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  • 2 days ago

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People
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00:00Part 2
00:00Three weeks later, on a random Tuesday, HR called me into the office.
00:06Gary was already seated with two HR reps, they slid a folder across the table and told me I was
00:12being terminated for soliciting clients to leave Brightspark and join a competitor.
00:16My heart stopped. Not only was this false, it was absurd. I had no side hustle,
00:23no competitor, and no reason to sabotage my own career. I asked for evidence.
00:30They said they had email records. I asked to see them. Denied. I asked to speak to legal counsel.
00:40Denied again. I was told I could resign quietly or be fired with cause.
00:46I walked out without signing a thing. Word spread quickly.
00:50Gary told the team I had been caught trying to steal clients and that he had no choice but to
00:55let me go. Some of my junior colleagues distanced themselves. Others texted privately, saying they
01:02didn't believe the story but were scared to get involved. The worst part? I got blacklisted.
01:10I applied to multiple agencies, no bites. A recruiter I trusted told me off the record that
01:16my name came up in negative reference checks. I was done being nice. At this point, I had nothing
01:24to lose. So I started my revenge in the most professional, surgical way possible. I lawyered
01:31up. I hired an employment attorney who specialized in wrongful termination and defamation. We drafted
01:38a cease and desist letter demanding Brightspark stop spreading false claims, along with a request
01:43to see the so-called evidence they had. We never received a reply. I also launched my own agency.
01:51I took my savings and created a small boutique digital marketing firm. Let's call it Nova Forge.
01:59I didn't poach any clients. I didn't even reach out. I simply posted on LinkedIn saying I was starting a
02:06new chapter and accepting new business. That was it. My ex-clients came to me. Apparently,
02:15word about my firing didn't sit well with several clients, especially Dana. She reached out,
02:21asking if I was available. I explained my new business. She signed on immediately.
02:28Then came two more. And then five. All of them were clients I had personally managed,
02:35but none of them were under any exclusivity clauses. I then hired Brightspark's best employees.
02:42The junior staff I had trained began reaching out. Many were miserable under Gary's leadership.
02:49I offered competitive pay, remote flexibility, and, get this, a profit-sharing model.
02:55Within four years.

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