Pro tip: got burned by a 6 month non-compete in Denver, now I check every contract for this one line

Last spring I signed a graphic design gig without reading the non-compete close enough. It said no work for any direct competitor within 50 miles for 6 months after leaving. I quit after 8 weeks cause the boss was a nightmare, then a solid offer came from a studio literally 2 blocks away. Had to turn it down and eat savings for 4 months. Now I always ask if the non-compete covers clients or just the company itself. That wording changed everything for me. Anyone else get stuck by a broad non-compete clause?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim_davis4d ago

Damn, "2 blocks away"? That is brutal, I'd be so salty. The part that gets me is you had to eat savings for 4 months. That's not just annoying, that's straight up financial pain for something you didn't even do wrong. I dont get how companies can lock you out of working in your own damn city like that. Sounds like you're way smarter now about checking the client wording though, good for you. That's the kinda lesson you only learn once, lol.

owens.laura4d ago

...which is how I ended up reading contracts like someone studying for the bar exam. @kim_davis you nailed it, eating savings for 4 months was like paying a fine for quitting a job I hated. Now I check if it says "clients" or "company" because one time I saw a clause that banned me from even talking to a former client's cousin, or at least that's what my paranoia tells me. I basically treat every non-compete like a haunted house now, I walk in extra slow and squint at all the walls. My last contract had a 12 month one and I just wrote "no" in the margin, they didn't even notice.