Frequently Asked Questions

Colorado Local First is comprised of two primary things: our online directory of local businesses, and the media campaign that's spreading the word about local business and why they're so important. Colorado Local First provides resources to identify and build relationships with Colorado-based companies. The campaign leverages both traditional media (such as print ads, radio, billboards, etc) and grassroots efforts to impact people's spending habits, and develop the directory as a true community resource.

You can find out more about the campaign and see the fun materials we're developing in our 2009 campaign packet.

The Colorado Local First media campaign is all about raising awareness of the importance of local businesses, and providing resources for people to connect with locally-owned companies.

Now that the directory is online, we're pulling together the resources to unroll a fun media campaign leveraging traditional media (print ads, radio, billboards, etc) and grassroots methods to help spread the word. It takes cash and partnerships to do this effectively.

We already have media sponsorship from The Onion and Metromode Magazine, who are featuring regular print ads. Our partnerships with various city and non-profit organizations are helping to spread the word as well.

Our Colorado Local First t-shirts and stickers are being sold online, through member retail businesses, and at special community events.

There is much more we can and would like to do. And we probably can't do it all on our own.

You can help us spread the word.

Here are things you can do to build our Colorado Local First campaign:

1. Become a member of the Mile High Business Alliance as a business or individual. We are a grass-roots, member-driven organization, and this is the first way to get involved. Your participation not only means more connections and exposure for your business, but also builds the momentum we need to create a healthy, viable organization.
2. Make sure your business' profile is up-to-date and complete. Learn more about business listings and how to update them.
3. Create a user profile and start reviewing businesses. Invite people you know who would be interested in the directory, too.
4. Add the directory quicksearch to your web site. You can get the HTML here and add it easily to your own web site. Let us know when you've done this or if you have any questions.
5. Add a blurb to your newsletter or web site about what we're doing and why it's important. You can find an example here.
6. Attend a Mile High Business Alliance event, and bring a friend. Our community/social events are free, and are a great way to connect with other local businesses.
7. Sell some campaign t-shirts and stickers in your store. They're unique, they're inexpensive, and they're a great way to get people excited about Colorado Local First. Contact us if you'd like to carry Colorado Local First merchandise in your store.
8. Become an underwriter for the media campaign. With sponsorship levels starting at $1,000, you'll be promoted as a leader in the local business community and be providing the resources we need to expand the campaign. View more info about becoming a campaign underwriter.

When planning the directory, we did a lot of research into other online directories, and talked with countless folks from the City of Denver and State of Colorado about how we could identify and gather information for Colorado-based businesses.

And we discovered something with all that research: There IS no resource for identifying the kinds of businesses we consider local.

This reinforced why we think the directory is so important - most of us don't know which restaurants or shops are owned by our neighbors, and which are corporate chains. So we decided to use the best data we could find to seed our directory: business data from the Colorado Secreatary of State.

We've done our best to sift through the data and remove records that were obviously not local (by our definition) and terribly incomplete. But that's a huge task, and we would rather have launched with lots of info (and then improve upon it) than with very little data. So we're still working to improve our info, and you can definitely help.

There are currently over 430,000 business records in the directory.

wow!

We started the directory with information about Colorado-based companies from the Secretary of State's office. We've already found some errors, and are working to clean up the data as we go. You can help us by making sure your business listing is complete and up-to-date.

If your business is headquartered in Colorado, and not owned by a non-Colorado company or franchise, you can get your business listed in the directory.

We have two kinds of listings: Free Basic Listings and Expanded Listings. Find out more about these and how to get your business in the directory.

When we launched the directory, we used information from the Colorado Secretary of State's office. This data is limited and uses the name and address you used to incorporate your business. We're happy to update this info; simply click on the "Is this your company? Find out how you can enhance this listing for free!" link at the bottom of your listing and we'll call you to verify the new information you submit.

The Colorado Local First media campaign is all about raising awareness of the importance of local businesses, and providing resources for people to connect with locally-owned companies.

Now that the directory is online, we're pulling together the resources to unroll a fun media campaign leveraging traditional media (print ads, radio, billboards, etc) and grassroots methods to help spread the word. It takes cash and partnerships to do this effectively.

We already have media sponsorship from The Onion and Metromode Magazine, who are featuring regular print ads. Our partnerships with various city and non-profit organizations are helping to spread the word as well.

Our Colorado Local First t-shirts and stickers are being sold online, through member retail businesses, and at special community events.

There is much more we can and would like to do. And we probably can't do it all on our own.

You can help us spread the word.

Here are things you can do to build our Colorado Local First campaign:

1. Become a member of the Mile High Business Alliance as a business or individual. We are a grass-roots, member-driven organization, and this is the first way to get involved. Your participation not only means more connections and exposure for your business, but also builds the momentum we need to create a healthy, viable organization.
2. Make sure your business' profile is up-to-date and complete. Learn more about business listings and how to update them.
3. Create a user profile and start reviewing businesses. Invite people you know who would be interested in the directory, too.
4. Add the directory quicksearch to your web site. You can get the HTML here and add it easily to your own web site. Let us know when you've done this or if you have any questions.
5. Add a blurb to your newsletter or web site about what we're doing and why it's important. You can find an example here.
6. Attend a Mile High Business Alliance event, and bring a friend. Our community/social events are free, and are a great way to connect with other local businesses.
7. Sell some campaign t-shirts and stickers in your store. They're unique, they're inexpensive, and they're a great way to get people excited about Colorado Local First. Contact us if you'd like to carry Colorado Local First merchandise in your store.
8. Become an underwriter for the media campaign. With sponsorship levels starting at $1,000, you'll be promoted as a leader in the local business community and be providing the resources we need to expand the campaign. View more info about becoming a campaign underwriter.

