Recommendations
Bloom is my new spot for my flower arrangements. Rita gets a new hat for the Fall.
If you want to give someone a thoughtful gift that means more than anything money can buy, give them your recommendation. Whether you recommend a restaurant, clothing store, book, dog groomer etc. the research you have put into the recommendation matters and so does your opinion. Also, considering the time that you spent to try a restaurant or shop at a store is precious so when you share your findings, it’s like you are giving away gold.
There is a difference between our recommendation and a paid influencer’s recommendation. Family and friends will take our word with more weight for something we endorse than a celebrity’s (although Oprah may be the exception to that rule). If we genuinely stand behind a product or service because we have received great results or benefits from them, why wouldn’t we want to share this information with people we care about?
In 2017, I had a conversation with two women about creating an app that made it easier to share our recommendations with the wives of the NFL. The first woman on the call, my friend Amber, had moved so many times that she had transitioning to a new city down to a science. As a coach’s wife, Amber created a notebook that contained gathered information for doctors, hair stylists, schools, dry cleaners etc. I wanted to capture her method of obtaining that information in an app so that others can move to a new city and have a place of reference other than using the platform Next Door. I believe that knowing the person who recommended the venue is more important than all the replies we may get on Next Door. The other woman on the call back in 2017 was Cynthia Zordich. At that time, she had recently launched NFLThread, connecting women of the NFL. Amber and I told Cynthia our idea and her realistic input helped us put things into perspective. Apps were costly and hard to develop and the concept would be hard to contain within the privacy of the users. So Amber and I let that dream go.
Fast forward to January 2021. In a meeting with Allie Engelken, the Executive Director of Community Development for the Broncos, I was asked if it would be ok if she rolled out the Team Works app for the significant others of the Broncos organization. She went over all the many features on the Team Works app - all of which can significantly help others navigate thru the Broncos’ corner of the NFL world that we live in. I got really excited and absolutely gave the thumbs up to launch the app within the Broncos Family Network. When I asked if there was a way to share our recommendations, she waived her wand and presto, she added an area on the app where users could go to find lists of restaurants, doctors, hair stylists - it is like magic! Side Note and Humble Brag: The Broncos’ significant others are the very first, of all the NFL teams, to use Team Works. I am so proud about that and yet I still haven’t completed the recommendations field. But I will soon because now I have products, places and local gifts that I can fully recommend.
Leslie brought this basket of local goodies to the hotel when we were in Denver for Spring Break. My two go to gifts that I share with any visitor is the Blue Moose Green Chili Cheddar dip and the Primo jelly.
Leslie also gave us a gift card to this treasure spot. It’s my favorite local ice cream place so far. Great ice cream!
My assimilation to Denver has been fairly easy and I give credit to so many people who have welcomed us by sharing their recommendations. Leslie started it with the basket of local treasures. It’s because of Leslie that I found my favorite local dip, jam, ice cream spot and our family dentist. She continues to give me clues on things like where to get guilty pleasure queso dip and finding large tubs of my favorite dip at Costco. Then Rachel gave me all sorts of information on my contractor, handyman, charcuterie boards, dog sitter, summer camps for my son. Rachel is constantly hooking me up with her recommendations because she genuinely wants to make my life easier. Dianna gave me her recommendations for her home stager, yoga, book stores, restaurants and sports. I’m constantly asking her questions about the local area because she is actually one of the few who was born and raised in CO. My neighbor Glenda has pockets full of wonderful tidbits of “have to” places and events. She texts me all the time to invite me to go hiking or go to a neighborhood band event and she gives me a head’s up on things for my kids like driving school and hockey programs. Lastly, the piece de resistance was an email that I received from Brittany that shared so many of her favorites that I was overwhelmed with gratitude. All of her recommendations have been perfect for me. The list, which contains links for every single recommendation, is tailored for the immediate area where we live. I love knowing that businesses are local and her notes on each place or service have steered me in the right direction. Because of Brittany, I found cleaners to help me with the house and a wonderful caterer. She shared with me that her mother would put together a book for each Broncos coach’s wife that moved to CO so that they could acclimate quickly. I can only imagine the book: it would have a nice binder cover, page protectors and the information inside would be so helpful to those wives and passed along for years. This book that Brittany’s mom gave out is what I was envisioning back in 2017 but in the form of an app. Team Works is as close to this notebook concept as it can get - except there is no need for page protectors.
A gift from Rachel. This charcuterie board was gorgeous and delicious. Most of all the thought was special and it fed us for days! I would definitely recommend this vendor to those who ask me.
The Duffeyroll was on Brittany’s list and it did not disappoint. Delish! I got one of every flavor to try. Hard to pick a favorite but if I had to, it would be the Pecan Sticky bun.
Bonnie Brae Ice Cream was on Brittany’s list as well. The line is long but we use that time to catch up and get really hungry for ice cream. My flavor is Dulce de Leche.
Below is a thoughtful pinch that I received and I wanted to share it with you because the thoughtfulness is a great gift. While our realtor and his wife Lindsey were at a Broncos game, we talked about being foodies. I glanced at Lindsey’s phone and saw that she had a list of restaurants. There were hearts and fire emojis next to some of the places. After she vetted me and determined that I was serious about going to restaurants that were local and different, she decided that she would share her list with me. They put a copy of it in their thank you card and I squealed with delight when I received it. I know this list took a long time to curate because when it comes to restaurants, she doesn’t fall into the trap of thinking a restaurant is good just because others say it is good. These restaurants are tried and true. I am fired up to try all of these places for myself. And you know what? If I like a restaurant a lot, I am going to pass it along to the people I care about.
Sharing our love for food, a great book, a dog walker we can trust, the perfect yoga studio (like the outdoor one by the pool), an ice cream spot etc. is like sharing a secret or family recipe. We want to improve someone else’s life by enlightening them with something we know. Recommendations make life easier for others. If that’s not a thoughtful gift, then I don’t know what is.
Pinches,
Barb
