Big News: I’m Joining Kentwood City Properties

It wouldn’t be a new year without some big exciting changes now would it? This past year, I have been contemplating a big move for my real estate career. I was approached by an amazing downtown Denver firm called Kentwood Properties a while back in regards to joining their team as an agent. Now I don’t know how much you know about brokerages in Denver but when it comes to the top of the board, Kentwood ranks right up there as one of the best in the city. I was beyond flattered that they asked me to be a part of their talented team but I of course had a few reservations mainly being that I never imagined I would leave the brokerage firm that I started from the ground up. My husband Jay and I started our brokerage firm as a team and have seen it grow and expand into something really wonderful and I never thought the day would come when I would be leaving. But if you ask my husband and any of my close friends, I used to say, the only way I would be leaving my own brokerage would be if Kentwood came knocking at my door and it seems the universe aligned and now, I am beyond excited to start this new journey with this incredible group.

This decision took me a whole year to make but I feel the reasons I am making this move is to better myself in all aspects of my life. I made the decision as I feel it is going to help me grow as a Realtor, businesswoman, mentor, mother and wife as it will give me more time to work on my self development, business development and will give me more time with my family as I won’t be wearing all the hats anymore and can focus on what is important in my life and business. Sometimes as a business owner I forget just how much work I actually do every day and how I take away from time that could be better spent focused on my clients new and old. With the help of Kentwood City Properties, I look forward to freeing up more of those busy-work hours so my clients and I sell their homes and buy the next house of their dreams.

Being an Realtor with Kentwood City Properties will provide me with the tools, knowledge, skills and better backend support to service my clients and business partners.  It will offer more benefits like higher quality marketing, international connections, as they are members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and the Luxury Portfolio Brand.  I will have enhanced customer support through a transaction, as I will have an assistant named Shea and the lovely ladies at the front desk, Gloria and Courtney who can assist my clients as well.

Jay and I will continue to work together but Jay will stay on with Modglin Real Estate Group and continue to work with investor clients, buyers and sellers. Jay will run the property management division of Modglin Real Estate Group and he will also continue to volunteer as an EMT.

I can’t wait for this new adventure and I am so excited to be able to offer my clients the best of the best, here’s to a new year and a new beginning!

Happy International Women's Day

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” - Coco Chanel

 Yesterday, all over the world, we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day when women and men around the globe take time to look at the issues that still continue to surround women today. Today, women still play a huge factor in contributing to social, cultural, political and economical achievements. Yet with all of that there is still a huge gap when it comes to gender equality. Many people believe that this is only present in third-world countries and many first-world countries do not have as much gap in equality but that is far from the truth. As much progress as many first-world countries have made, there is still a long way to go and it up to us, men and women both, to continue to work towards a more equal state of living.

The theme this year for International Women’s Day is #PledgeForParity which means to pledge for equality for women in all aspects of their lives. While we have come far, we still have a lot of work to do. Last year, the United States was ranked 28th on the Global Gender Gap Index, a chart that ranks 145 economies according to how well they leverage their female talent pool, based on educational, economic, political and health-based indicators. Studies have also found that women are more likely to continue their education after receiving a bachelor’s degree but despite these gains in education, a gender gap still exists in the workplace.

As a working women who owns her own company, I know how important is it to continue to support other women in the workplace. There have been countless studies in regards to women in leadership positions in companies and how positive an impact that leadership has on the workers and the company as a whole. I think it is imperative that women and men both continue to work together to close that gender gap in the workplace and continue to fight for equality whether that is with pay or education or laws. Women bring a lot of positive energy to the workplace as well as the home; we are good listeners and caretakers. As we continue to fight for more rights, I would encourage women to keep supporting the other strong women in their lives. I know I have been lucky to meet some incredibly talented and caring career women who blow me away with their leadership skills. These are women whose morals and beliefs are present in their work from how they handle their employees to how they deal with their clients, these women use their talents to make a good workplace.

Take a moment today and appreciate those strong women in your life and feel free to check out more about International Women’s Day at their website http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

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!