When planning the directory, we did a lot of research into other online directories, and talked with countless folks from the City of Denver and State of Colorado about how we could identify and gather information for Colorado-based businesses.

And we discovered something with all that research: There IS no resource for identifying the kinds of businesses we consider local.

This reinforced why we think the directory is so important - most of us don't know which restaurants or shops are owned by our neighbors, and which are corporate chains. So we decided to use the best data we could find to seed our directory: business data from the Colorado Secreatary of State.

We've done our best to sift through the data and remove records that were obviously not local (by our definition) and terribly incomplete. But that's a huge task, and we would rather have launched with lots of info (and then improve upon it) than with very little data. So we're still working to improve our info, and you can definitely help.

If your business is headquartered in Colorado, and not owned by a non-Colorado company or franchise, you can get your business listed in the directory.

We have two kinds of listings: Free Basic Listings and Expanded Listings. Find out more about these and how to get your business in the directory.

When we launched the directory, we used information from the Colorado Secretary of State's office. This data is limited and uses the name and address you used to incorporate your business. We're happy to update this info; simply click on the "Is this your company? Find out how you can enhance this listing for free!" link at the bottom of your listing and we'll call you to verify the new information you submit.

To manage your own listing, you must first have an expanded listing in the directory. This is a benefit to members of the Mile High Business Alliance. (find out more about membership, which starts at just $150 per year!)

If you're already a member of the business alliance, you must have a directory user account. Your personal account is then connected to your business listing. Find out more about creating a user account.

If you already have a user account, log in and visit your start page (which you can always access by clicking "my start page" at the top right of the site.)

You should see a link to your business listing under the "My Businesses" section of your start page. If you don't see this link, please contact us to connect your user account with your business.

Click on your business name, which will take you to your expanded listing view. Read more about editing your business listing here.

The five mountain rating is based on several factors. The first mountain is awarded for being headquartered in Colorado. (this is why all the businesses are listed with one moutain by default) Additional mountains are granted for the percentages of employees, purchasing, ownership and sales that happen in the State of Colorado.

To improve your localness rating, you must have an expanded listing in the directory. Then you must complete our business practices questionnaire, which tells us what we need to determine your full localness rating.

If you already have an expanded listing, you must login to edit your profile and complete the questionnaire. (need help with this?)

The five mountain rating is based on several factors. The first mountain is awarded for being headquartered in Colorado. (this is why all the businesses are listed with one moutain by default) Additional mountains are granted for the percentages of employees, purchasing, ownership and sales that happen in the State of Colorado.

To improve your localness rating, you must have an expanded listing in the directory. Then you must complete our business practices questionnaire, which tells us what we need to determine your full localness rating.

If you already have an expanded listing, you must login to edit your profile and complete the questionnaire. (need help with this?)

To create a user account, simply fill out this form. A name and e-mail address is required for user accounts. You can search the directory anonymously, but you must have a user account to leave reviews for businesses. (Find out more)

After submitting the form, you'll be required to verify your e-mail address. This helps us reduce potential spam from the site.

Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms of service prior to creating a user account, since you're agreeing to their terms when you register.

There are three primary reasons we require real names and birthdays to create a user account here.

1. This web site and directory is not about annonymity. It's about building trust and reputation between businesses and the communities they exist inside of. Trust isn't built between strangers; it's built between people. Trust is the foundation for building a real sense of community - when you know who people are, you can hold them accountable for their actions.

   We're asking businesses to tell us a lot about their business and how they conduct it. And we're encouraging you to tell the truth about what you like and don't like about these businesses. We're simply asking the same of you - to tell us who you are. Which leads us to the next reason:

2. It helps us reduce spam and negative participation. We want this site to grow in value for both businesses and people. Using real names is just one way we're preventing spam and destructive comments.

3. We ask for birthdays to comply with State and Federal laws which protect minors using the internet. We require all users to be at least 13 years of age. Read our terms of service for more information about this.

Sure they can. We're asking you not to. And if we discover user accounts that are being used to manipulate, lie, damage a competitor, falsely boost ratings, sell annoying stuff, promote annoying stuff, or disrupt the network of trust we're trying to build, we'll delete those accounts and all ratings and posts related to it. (see the terms of service)

To create a user account, simply fill out this form. A name and e-mail address is required for user accounts. You can search the directory anonymously, but you must have a user account to leave reviews for businesses. (Find out more)

After submitting the form, you'll be required to verify your e-mail address. This helps us reduce potential spam from the site.

Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms of service prior to creating a user account, since you're agreeing to their terms when you register.

To manage your own listing, you must first have an expanded listing in the directory. This is a benefit to members of the Mile High Business Alliance. (find out more about membership, which starts at just $150 per year!)

If you're already a member of the business alliance, you must have a directory user account. Your personal account is then connected to your business listing. Find out more about creating a user account.

If you already have a user account, log in and visit your start page (which you can always access by clicking "my start page" at the top right of the site.)

You should see a link to your business listing under the "My Businesses" section of your start page. If you don't see this link, please contact us to connect your user account with your business.

Click on your business name, which will take you to your expanded listing view. Read more about editing your business listing here.

If your business is headquartered in Colorado, and not owned by a non-Colorado company or franchise, you can get your business listed in the directory.

We have two kinds of listings: Free Basic Listings and Expanded Listings. Find out more about these and how to get your business in the directory.