Restraint of Trade - 

Purpose

The Restraint of Trade clause is standard in contractor agreements across many industries, including health, accounting, law and construction. Its purpose is to ensure that clients of No More Knots (NMK) remain clients of NMK.

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We invest significant time, energy and financial resources into building our brand and client base. Clients often come to NMK after:

• Years of seeing our signage and advertising

• Hearing about us through word-of-mouth (often 5–10 referrals before booking)

• Engaging with our Google, Facebook or Instagram advertising

• Exposure to marketing campaigns that cost the business thousands per month

 

For this reason, each new client carries substantial long-term value to the business. We sincerely hope that therapists who move on from NMK one day to open their own clinic will understand the importance of protecting client relationships. When they invest years building their own brand and recruiting team members, we hope they would expect the same professional respect in return.

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Restraint Areas

 

The restraint radius refers to the distance from an NMK clinic within which a therapist may not:

• Open their own clinic, or

• Work within another clinic

after ceasing engagement with NMK.

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Standard Distance

• 5km radius

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Reduced Distances

• 2km or 1km radius (for special circumstances only)

 

These reduced distances may apply in cases such as:

• Disability or transport limitations

• Unique personal circumstances

 

If a therapist wishes to work within less than 5km of an NMK clinic after leaving, we are open to discussion — provided there is honesty and transparency from both parties. Any such request must:

• Be submitted in writing

• Be addressed to the Practice Manager / Directors

• Be assessed on a case-by-case basis

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Restraint Periods

The restraint period refers to the timeframe during which a therapist cannot seek or accept work from an NMK client after leaving.

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Standard Period

• 2 years

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Reduced Periods

• 1 year / 6 months / 3 months (special circumstances only)

 

Reduced timeframes may be considered in situations such as:

• A client relocating closer to the therapist’s new premises

• A mutual agreement between NMK and the therapist regarding specific clients

 

Again, we are open to discussion where appropriate, provided there is transparency and mutual agreement.

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Exit Fee

The exit fee was introduced to protect the business from short-term engagements that create significant onboarding costs without long-term commitment.

Reasons for implementation include:

• Therapists joining NMK to access free internal training and resources, then leaving shortly after

• Therapists joining during busy periods to maximise earnings before relocating interstate or overseas

 

Onboarding a new therapist requires:

• 12–15 hours of combined administration, management and training time

• An estimated direct cost exceeding $500 to the business

• Additional investment in training resources and supervision

 

The exit fee exists to partially recover these costs where a contractor leaves within a short period under avoidable circumstances. That said, NMK is fair and reasonable. We are open to negotiating or waiving the exit fee where circumstances are genuinely outside of the therapist’s control, such as:

• Relocation

• Family circumstances

• Health reasons

Each situation will be considered individually.

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Hire Fee

The hire fee applies to all contractors using NMK’s:

• Treatment rooms

• Equipment

• Booking systems

• Administrative support

• Marketing and advertising

• Facilities and utilities

 

The hourly service rate offered during your interview is always quoted after the hire fee has been deducted. The only additional adjustment is:

• GST on the hire fee (50 cents per service hour)

 

Tax as it’s a government fee paid directly to the government. 

This GST component is mandatory and outside of NMK’s control.