estate component will provide "one-stop" services to the clients of RE/MAX By The Bay. On February 28th, I headed to the RE/MAX International Comvention in Orlando. No...it was not warm and sunny, but the information and the contacts made were amazing.


During all of this, I have been trying to think of a way to continue my blog. Readers chimed in advice and some very witty blog titles. Do I stick with the "Lattes" theme? Do I focus on commercial real estate? Does anyone really care?


A chance meeting last Friday morning at Bard Coffee answered those questions. While having coffee with an old colleague and dear friend, who should wander in the door but high school classmate. Yup, 29 years later...and we recognized each other. Obviously, we have both aged well. It was great to catch up over a stellar latte and it looks like a business relationship may be in the works. Clearly, lattes will continue to play an important part in my life. Thus....I am happy to launch Lattes, Leases and Life Lessons. (www.lattesleasesandlifelesson.blogspot.com)

A Leap Into The Future

When I found out in January that I was soon to join the ranks of the unemployed, more people than I can count told me that “things happen for a reason”.   At the time, I was hard pressed to figure out what possible reason could cause me to lose a job I liked.  This was especially difficult when considering the current economic environment and the fact that we have a freshman entering a ridiculously expensive university this fall.

This week, I found out what that reason was.  I have been given a unique opportunity to combine the experience I have gained in commercial real estate with the contacts and relationships I developed over my years in residential real estate.  Knowing that we have the security of COBRA insurance coverage and the per diem work I am doing for TIP, this is the perfect job at just the right time.

While not at all what I thought I would be doing after being out of a job for less than a month, I am thrilled to be joining RE/MAX By The Bay as their first specialist in the Leasing and Sale of Commercial Real Estate.

Oddly, when I finally took the leap and signed on the dotted line, one of my only regrets was that I wouldn’t be spending my mornings in the cafés of the Old Port working on my blog. Then with a little bit of “Duh”, it occurred to me that the same networking opportunities that sent me into the cafés when I was in the job market would be a huge help in building my new business. So, on my first day as broker at RE/MAX By The Bay, I am sitting at Bard (http://www.bardcoffee.com/)  with some new goals in mind.

One of the things that I have discovered is that I really enjoy the process of writing a blog and I plan on continuing as I move forward. While I have become very attached to the name Lattes and Resumes, it no longer applies and I am searching for a new name. Any suggestions?

Do I dare?

What a beautiful mid-winter weekend we had in Maine. If the forecast wasn’t calling for 6-10” of snow today, I would swear that spring was just around the corner.

The kids are on vacation this week, and therefore won’t appear until just before noon. I was up and out of the house early and have secured a fine corner table at Bard Coffee (http://www.bardcoffee.com/). It is unlikely that they will even realize I am gone.

Once again this morning, every table at Bard is occupied. It is a great mix of students, professionals and even some tourists who have braved Maine in February. Perhaps they are escaping from the snowy tundra of Washington, DC?

On Friday, I filled out the many forms that signal the start of my work for TIP (Trauma Intervention Program of Portland). While I don’t expect it to amount to a lot of time each week, it is so satisfying to lend a bit of experience to be help out this very important organization.

Heading into the 3rd week of my job search, an interesting opportunity has presented itself. While not at all what I had envisioned, this may be a case of it being the right time and place for a new venture. As someone who is generally risk adverse, I might just need to take a leap of faith.

Something to ponder over another latte….

No snow in Maine....

It’s a cold dreary day here in Portland, but at least it isn’t snowing. I’m certainly thinking of all of my friends to the south who are getting yet another blizzard.

No room up front at Mornings in Paris (and the back is just too dark), so I have moved up the street to Bard Coffee http://www.bardcoffee.com/ . It’s almost noon and every table is still occupied with people busily working on laptops. At some tables there are two people across from each other working away.  It looks like a Battleship tournament!

I have been here for a couple of hours plugging figures into a spreadsheet. An interesting job opportunity has presented itself and I am trying to figure out a way to make the numbers work. If I didn’t have to worry about actually making a profit, it would be the perfect job. More meetings later in the week…

In the meantime, I am going to be doing some work for the Trauma Intervention Program of Portland (www.commcc.org/TIP/index.html) . This is a program that is very close to my heart and something I have been involved with since its inception here in Portland. It seems that since I have a little extra time on my hands, I should put it to good use. Of course, my basement and closets could use a serious clean out, but what fun would that be?

