My client’s ‘standard NDA’ had a non-compete that would have banned me from working in my entire industry for 2 years

This was a 3-month project. Mid-size SaaS company. Seemed totally normal.

Their legal team sent over an NDA + service agreement combo. 11 pages.

The non-compete clause (buried on page 8):

I’m a UX designer. They’re a project management SaaS.

“Directly or indirectly competing market” could mean any SaaS product with a dashboard. For 2 years. With no geographic limitation because I work remotely.

I negotiated it down to: 6 months, limited to their 3 direct named competitors.

They agreed immediately — they just sent their boilerplate and assumed I’d sign.

Most clients aren’t trying to trap you. They just send whatever their lawyer drafted for full-time employees. But those clauses can absolutely wreck you if you sign without reading.

If you’re signing contracts across multiple countries/clients, please read the non-compete section carefully. Especially if you work in a specific niche.