The Wisdom (or Not) of Noncompete Contracts

Written by Ray Silverstein of Entrepreneur.com

Companies use noncompete contracts to protect their interest and restrict ex-workers from capitalizing on contacts or information obtained during their employment.

Typically a sales-specific non-compete contract says that, should a salesperson leave the company, he or she cannot take the employer's clients with him/her. The contract restricts the salesperson from doing business with clients for a specific period, usually a period of two or three years.

Sounds logical, right? After all, you've worked hard to build your client base, and you have every right to protect it....