Matins à Paris

Bonjour from Mornings in Paris on Exchange Street in Portland. I’ve never been to Paris, but I like to think that this is what it would feel like. There is lovely French music in the background, a huge mug of latte and really interesting people at the tables around me. To my right, a newspaper article on Valentine’s Day traditions is being edited and to my left a woman is reading The Canterbury Tales. Really…I don’t think it is for a class, I think she is simply spending a cold February morning reading Chaucer. In the meantime, I couldn’t even spell espresso properly in order to log into the free WiFi the café provides.



Navigating the paperwork and intricacies of unemployment is almost a full time job in and of itself. Keeping a job log for unemployment benefits is a bit of a challenge. Do they seriously expect me to keep a daily log of the companies I am contacting? Can I write down the coffee with an old colleague? What about the glass of wine with a former client?


The redrafting of the resume continues. In its current state, it seems to be attracting mainly life insurance and financial companies. The AFLAC duck cracks me up, but selling insurance is not what I see myself doing in this new stage of my career. I’m thinking about changing resume formats from chronological to skill based. Maybe a combination of both?


Wednesday looks like the next time I will be here at Mornings in Paris…feel free to join me.

Laundry or lattes?

Yesterday I decided to work in my newly set up home office (also known as the guest room). While there is indeed a lot to be said for spending the day dressed in sweats and being able to multi-task between writing cover letters and doing laundry, I wasn’t nearly as productive as my time spent in the café. Besides, I missed the cheerful greetings of the staff and the really good lattes. So, this morning I am back at the Maine Bean Café (http://www.mainebean.com/)


Under new ownership, the Maine Bean Café is undergoing some changes of its own this week. Each morning I step into a slightly different space. A big comfy brown leather couch greeted me this morning. New paint and some additional upgrades are on the schedule for the weekend. It seems that we are re-inventing ourselves together.


As I meander through this process, the support from friends, former colleagues and acquaintances has been nothing short of amazing. Taking 25 years of such varied experience and finding a way to portray that to prospective employers has been a challenge. There have been brilliant suggestions for ways to rework my resume and emails with links to potential job opportunities; offers to meet for coffee or a glass of wine and many, many calls and texts of support.


Its time to spend some quality time searching the career websites.   Monster.com and jobsinmaine.com await….

And so it begins....

And so it begins…. I decided that I should start my adventure where the idea was hatched, so this morning finds me once again at the Maine Bean Café http://www.mainebean.com/. The pastries look unbelievable, but in the interest of my waistline, I am not even going to think about having one. A large skim milk latte sits next to my laptop.

This weekend’s chore was to navigate the process of filing for unemployment. At the end of the process, I registered for the Maine Job Bank and today received a list of suggested job opportunities. Compiled based on my experience and interests, the results are pretty amusing. Apparently I can choose from door-to-door vacuum salesperson to morning news anchor for the local ABC affiliate. In between, there are actually some interesting possibilities.

Counting the days

...the countdown in on. Now that the end of my current job imminent, I am anxious to begin the new month, the next stage of my life and my exploration of new opportunities. Of course, the idea of spending cold winter mornings in warm cafes and coffee shops certainly adds to the anticipation. How very nice it is to have something positive to look forward to in the face of a job loss. Stay tuned...I am pondering my many choices of wonderful spots to set up shop Monday morning.

Over lattes and a warm blueberry muffin.....

On January 29, 2010 I will officially join the ranks of the unemployed. Laid off from my job as a commercial real estate broker, I am beginning my first full-fledged job search since I graduated from college. Times have certainly changed. Back in the "day", we waited for the classified section of the Washington Post, and armed with a red pen, went through page after page of possibilities. Now the computer is mightier than that red pen.


This morning, as I sat in Portland’s Old Port at the Maine Bean Bakehouse & Deli  mainebean.com, listening to great live music with my daughter, I was bemoaning the fact that I wouldn't be downtown as often once I stopped working. "You should job hunt from a different coffee shop every week" said my prosaic 17 yr old. Half kidding, I suggested that I could write a blog chronicling my job search, the different coffee shops and the people I meet along the way. Her response was enthusiastic and thus Lattes and Resumes was born.