I Asked a Question. Here's What I'm Doing With Your Answers.

Earlier this week I threw a question out there: What's an unpopular opinion you're willing to defend in a room full of people?

I figured I'd get a few jokes. Instead you all showed up. Almost 20 comments in a few hours, side conversations, people pushing back on each other, people getting real about stuff they've been through.

Honestly? I usually ask a question, watch the comments roll in, and move on to the next post. Not this time. Somebody I respect called me out on that, and he was right. So this is me actually doing something with what you told me.

What I heard

I went back through every comment. A few things stood out.

People are tired of having to have a take on everything. The top comment was basically "we don't need an opinion on everything," and a lot of you agreed. That one hit.
School and how kids learn came up more than once. Parents have strong feelings about it.
Consumerism and what actually matters. More than one of you said we've lost track of what makes life good.
Mental health is real. One of you shared that you used to think people were just being lazy, until you went through it yourself. That took guts to post.
And some of you just wanted to talk poker. Respect.

What I noticed most is that nobody was just scrolling. You had things to say and you wanted somebody to listen. That's the part I don't want to waste.

Why I keep asking questions

If you know me, you know I like putting people in the same room. I host vendor events, I introduce business owners to each other, and I'm always trying to figure out what this city actually needs.

Questions are how I do that. Not surveys, not some corporate "community input" form. Just real questions, asked out loud, where people can answer how they actually feel.

Here's what I've figured out: the people who answer questions are the same people who show up. They're the ones who come to events, support local businesses, and care how things go here. If I want to connect people in Colorado Springs, I need to start by listening to them.

What's next

So here's what I'm doing with your answers.

Round two. I'm taking the top opinions and turning them into a poll. You'll get to vote on which ones you'd actually stand behind. Watch for it this week.

The local version. Next, I'm asking the question that matters most to me: What's an unpopular opinion you have about doing business or building community in Colorado Springs? Networking events, downtown, how we support small businesses, local government. Nothing's off the table.

A real table. I'm going to invite a few of you who gave the most thoughtful answers to sit down over coffee. Small group, no pitches, no selling, just a conversation about how we do things here and what we could do better. If it goes well, it becomes a regular thing at my next vendor event. [Date and location TBD]

Your turn

I'm going to keep asking Colorado Springs questions, and from now on I'm going to do something with the answers. That's the deal.

If you've got a question you think this city needs to talk about, send it my way. If you run a local business and want in on the next vendor event or the coffee table, comment or DM me.

Asking is easy. Showing up is the part that counts. Let's do it together.

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