Sign a Non-Compete Agreement to Work w/ Experienced Wholesaler

[Chris Elliott]

Guys, I appreciate your time in even looking at my question. I'm at a crossroads and would appreciate any and all input.

I am new to the real estate game. For the last month or so, I have been working with an experienced wholesaler learning the business. I came to him expressing that I was interested in working for him to learn the business. The other day, when asked how long I planned on working with him, I said 6-12 months (however long it took to learn the ropes). My mentor said that to make it worth his time to train me, he would like me to commit to work with him for 12 months on a 30% commission schedule, and sign a non-compete agreement, basically agreeing to run all deals through his business. (I can totally understand his point in not wanting to train his competition for free).

I see the value in working with someone more experienced to learn a business. The only potential downside I see of the agreement would be if I become proficient in 6 months, and then I am still having to split deals for another 6 months to fulfill our agreement.

Should I take the deal and commit to working with my mentor for 12 months on a split, or should I venture out on my own now and learn through trial & error, books, and of coarse BiggerPockets?