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I just had a potential client ask me to sign a contract that includes a non-compete clause, saying I can't work with any other businesses in their industry for a full year after our project ends. I'm a solo web developer and that industry is a huge part of my client base, so this feels really restrictive, but they're offering good rates. Has anyone else had to navigate something like this before?

That happened to me last year. They wanted a full year after the project ended and no other clients in the same space. I pushed back to six months, asked for a carve-out for clients I already had, and a narrower definition of what counts as their industry. They agreed to the shorter term and the carve-out after I laid it out.

Honestly, I walked away instead of signing. The rate was good, but the constraint would have locked me out of most of my pipeline and that felt crazy.

I made them spell out what counts as industry and who exactly would be off-limits, plus I asked for an explicit carve-out for the clients I already served. It slowed things, but it saved me later.

A lawyer friend said agreements like that can be enforceable only if the scope is reasonable, so I asked for definitions and a time cap.

Sometimes I think the bigger issue is the lack of clarity around scope. If it's too broad, it ends up cutting off work in related niches and that would sting more than a single client loss.

I did a mini test: no new clients in a sub niche for two months while we negotiated. It was awkward and we aborted the test rather than sign.

If you push back, what would you demand?

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