Today is March 1st and for most it is just a cold Saturday in March, but for Purple Diamond it is a milestone and an end to the most amazing week.  Six years doesn’t seem like much for businesses that have been around for 20 or 50 years, but this anniversary was marked with a very special honor and achievement.  Thursday night we received the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce 2014 Sole Proprietor of the Year Award at an event with over 330 business professionals at Danversport Yacht Club watching and cheering us on.  WOW…that was absolutely AMAZING!!!  I still have goosebumps when I think of approaching the stage to speak to the room to offer thank-yous to all who have helped me with this journey and passion called Purple Diamond.  My husband Jay, was the first person who I called out to and that is because without him this company could not be.  He works long hours as a System Engineer for an international tech company which provides us with the stability I needed to venture out and start this business in 2008.  The second I mentioned was for my family, mostly my daughter Nicole and son Ken, who attended the event with me, but have watched me over the years work long hours helping my clients and showing them the importance of always doing your best.  Then, I said thank you to my friends and most of all my clients who continue to send me steady referrals.  Several clients showed up to surprise me like the management staff at Best Home Care who found a way to get seated at the table beside mine and all were sporting my signature color Purple.

Did I expect to win? I honestly didn’t. The other nominees were all deserving of the same honor and one of them, Lauren Poussard Photography, is a close friend who I joked with before the event and said that at least if one of us won we could go out and celebrate, but Lauren quickly corrected me and said we would celebrate no matter who won since it was an honor to be nominated and she was right.  After the event, we did continue the celebration and it reminded me of why I joined the Greater Beverly Chamber.  It is more than a network of businesses, it feels like a family of friends and a strong community that helps each other succeed.  If you have a business  North of Boston and you are looking for a chamber to help you connect and grow your business, please consider the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce.  Joining this chamber was by far the best move I made as a business owner.

Happy 6 Year Anniversary Purple Diamond!