start your own business

[blockshead21]

Louisiana-Is there any law that prevents someone from leaving employment and opening their own business of same service? Is there anything illegal in contacting customers who may be interested in knowing that you started your own business, as long as you take no documentation from your previous job i.e. listing names and numbers etc, and no company resources are used to solicit business? These customers have no contract to do business with any particular company and are individuals who purchase for themselves and not on behalf of anyone else, so I would not be soliciting anyone but individuals.

 

[Beth3]

This is more a contract law issue than an employment law issue but I'll take a stab at it.

Unless you signed a valid non-compete with the employer, you may quit anytime you like and go and do anything you like - including starting a competing enterprise. Under these circumstances, you would be wise not to take any company information with you, especially anything they would conside proprietary such as customer lists, product/service design information, pricing margins, and so on.

Yes, you are free to contact these customers and if they wish to engage your services, they are free to do so.

The only landmine on the horizon would be if the current employer got it in their head that you were specifically targeting their customers in an attempt to harm their business - that *might* result in a cause of action on their part for tortious interference.

Anyone contemplating starting their own business would be well advised to consult with an attorney to make sure they were familiar with various State statute and tax requirements. If you do that (and you probably should), it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask your question of an attorney, although you are probably on safe ground.

 

[retertoooo]

Lets put this in plain english:

You cannot contact or steal all of your empolyers customers, without some other type of public advertising for your company.

Put an ad in the Yellow pages, or a long term contract in the local newspapers say each sunday for 3-6 months...then when it comes out, you can steal your former employers clients, and they cant do anything.

But doing a home business or consulting ON THE CHEAP.. with no public advertising and then contacting the former employers clients could put you in hot water.

You must be show that your business IS open to the general public, not just open to your ex-employers clients.

 

[blockshead21]

thanks

Thank you both for your input. I would certainly plan to do plenty of advertising to the general public and sure hope I would attract many others than just those customers I know.