At Contemplative Caregiver, our mission is to provide mental health services, caregiver support programs, grief-focused workshops, and retreats for family and professional caregivers. We address the unresolved grief, burnout and chronic stress that come with hands-on caregiving by offering compassionate, evidence-based care.

Why We’re Joining the Leading Edge Program

To continue meeting the needs of caregivers, our business must grow thoughtfully and sustainably. That’s why we applied to the Boulder SBDC’s Leading Edge program, an eight-week entrepreneurship series designed to help small business owners build and refine their ventures. The program runs from May 5 to June 23 and meets each Tuesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with sessions offered at the Boulder SBDC office and virtually. Beyond the schedule, Leading Edge offers a structured, hands‑on experience covering business planning, financial management, marketing strategy and operations, all at an accessible cost thanks to city support.

Our business, launched in 2017, has developed a range of offerings—from individual counseling and outdoor therapy to group programs like “Brush With Grief.” Yet with growth come new questions: Which services are most impactful? How can we structure our pricing to support sustainability? Where are there gaps in our operations or marketing? Leading Edge provides the expert guidance and peer collaboration needed to address these questions and move forward with confidence.

Our Goals

Through the program, we aim to:

• Critically review our business. We want to evaluate our services, pricing and operations with the help of experienced instructors and peers, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
• Clarify our role in the community. As we expand, we need to understand how our work fits within the broader caregiver support landscape. A clearer understanding will help us increase our regional impact and forge meaningful partnerships.
• Strengthen our language for partnerships and grants. Communicating our mission effectively is essential when seeking grants and collaborating with other organizations. We hope to refine how we describe our programs so that funders and partners see the value of supporting caregivers.

Challenges & Opportunities

Being candid about challenges allows us to address them head‑on. Currently we are:

• Navigating growth. We’re adding more private‑pay sessions, outdoor therapy and paid community programs. Our goal is to increase private‑pay clients while reducing reliance on insurance reimbursements.
• Considering space. We need an office with natural light and an outdoor component. We’re also exploring permitting to offer caregiver fishing therapy and outdoor grief groups at places like Coot Lake. Ideally, our space would accommodate up to fifteen participants and allow us to charge for programs—something our current library venue doesn’t support.
• Building partnerships. We’re seeking more collaborations with organizations that can share space, co‑facilitate workshops, provide food or co-sponsor retreats and short programs.
• Creating passive income. Our revenue largely depends on direct client work and live groups. We want to diversify through workshops, training materials, retreats and grants so that we can continue supporting caregivers even when we’re not in session.

These challenges highlight the importance of strategic planning, which the Leading Edge program is designed to support.

What Success Looks Like

By the end of the program, we hope to have a clear snapshot of where our business stands and to see measurable growth in pricing strategy, community partnerships, marketing and operations. We also want to use what we learn to enhance our programs. For example, we welcome Leading Edge participants and facilitators to attend our free “Brush With Grief” session on May 24 (1:00 – 3:00 p.m.) at the Boulder Public Library’s Eldorado Room. Your feedback will help us refine the program and ensure it resonates with caregivers.

Continued growth means more caregivers will have access to the support they deserve. We’re excited to embark on this journey, and we look forward to sharing updates as we integrate lessons from the Leading Edge program into our mission.