I will miss his Texan accent. My business partner of over 10 years, and long-time friend, Richard Wroten, passed away on September 23rd. Knowing him meant a lot to not only my professional growth, but just having another person who understood the challenges of running a business meant a great deal to me.
The loss of a business partner can take you by surprise. However, Richard and I always had a plan. We practiced what we advised our clients to do. While the transition was painful emotionally, the plan we developed helped me and the business make the transition smoother.
Richard cared deeply for our clients. Even after he left the business in January, he often asked how the ones he interacted with were doing. The clients not only remembered him for his southern charm, but how that charm could disarm them and get them to open up about what was truly happening to them and their businesses.
As I have gone through the motions and emotions of the day I found out about his passing, I have thought about all the people’s lives he touched, the good things he did, how hard he worked and what a pleasure it was to have him be part of my career for all these years. The advice and council we shared with our clients and the stories we told each other about people and things that happened through the years have become an incredible book of treasure. I still keep the voice message on my phone he left me several weeks ago just to hear his Texan drawl. I can’t bring myself to delete it.
I will miss you Richard and I will miss working with you. I don’t know why things happen the way they do but my life and my business were better because of people like you. Not once, ever, in all these years did anyone ever say a bad word about you and I never heard you say a bad word about anybody. Not one. I wish that we could all have that kind of eulogy.
I have things handled for the moment. I wish you were here to advise me what to do next. Adios my friend.