Today I lost one of my favorite clients.
I'd been working with The Sheepherder in Alma, Colorado since the very inception of Denver Crowd several years ago.
Our businesses met in the most serendipitous of ways - a chance bathroom stop on a road trip to Breckenridge with friends.
A simple conversation with a local store owner turned into a 4-year business relationship with Diane, owner and seamstress at The Sheepherder in Alma, Colorado.
When I first started working with Diane to provide social marketing and advertising services for her handmade sheepskin clothing store, she didn't have much hope for growing her business.
Diane was already approaching retirement and was skeptical a social media strategy could help expand her customer base.
Over the next several years we grew Diane's business together, putting off her retirement one year at a time.
This year, Diane made the decision to close her books for good (after fulfilling record-setting holiday orders). In our last meeting, she broke the news and expressed her gratitude.
"You without a doubt, had a huge impact in the growth of my business for the last several years," she told me.
I'll miss working The Sheepherder, but look forward to continuing my coffee visits with Diane as she enjoys her golden years in Alma, Colorado.
As our time together comes to a close, I can't help but feel grateful for the work we did together and the impact my team made on Diane's business and life.