As the years go buy I'm gradually more and more in favor of restrictions to sell businesses. They tend to benefit two groups: the people running a successful business and the people running the even more successful businesses buying them.

They tend not to benefit the employees, the customers, the competitors and really anyone else besides a small number of people who are already very successful.

Not all businesses are wildly successful. Some are just successful enough to provide a single family with a middle class income. For some people, selling that is their only hope of retirement.

It's not like the seller never has an option to say no to the non-compete.

Then nobody creates businesses in your state and everyone there loses. What person in their right mind would invest their time and money into a business they wouldn't be able to sell?

This is quite a stupid idea: you kill all innovative behavior if a creator can't decide to sell his creation.

All voluntary transactions benefits both buyer and seller.

This is as it should be!