I’ve been getting emails from clients who think I’m working with my competitor, and that he’s been sending them to me for branding.

I’m a freelance logo and brand identity designer, working mostly in my local area, and I usually deal with small business owners. Most of my work comes from happy clients spreading the word. But lately, I’ve noticed more referred clients, and a lot of them are coming from my main competitor.

When I looked into it, I found out that someone in my competitor’s office told these clients that I do their branding projects, so they should contact me. The funny thing is, I don’t have any contract with them – this guy is actually my main rival!

They’re a big company, and the only reason I can still compete with them is because my work speaks for itself.

So far, I haven’t told any of these clients that I’m not working with my competitor. I’ve already closed three deals from these referrals, but I know this might be a little wrong, and I’m kinda worried I could get into trouble. Should I just tell them the truth and stop this?

Right now, I’m having a blast, and my clients are loving my work. My competitor, though, isn’t a nice guy. He’s used shady tactics to try and take me down in the past, but I’ve managed to stay in the game.

What do you think I should do? Maybe it’s just a mistake, or it could be some kind of new trick. I really don’t know. Maybe someone in their office doesn’t like their boss anymore and is trying to mess with him? No clue.