Never Forget Columbine

Yesterday was the 17 year anniversary of the shooting at Columbine.  Please do not forget this day and always remember what happened on this day even though it is something we would like to forget.  

I remember this day well as I was working at an apartment community right around the corner from Columbine HS and all of a sudden there were police cars and ambulances driving by where I was working.  The staff and I kept hearing them drive by what it seemed like for an hour or more and then we finally turned on the news and discovered what happened.

I was getting ready to meet my fiance at the time JayModglin to go out to lunch and when we turned the corner the school was blocked off and there were police cars and ambulances everywhere. 

That entire day all I heard were police cars and ambulances driving by. I will never forget this day and I ask that you don't forget it either.

I recently went a toured several high schools with a family who is relocating to Colorado this summer and every time I entered a high school we made sure to research their security as this memory of columbine will never be forgotten.

Life if precious so please don't take it for granted and make sure to hug and kiss your family every day and don't let the little things make you mad.  

How Testimonials and Reviews are Beneficial for Your Company (Even the Bad Ones!)

Let me start by saying this, the first time you get a bad testimonial or a less-than-professional review, it does not feel good on the receiving end. You may get upset; that pit in your stomach may grow and you may sit up at night questioning why the reviewer said what they did or what the testimonial will do for you and your company. All these thoughts will race through your brain and here is where I am going to tell you to take a deep breathe and listen to me when I say; all reviews and testimonials, good or bad, are good for you and your company and I am going to tell you why.

·      The reason most customers leave a company or stop using a product isn’t because they are necessarily dissatisfied with the company as a whole or the products they supply but how they were treated by an employee, the help team, etc. Customer support and how they are treated is the main factor with customers and if they feel they were treated poorly or their situation was handled poorly, get ready to wave goodbye. Knowing this is a huge advantage to you as a business owner because those are problems you can fix. My best advice would be to listen closely to the customer (and not all customers are the easiest of people I understand that and they may feel they deserve special treatment) but overall listen to what they are saying and make changes where changes need to be made. When you are developing your team of workers, surround yourself with a team who treats people the same way you do, no matter their title or their position. Customers can come from all walks in life and you and your team have to be prepared to go out on a limb for some to make them feel comfortable.

·      Customers are skeptical of almost any business they first work with and that is understandable. But it is those returning customers, the ones you have worked with for years, the ones who you send ‘Happy Birthday’ cards to and who continue to come back to you year after year that you need to write you a good testimonial. When researching companies to work with or products to use, people today turn to the Internet and read testimonials and reviews to decide where they should take their business. It is up to you as a business owner to ask your repeated customers and even your new customers to write reviews for your company and express how that will help your company in the long run.

Reviews and testimonials are a great way to connect with your customers and work on issues in your company as well as your own personal issues that could be pointed out through a review or testimonial. The bottom line is, by knowing what you are doing well and what you are not doing so well, these things will allow you to grow as an individual and as a company so you can continue to be better in the long run. 

Denver Restaurant Week

There are many things to love about Denver, from the ever-changing weather to the awesome outdoor activities; you can always find something to do in this vibrant city. One thing Denver is renowned for though is our eclectic mix of amazing restaurants and chefs. Denver has attracted a lot of talent over the years and more and more restaurateurs are making moves to this growing city to try their shot at making it. It can be hard to figure out what restaurant to go to with the huge selection or it can be tough to try new places that are hard to get into or restaurants that are known to be on the more expensive side. That is why Visit Denver decided to start Denver Restaurant Week twelve years ago, a weeklong event where different restaurants participate with special menus and prices for restaurant-goers. This is a great way for Denverites to get the chance to try different restaurants they have been eyeing for a less expensive price tag and also a fun and engaging menu of great food. This year there are over 126 restaurants participating in restaurant week that starts tomorrow Friday, February 26th and goes until March 6th. Feel free to check out menus of all the restaurants in the link below and also you can make reservations (which is highly recommended if you want to get in!) http://www.denver.org/denver-restaurant-week/menus/ . Just remember, this is a very busy week at all these restaurants so you may have to wait a little longer to get seated and to get your food, so practice patience and be sure to tip your waiter or waitress well because they are working very long hours this week! Below are a few restaurants I would recommend trying out this week but all the restaurants on the list are worth checking out!

Atticus – 1115 E Evans Ave – This quaint neighborhood restaurant and bar is known for their warm hospitality. Their American menu is designed around Colorado’s small producers and is complimented with a wide variety of delicious cocktails and wines.

Bones – 701 Grant St – Denver is crazy about noodles these days, you can’t go anywhere in this city without finding a good ramen or pho spot. Bones is on top of the list with their ramen, their green chili ramen is ranked 2nd best ramen in the US so you know it is good! Don’t forget to order their handcrafted steamed buns to start.

Fooducopia – 1939 E Kentucky Ave – This is another restaurant that prides itself on making a delicious menu full of local ingredients. On their website they talk about joining them on a journey to remember the delicious taste of good honest food.

Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox – 1215 20th St – This restaurant used to be home to a brothel back in the day and the owners (who also own the wonderful restaurant Linger in the Highlands) wanted to keep memories of that around. With great live music on the weekend, amazing food and bartenders who know a thing or two about drinks, this is a fun spot to try during restaurant week.

With so many good restaurants signed up to participate this week it will be hard to choose where you should go with friends and family but I hope you get to experience lots of great tastes of this awesome city!

Why Being Social Is Essential In Any Business

When talking about social media, many people think of it as a fun thing they do during the day when they have a few down minutes. Social platforms are seen as a place to keep pictures and look up old friends, to write about opinions and to share memories. But there is a whole other side to social media that I, as a business owner, have come know quite well. No matter how hard many business owners’ try to fight it, our country is an ever-growing social media network with new ways to connect and market coming out daily. It is important as a person in business that I figure out the best way to use social media to further my work connections, to advertise my properties and to market myself as a real estate agent and business owner. While I do believe in the older way of marketing, going out and meeting people and handing out my card, there is just not enough hours in the day. Having social platforms that I can post on helps me connect with a wider audience while allowing more relationships to begin via the Internet. Below I have compiled a list of the benefits to having different social media platforms for your company:

Finding New Customers/New Customers Finding You – Whatever product your are buying/selling, there is always a market out there and the more you are out there on social media marketing yourself, the more likely people will find you. With things like Facebook, you can join groups that specifically go with your company and from there, new customers can find you. Or on a platform like Twitter, finding what you want is only a “@” sign away.

Seeing Your Target Market Personally – With access to your customer base at your fingertips on social media, you will get to know them better which in turn will help you market your company/product better.

Keeps You in the Now – A lot of business owners think they have missed the train when it comes to social media and are not sure why they should start now. Well, I can tell you this, it is never too late to start! Even if you are just putting your business on the social media map, you will be surprised just how quickly being in the public eye will increase your sales. Also, it is more than likely that your competition is on social media already and therefore already a step ahead of you. We both know that being one step behind is never the best place to be so take the step and get your social media started today!

It Is Free – I could repeat this one a few times because let me tell you, marketing isn’t cheap, but social media is free, period. Use that to your advantage! Get out there and figure out what social platforms are best for your brand and then use those as guides to market your company. If you are a company such as a real estate agent, using Instagram to post pictures of upcoming listings or great house fixer-upper ideas would benefit not just you, but your clientele, and possibly future clients as well.

Take the time today and sit down to experiment with different social media platforms to figure out which one best fits your business. If they appear intimidating, there are plenty of social media experts out there who would be willing to sit down and go over each essential element to each platform and help you decide which platform makes the most sense for your company.

Just remember, it is essential to be social in today’s business world, find the best platforms for you and your company and watch your business grow!

What The Denver Broncos Taught Me

It wouldn’t be right to not say a little something about those football players from Denver who recently won the most coveted title in football. Congratulations to the Denver Broncos for being Super Bowl L champions! What a time to be a Broncos fan, our team had quite a year but in the end, led by Peyton Manning, the team rallied together to play a great Super Bowl game and came out victorious. There has never been so much blue and orange draped around the city and it is quite a wonderful sight to see.

After the big win on Sunday, I listened to many of the interviews with the players and the coaches and have to say, I came away with a lot of realizations about football but also about what it means to be on a team and to have one another’s backs through thick and thin. When Peyton was injured earlier this year, many people got down on him saying he was too old to play and wouldn’t ever be able to come back and play the way he once did. The truth is, Peyton is not the youngest quarterback out there, he isn’t the fastest and he isn’t the most graceful even. But he is one of the smartest quarterbacks out there, who has a team that respects and follows his lead. On and off the field, Peyton is looked up to by players, coaches and the media a like, because he is far more than just a superior football player. For a team to be successful, like the Broncos were this season, there needs to be those leaders on and off the field. The ones who encourage their fellow teammates, push themselves and others to do better, take the disappointments in stride and celebrate each and every little victory.

That kind of work ethic and leadership is something I admire and myself try to do in my everyday life. I am lucky enough to work with some amazing team members, from the company my husband and I run together to the financial organizations I help run, being a team player and a leader is something I strive to do from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I have encountered many bad leaders in my time, managers who lack personal skills and speak to their employees in a degrading way, co-workers who find it ok to talk badly about one another or owners who are barely seen at their companies leading many employees to wonder how important the business really is to the owner. The thing is, you can’t have a team without a leader or a group of strong leaders who support those they advise and those they mentor.

There is that saying, there is no “i” in team, and the Broncos showed us that more than anything this past weekend. The offense, the defense, the kicker and good ol’ Peyton, all took to that field and showed what it looks like when a team works together for their cause. In the end, they walked off the field all smiles, knowing they had all taken part in their great victory.

Photo From; The Denver Post