Anyone has a right to leave, slavery has been outlawed except for some very interesting couples but I digress.

He has NO right to take any leads with him. If he has any honor, he will start cold calling or putting up ads or whatever.

If you try to keep a friendly relationship you may find someday that you need him or you sell him something. There in no need for bitterness, you may feel it but you don't have to act on it.

I've been running my own storefront company office for about 18 years. Before that I worked for my first employer and did 60% of the sales among the three people who "worked" there.

When the owner decided to cut my commissions in half, I gave him 30 days notice and he immediately showed me the door. Little did I know he wanted half of my commissions so he could buy a lot more cocaine. A year later the company folded and all the employees who had invested in the company lost everything. People come and go for different reasons. Maybe he was just unhappy not greedy. Maybe he had to go out and prove himself, this is normal occurance, not treachery.

This could work out for you. You have less payroll, if you get stuck for help, maybe you could have him sub part time, he is trained.

His leaving can be a lemon or lemonaide, its just how YOU handle it. And it is OK to make it clear that YOUR customers are YOURS and it is OK to go find new ones for himself.

THE Bracha, old blond specialist in Rube Goldberg solutions.