From the Editor: Our Businesses

Most of my life, I have worked for someone else. Numerous companies, many industries, dozens of bosses. Anyone who is employed feels a commitment, an obligation, to ensure that the person or entity that is paying them is successful. But when you own a business it is a whole different thing.

When my husband and I started this magazine, as publisher it was the first time that I was the de facto decision maker and person responsible for the direction of a ship. I remember thinking in the early days, “I should ask someone about that.” And then quickly realizing that “someone” was me. I needed to decide what was right or wrong for the success of this business each day. The reality of that was sometimes stressful and heavy.

But it was not too difficult to decide most things. Decisions were and are based on “what’s best.” What is the best content and information for the Broomfield community? What is the best, most valuable rate structure for our advertisers? What is the most fair way to represent our local organizations? How do I set up a structure that is rewarding and satisfying for the staff? What are the best decisions to ensure that we remain in business?

When I ask that question, most answers come easily. But the road has not been completely smooth. Like most/all business owners experienced, Covid presented some extremely tough challenges. The printing industry was not immune from the rising cost of everything, and don’t even get me started on postage rates! As our costs climbed, I sternly resisted passing it along to our advertising customers, but finally had to listen to the gentle reasoning from my husband. If we did not keep pace with our costs we would not be publishing very long. And so there were some moderate increases about a year ago. Thankfully inflation has cooled a bit and we are leveling out. But I feel for our clients. Being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. And we consider each advertiser a true partner and are equally vested in each company’s success as we are our own.

That is why I love this issue: Our Broomfield’s Our Favorites. Our very own “Best of Broomfield” as selected by YOU, our readers throughout the community. So please enjoy! Check out the list and learn about a business you may not know. The strength of our community overall is directly tied to the economic health of our businesses. Thank you again for shopping local and supporting Broomfield!

Until next time. Thanks for reading,

Tina Eichner, Editor & Publisher