(This is a brief account of my first job at Business Leader Media.)
Right out of college, I worked at a publishing company called Business Leader (hereafter BL) in North Carolina as a designer, editor, proofreader, and IT specialist (I was the youngest employee in the office, after all). BL started as a local business magazine focused on all the commercial happenings in the Raleigh area. Shortly before I started, BL was bought out by Eran Salu, a venture capitalist (I think I'm using that term correctly) who sought to expand the business, increase profits, and then sell. Soon, the company had tripled its magazine count into the Charlotte and Greensboro areas. Tripled it's workload, if you will, and yet the headcount remained the same.
What type of employer is Eran? He was the type of employer who would hire fledgling photographers to shoot cover photos for the magazine, not pay them, and use the fine print in the contract they signed against them. There was always new creatives looking for work, and he was always ready to take advantage. If I recall correctly, we had to keep a list of burned photographers on a "do not employ" list.
Around that time, Annette, the art director, demanded she needed help with the influx of new work, thus my hiring. My main objective was to support her in publishing the increasing amount of magazines each month. Annette, a woman in her late 40s, was fiercely strong and independent. She had golden-blonde highlighted, shoulder-length hair that always had a bit of fuzz to it. You could tell she blow-dried her hair for efficiency, not style. And she would realize the hairy situation about midday with an exasperated comb down. She rode horses as a hobby and had the firm thighs and butt to match. I know this because once I complained about my putty bottom, and she told me to take up horseback riding. We consented to compare backside muscles, and wow, how is that for trust between two employees? Annette listened to the classic rock station on the radio, she brought her Chow Chow, Mooshoo, in every now and then, and we had a great work environment between the two of us (good, because we shared an office).
I also would work with Dave, the Chief Technology Officer (when you work for a company with fewer than 40 people, half of them tend to be vice president or chief officer of something). Dave was a funny, smart guy who didn't take shit from anybody. You could tell he was there for a paycheck, but still, he was good at what he did.
The CEO, Eran, had this habit of not talking to the low-level employees, including myself. He would have back-and-forths with Annette and Dave about work that I did, which I would overhear considering my office shared a wall with Eran's. The usual MO for Dave or Annette upon their return was asking, "Did you get all that?" To which I'd let them know I already started.
Sometimes I created assets for the company website to help Dave, and one task included creating 100 web banners--one for each of the "100 Movers and Shakers of Raleigh!" I overheard Dave talking to Eran about an error I made across all the banners, explaining that it was an easily rectified mistake. "What is she, autistic or something?" Eran said. To which Dave denied, saying that it was likely an exporting error. "OK, so you're saying she's just stupid?" As I mentioned, I could hear everything through the wall and was upset. Dave came in the office, "Did you hear all that? ...Yeah, I know you did. Don't worry about him." Although I wanted to bust in there and tell Eran off, Dave encouraged me to let it go, that confronting Eran would change nothing. Bite your tongue and move on--you're better than him. For the next year, my interactions with Eran were limited to the obligatory hello in passing from the bathroom or kitchen. In a way, it was a gift that he refused to speak with us bottom-feeders.
After 15 months of working at BL, I talked to Annette about my performance. She agreed that I was going above and beyond my original job duties and deserved to be compensated as such. I made $24,000/year. Luckily, rent in Raleigh was dirt-cheap at the time, and I was paying about $300/month for a shared living space. Much to our chagrin, Annette wasn't in charge of giving merit raises, only my performance review. Annette provided her evaluation of my work to Eran, with the recommendation to give me a 10% raise ($2,400 more a year), and she never heard back. She followed up with him during their next meeting, and he dismissed the idea of giving me more money since I was still entry-level. Annette suggested it may be more effective for me to appeal to him. I asked for a meeting a couple days later, and he agreed.
As I entered his office, Eran presented his usual one-ply friendliness--his words didn't match his tone. You can smile and speak cheerfully all you want, but disdain is hard for the unpracticed to hide. He understood I wanted more money, and I requested the discussed merit increase. Eran focused on the money I wanted, expressing how despite my great work, he wondered if it was worth the investment. It was at this point, that the conversation turned in a way that I didn't expect:
- What I expected: an outright refusal, postponement to year's end, or a smaller percentage.
- What I got: I think it's time we part ways and terminate your employment.
A few months later, I found out that Annette, overburdened by my work being returned to her, gave Eran an ultimatum: hire someone to help or she would quit. He eventually succumbed, allowing her to hire another entry-level assistant. Annette would complain to me about the new hire, recanting our partnership and comradery.
Eventually, like most others, Annette grew tired of the chaos at BL and quit. And like all others before her, Eran required her to sign an NDA stating she would not speak publicly about the company and its practices. However, Annette was not young. Not naïve. She didn't sign the document. Eran refused to hand her the check she earned. The difference between she and I, is that Annette had the knowledge and wherewithal to fight.
Annette soon filed a lawsuit against Eran for her rightful wages, court costs, and lawyer fees. You'd think the case was cut and dry. There was no previous contract binding employees into having to sign the NDA, let alone to not be paid for accrued work completed. Eran was simply taking advantage of folks who were depending on the paycheck to bend to his will.
Now here's the kicker: Eran countersued Annette, claiming her dog, Mooshoo, DAMAGED the carpet. No joke. He countersued for the cost of having to rip out and replace the entire carpet on account of her dog chewing and soiling the carpet. Of course, none of that happened, and the evidence presented in court was so dubious, the judge threw out the case. Annette won her original lawsuit, received her rightful wages, funds to cover her legal fees and time, and validation that you can win against the bad guy in the real world.
I don't know much about how BL eventually went out of business. I know more than half the staff was laid off soon after my departure. I know much of the work was soon outsourced overseas--so much so, that the main phoneline was a customer service rep in India. You know, for a local Raleigh business magazine, the main contact was some dude in India. The company eventually went under.
I'm sure Eran is still slinking around, seeking opportunities to grow a company for profit, leaving a heavy cloud of bullshit in his wake.
