Why Stealing Clients and Talent is a Bad Idea

Let’s get one thing straight: leaving an agency is normal. Poaching clients and colleagues on your way out? That’s a scumbag move.

I’ve been in this business long enough to know that how you exit says more about you than how you work. And if your big farewell plan is to siphon off the clients and talent your agency trusted you with, congratulations—you’ve just announced to the industry that you’re untrustworthy. Hope that short-term win is worth the long-term damage.

The Trust You’re Betraying

When an agency hires you, they take a risk. They invest in you, in a time when you probable needed it, they  introduce you to their clients, and give you a platform to grow. That’s a privilege, not a free-for-all.

If your response to that investment is to stab them in the back on your way out, you’re not just burning a bridge—you’re pouring gasoline on it and laughing as it explodes. And guess what? The industry is smaller than you think. That fire will catch up to you.

This Isn’t Just Business—It’s a Reputation Killer

There’s a lazy excuse some people like to use: “It’s just business.” No, it’s not. It’s a moral and ethical choice. If you think snaking clients and convincing coworkers to bail with you is just part of the game, you’re not a strategist—you’re a parasite.

The other excuse some will use is that if the client was well taken care of, they wouldn’t be looking.  That’s an excuse to justify the approach by someone who’s in the business of doing this, and done it in the past. 

Clients notice. Colleagues notice. Future employers definitely notice. And when they do, your name will become synonymous with disloyalty. You might get away with it once, maybe twice, but eventually, doors will start closing. And they won’t reopen.

The High Road Pays Off—The Low Road Ends in a Ditch

Talented people win,  if you have a non-compete in place ask your employer if it’s ok to talk to the client, even if they reach out.  It’s just good etiquette and professional.   Handle it in a way befitting someone who’s been here before and knows the terrain a bit.  Not like a rookie trying to swipe what someone else built.

Because here’s the thing: advertising is about trust. And once you’re marked as someone who can’t be trusted, you don’t just lose jobs—you lose the ability to matter in this industry.

So, when you leave, do it the right way. Or prepare to spend your career wondering why no one will take your calls.