There is a great article on the front page of yesterday’s (August 9) Wall Street Journal. The article described how a young tailor, who previously worked at one of London, England’s Savile Row tailor shops, had left his previous employer and started his own competitive business making fine men’s suits.
The tailor, Matthew Farnes, now finds himself a defendant in a lawsuit filed by his previous employer. The ex-employer alleges Mr. Farnes breached his employment contract with the employer….which must mean a noncompete agreement.
Why can’t any young enterprising and hard-working person take the skills they have learned and start their own business? Does it really make any sense to prevent a tailor from trying to make a living doing what he/she has been trained to do?