The simple example usually trotted out to illustrate the brutality of seasonality is the ice cream business. Frenetic in summer; struggle city for the rest of the year.

But at Max & Mina’s Ice Cream, in New York sales were up 40% over the winter, more employees were hired and the owner was working the longest hours he had done in 12 years.

Why?

Because, according to the owner, Mr Becker, in tough economic times ice cream “is an affordable comfort food”

It’s no accident that Max& Mina’s ice cream is doing well during the cold of winter and the freezing of our wallet. Mr Becker made it happen. He tells people they deserve ice cream, he tells them it’s a little treat, he tells them it’s affordable.

And while he’s doing that he is also telling a tale to the grumps who say that you can’t sell ice cream in winter.

Daily juice: Lot’s of folk make assumptions about what can and can’t be done. Do a Max & Mina’s, prove them wrong.