Well, you could let it go and give her things back to her, or you could send a collection agency after her. Whether or not keeping her things is legal depends on your state legislation, but I wouldn’t risk it. In some states, it’s considered theft.

I’ve been looking into Fundbox lately. It’s a service that manages billing and invoices, ensuring you get paid. Check it out and see if it’s something you might be able to use!

As for the Salon Employee Reality Check–I’ve written tons of them. (You’ll find a wealth of verbal smackdowns in the comments also, and even more on this site–but those are specifically for nail techs.) Trust me, when it comes to the issue of handling clients after a split, I don’t take sides. I do understand and appreciate the salon owner’s interest in retaining their clientele, but I don’t think that interest should influence us to lower ourselves. People aren’t cattle, and I absolutely do not approve of or promote client theft on an employee’s part either. Quite the opposite (for employers, I highly recommend requiring non-solicitation and data theft employee contract clauses–and prosecuting those who violate). However, it’s one thing to protect your salon’s clientele–it’s another to treat them as if they’re stupid.

Forgive me for saying, but “privacy reasons” is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard and as a consumer, I would consider that a massive insult to my intelligence. Lol, you make it sound like their favorite employee went into witness protection. I strongly recommend that you not use that phrasing in the future, since I’m fairly certain your clients are smart enough to know that it’s complete BS. You’d be better off being honest and telling them you’d rather not disclose the information. That’s understandable–“privacy reasons” is a joke.

I’m fully aware of what Duty of Loyalty is, and it has little to do with this particular scenario–unless we’re speaking of corporate officers, which we aren’t. We’re talking about workers, most of whom are “independent contractors” operating on a “commission-only” basis and certainly couldn’t be considered decision makers. Duty of Loyalty likely wouldn’t apply here where we’re speaking of actions taken after separation of employment, excluding internal solicitation, since that duty is severed upon resignation/termination, but the general concept of professional courtesy does apply–to both parties in the arrangement. In this situation, an employee does not breach his duty of loyalty by preparing to compete, provided that they remain within certain parameters. Common law Duty of Loyalty (fiduciary excluded) is designed to protect employers while also not stifling that worker’s ability to compete. Of course, courts don’t define the “parameters” for breach, but case law does: “Courts have also generally held that an employee does not breach his duty of loyalty (or a nonsolicitation covenant) by advising his employer’s clients that he intends to resign and discussing his future plans. ProductiveMD, 821 F.Supp.2d at 964; American Credit Indem. Co. v. Sacks, 213 Cal. App.3d 622, 636, 262 Cal. Rptr. 92 (1989). However, if these communications are deemed solicitations, then the employee has crossed the line. Id.; Johnson, 73 S.W.3d at 202; Prof’l Energy Mgmt., Inc. v. Necaise, 684 S.E.2d 374, 378 (Ga. Ct. App. 2009).”

Did you come into salon ownership from outside the industry? (I’m only asking because I see these kinds of opinions and attempts to bring in inappropriate corporate law from MBA’s who purchase salons or obtain regional or district management positions at corporate chains.) If that’s the case, (certainly not a bad thing, btw) you’re just in a really poor position to understand where I’m coming from here, so your difference of opinion isn’t surprising.

I definitely agree that you shouldn’t be faulted for wanting to protect your business, but I’m having trouble understanding how a loss of 10-20% of sales can equate to a 50-100% profit loss. Are you making sales with no profit margin or is your compensation system extremely unbalanced? I’m not being a smartass (I know written content can sometimes come across with an unintended tone), I’m genuinely interested in what you mean by that.

Anyways, I’m not promoting marketing someone else’s business. That would imply that you’re making an effort to do so–I’m advocating for transparency when a client asks for it. You’re unlikely to keep that client anyways–as you stated in your own comment, they can use social media to track down their stylist–so why not keep your dignity and show the client you respected them enough to provide them with a truthful answer? This is not about “singing songs” and “hugging it out” but acting like adults and respecting our clients’ right to choose where and on whom they spend their money, and setting an example for the professionals who work with us.

Oh crap! I forgot to link it for you! Here it is.

Where can I find the post about knowing when to quit?

I went through the same thing–not about the money. I have always been able to live really well on relatively little, so work has always been about satisfaction and whether or not the position made me happy. Eventually, it got to the point where no amount of money would make me like working in management. No matter how nice the owner was or how great the employees were–I was just completely over it. I wrote another post on knowing when to quit, and how not to feel ashamed of quitting. You have to do what’s best for you. That came directly from my experiences when I hit my limit for dealing with SOSDD (“same old shit, different day”) Syndrome, lol.

I am much happier or where I went to but unfortunately I am making only half of the money that I used to be so I’m actually thinking about retiring

Also, never trust clients–no matter how loyal you think they are. The only reason your ex-employer could have known that you contacted those two clients would be if those clients reported directly to her. I’m willing to bet she wouldn’t have engaged her lawyer if she didn’t have physical proof (a copy of the email you sent). Don’t risk litigation. When you sign something, abide by it. If you don’t agree with it, don’t sign.