Career Change - Emotional Intelligence for Knowledge Workers?
Nowadays we can expect to survive the second half of our lives and as our work is knowledge-based - we knowledge workers are not finished after 30 years on the job - Are we merely bored?There are three ways to develop another career: The first way is to really start a career. Our original career decision (at school or college) may have been simply around 'getting a job to make some money' or just to 'get into the job market' in some way. The advice and guidance that we received at this time may have been limited by their own knowledge of what's possible.In this case the people looking for second careers who have achieved a modest success

Developing A Customer Complaint System
Background The company was experiencing an increase in the number of customer complaints and an increase in the cost of processing them and we were hired to analyze the current situation and develop recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the process of administering and resolving the complaints.Identify Customer Requirements A consultant was assigned to the design of customer service systems and complaint processes, and who had done extensive work in QFD (Quality Function Deployment), which is a methodology that analyzes the needs of the customer and integrates them with the company processes to ensure the needs are met.Creating has been a way of life for me as long as I can remember, and my passion for dolls, teddy bears and painting have been ever present. As a former preschool teacher, I have always enjoyed children, and naturally, my favourite dolls to create were child dolls. Fast forward several years, having been married for 5 years, my husband and I were expecting our first child. The excitement was almost more than I could handle! Well, suffice to say the delivery was nothing short of traumatic…but worth every moment when I held that tiny baby and looked into those barely opened little eyes. It was love at first sight.

It was not long after that point that the thought of returning to work and giving 100% of myself to the children of others, became too much to bear. So I decided to leave my full time teaching position, my 12 years of seniority, my 4 weeks paid vacation, my security and stability, not to mention other benefits and perks; and follow my ever-present dream of owning my own business. Once outside of my comfort zone, there was no looking back.

It began with custom hand painted children’s furniture, which seemed to merge two of my favourite pastimes quite nicely. It then grew to include my 2nd passion, teddy bears. Soon designing patterns and kits and teaching classes followed. One year and a small business course later, I was a bona fide entrepreneur!

Here I am now; firmly planted in the middle of year 3, and still the surprises keep arriving. Approximately a year ago, I launched a line of cloth doll patterns and kits. These dolls had molded faces made out of felt, and I became obsessed with finding a technique that would make them even more life-like. I love realism in dolls. Porcelain doll making just wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Not owning a kiln (& not really wanting one with our 3 year old racing around the place) meant having to travel to create, and I was much more comfortable and inspired wearing my bunny slippers! I had tried my hand at vinyl doll kits, but the creative process was very limited, and there was not much control over the end results. So the cloth dolls seemed like the only option, and I was determined to find a method to make them more life like.<

say the delivery was nothing short of traumatic…but worth every moment when I held that tiny baby and looked into those barely opened little eyes. It was love at first sight.

It was not long after that point that the thought of returning to work and giving 100% of myself to the children of others, became too much to bear. So I decided to leave my full time teaching position, my 12 years of seniority, my 4 weeks paid vacation, my security and stability, not to mention other benefits and perks; and follow my ever-present dream of owning my own business. Once outside of my comfort zone, there was no looking back.

It began with custom hand painted children’s furniture, which seemed to merge two of my favourite pastimes quite nicely. It then grew to include my 2nd passion, teddy bears. Soon designing patterns and kits and teaching classes followed. One year and a small business course later, I was a bona fide entrepreneur!

Here I am now; firmly planted in the middle of year 3, and still the surprises keep arriving. Approximately a year ago, I launched a line of cloth doll patterns and kits. These dolls had molded faces made out of felt, and I became obsessed with finding a technique that would make them even more life-like. I love realism in dolls. Porcelain doll making just wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Not owning a kiln (& not really wanting one with our 3 year old racing around the place) meant having to travel to create, and I was much more comfortable and inspired wearing my bunny slippers! I had tried my hand at vinyl doll kits, but the creative process was very limited, and there was not much control over the end results. So the cloth dolls seemed like the only option, and I was determined to find a method to make them more life like.

y and stability, not to mention other benefits and perks; and follow my ever-present dream of owning my own business. Once outside of my comfort zone, there was no looking back.

It began with custom hand painted children’s furniture, which seemed to merge two of my favourite pastimes quite nicely. It then grew to include my 2nd passion, teddy bears. Soon designing patterns and kits and teaching classes followed. One year and a small business course later, I was a bona fide entrepreneur!

Here I am now; firmly planted in the middle of year 3, and still the surprises keep arriving. Approximately a year ago, I launched a line of cloth doll patterns and kits. These dolls had molded faces made out of felt, and I became obsessed with finding a technique that would make them even more life-like. I love realism in dolls. Porcelain doll making just wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Not owning a kiln (& not really wanting one with our 3 year old racing around the place) meant having to travel to create, and I was much more comfortable and inspired wearing my bunny slippers! I had tried my hand at vinyl doll kits, but the creative process was very limited, and there was not much control over the end results. So the cloth dolls seemed like the only option, and I was determined to find a method to make them more life like.

siness course later, I was a bona fide entrepreneur!

Here I am now; firmly planted in the middle of year 3, and still the surprises keep arriving. Approximately a year ago, I launched a line of cloth doll patterns and kits. These dolls had molded faces made out of felt, and I became obsessed with finding a technique that would make them even more life-like. I love realism in dolls. Porcelain doll making just wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Not owning a kiln (& not really wanting one with our 3 year old racing around the place) meant having to travel to create, and I was much more comfortable and inspired wearing my bunny slippers! I had tried my hand at vinyl doll kits, but the creative process was very limited, and there was not much control over the end results. So the cloth dolls seemed like the only option, and I was determined to find a method to make them more life like.

. Not owning a kiln (& not really wanting one with our 3 year old racing around the place) meant having to travel to create, and I was much more comfortable and inspired wearing my bunny slippers! I had tried my hand at vinyl doll kits, but the creative process was very limited, and there was not much control over the end results. So the cloth dolls seemed like the only option, and I was determined to find a method to make them more life like.

It was while on this quest for information that I first encountered Reborn Dolls. They literally took my breath away! As an artist and businesswoman, my first thought after “I must to have one!” was “how can I make one”!! And so it began, a brand new passion was born. Each and every reborn baby I create is almost like reliving the moment I first looking into my son’s eyes the day he was born. I was hooked! Well, having put several babies up for adoption on E-Bay with great success, my confidence grew and I went on to participate in a local doll show. I have been doing shows for years, and have been involved in everything from afternoon church bazaars to international trade shows. I don’t remember feeling quite as anxious at any of them as I felt coming to this show...never have my creations felt so personal I guess. Well, this was by far and away the best show I had ever attended. The response was amazing, and everyone fell in love with my babies, I have never sold so much in such a short span of time! I wound up with several classes full of excited participants who wanted to learn my techniques. And thus another facet to my business was born. This entire art form is still relatively new on the larger scale, so it is a very exciting place to be as an artist and an entrepreneur; the opportunities and possibilities are endless.

I love working from home, and being able to spent time with my son is one of the greatest rewards, so naturally, I am always looking for ways to continue the growth of my business. I offer wholesale and retail supplies, kits, and classes along with my other art and craft supplies. I just completed writing my first doll making manual on this new technique. I strive to capture as much realism in my babies as possible.