April Newsletter 2022
National Small Business Week
The first week of May is indeed National Small Business Week.
Way back in 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.
So, what defines a “small business”?
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a small business has no more than 1,500 employees and less than $38.5 million in average annual revenue, depending on your industry.
We think $30 million is a pretty large business! If you look at the government definition based on the Affordable Care Act, they would characterize any business under fifty employees as small.
As a point of reference, 90% of businesses have fewer than twenty employees.
Supporting local businesses keeps tax revenue in the state and city as well as providing jobs and support for the overall economy. While we love Amazon too, buying locally has tremendous benefits for the community you live in.
We also know that COVID sadly put the hurt on so many small businesses and we know they need our help, which is another great reason to shop local. Colorado is also doing their part to support small businesses, and they have a great toolkit for promotion and it can be found here.
As a small business, we are so grateful to be part of your lives. As always, we will continue to earn your trust every day.
Thank you!
Universal State Tax Refunds
Looks like we all have a refund coming and who doesn’t like free money?
It was recently announced that each individual in Colorado that files their 2021 taxes by May 31, 2022, will receive $400. Joint filers will receive $800.
The amount is fixed and will not be modified based on income or any information on your 2021 tax return.
From the article on the Denver Channel:
“Under the Colorado Taxpayer Bill of Rights, when there’s a TABOR surplus, it gets refunded to taxpayers. What would normally come to taxpayers in April 2023 is being given in an advanced payment, due to the proposal, to address the rising costs of inflation, officials said.”
It seems that the coffers of Colorado are overflowing with money, and we are happy to see the state giving it back to the residents.
The complete article from the Denver Channel can be found here.
Denver’s Exodus
For years it seems we have been talking about the massive inflow of people into our city.
That trend is over.
For the first time since the early 2000’s, the population in Denver declined.
In fact, the population declined by just about 1%, with a dip of just over 6,000 residents.
Statewide, however, our population did indeed grow, but only by 28,000 residents. This is only about one-half of one percent over the previous year, which is well below our recent run rate.
It seems we are not immune to the migration pattern that seems to show folks leaving big cities for the country, or for cheaper locales.
New York City, for example, lost 328,000 residents, and metro Los Angeles gave up 176,000.
We aren’t smart enough to know what this all means. Part of it could be COVID, part of it could be rising costs in the city or our increasing crime rate.
At the risk of piling on, Denver was recently listed among the top 5 least affordable metro areas to live in. The only cities worse than Denver were San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Miami.
Those of you that have been wishing for people to stay wherever they are and not move to Denver may have finally gotten your wish.
Here is hoping this trend reverses and our city transforms into one we can all be proud of, and that more people want to live in.
What’s in a (baby) Name?
We are always fascinated by the trends in baby names.
The days of Beverly, Doris, Chester, Clarence, etc. may be winding down except for the most traditional of parents.
There was a book written a while back called Freakonomics and they devoted an entire chapter to the evolution of baby names
The authors keep this concept going and their latest ideas can be found here.
Of course, there are many societal aspects to naming your baby. The most interesting tidbit we ran across was from the co-author of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt, who said:
“I think it really is about the parents. As I’ve studied naming, what I’ve come to believe is that the primary purpose, when a parent gives a name, is to impress their friends that they are whatever kind of person that they want to be”
Very interesting statement, don’t you think?
Ok, so enough about the evolution of baby names. What are the top baby names for 2022?
For starters, the national trends are trending towards playful (Buddy, Sonny, Coco), earthy (Bali, Sequoia, Forest), and regency (Benedict, Simon, Genevieve). Also, for societal reasons we are seeing more gender-neutral names as well, such as Blair, Shiloh, and Wren.
Without further ado, here are the top three baby names in Colorado in 2022:
Girls-Olivia, Charlotte, Emma
Boys-Liam, Oliver, Noah
As you know, we are pretty old school over here, so we were happy to see William come up 7th and James 8th. No such luck on the girls as Sophia was the most traditional name we found.
The full piece on Colorado baby names can be found here.
Oh, and folks….be careful giving your baby a hard to pronounce name. We don’t have an opinion on this, but studies indicate it may make life difficult for your future adult.
How Wise are You?
What is the difference between being intelligent and being wise?
Well, the photo we chose this month says it all. As we thought about this, however, it brought up many questions about wisdom and the difference between that and intelligence.
We know a few very, very smart people (intelligence) that may not function in society very well. Conversely, we know some people with high school educations that we go to with all of our problems because they are wise (wisdom).
Yes, you can be smart and not wise, or vice-versa. Intelligence is typically measured with innate ability and/or IQ. Wisdom is about experience, knowledge, and overall good judgment.
So, how do we cultivate wisdom?
What did we learn? Becoming wise is a process, and fully cultivated it becomes a guide for your life.
Here’s to being wise….and smart.
Monthly Award Winners
Our monthly award winners for March were Gabriela Barrancas, Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Katherine Crespin, and Reyna Galvez.
In the Team Leader ranks, it was Juana Olivas and Mayra Soto.
We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week.
We continue to be grateful to you for allowing us into your lives during these challenging times.
Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of March.
Queen Bee Corner
by Angela
I have a referral I would like to share.
Absolute Electrical Heating and Air is a company that by pure chance I used for an ongoing heating issue I had been plagued with for years. They diagnosed and fixed the problem and restored my faith in the American work ethic. All in the space of an hour.
Imagine if you can a company whose technicians are thoroughly trained and knowledgeable, equipped for the job at hand, who show up on time, polite and respectful but not chatty.
Their customer service folks answer promptly and listen to you. I’d even say I’ve met my match in that arena.
The list of their capabilities is long. Basically most anything that can happen in the lifetime of your home is under their care. What a soothing thought!
Forgive my over-enthusiasm but I think we can all agree that the service industry is sorely lacking on many levels. An exception deserves public applause, recognition, and gratitude. I offer all three.
You can find Absolute on their website, linked above, or at 720-381-1767.