Hey there! We appreciate you.

We value our relationship with our readers and clients. And we value clear communication. 

So here is our privacy policy in plain language:

Essentially, it spells out what specific information we collect from you when you hire us, how and why we need to collect it to efficiently complete your project, and what we do to safeguard your info.

What information do we collect after you hire us?

-Contact info for you and your business entity

-Legal business information (including DOB and SSN for business owner) and any licensing or certification info

-Business (or personal if you don’t use a business account) credit card processing info

-Business (or personal if you don’t use a business account) banking account info including your account and routing numbers

-Account credentials (usernames and passwords) for online accounts associated with your business and/or website (i.e. email accounts, domain hosts, web hosts and business software such as CRM tools and payment processors).

How do we collect this information? Why do we need it?

-Through forms submitted by our clients through secure portals.

-We use this info to setup third party software and accounts and integrate everything seamlessly within your new website.

How do we safeguard this information?

-We use software that helps us collect and store clients’ information safely and effectively for use by our employees and contractors. We will link here to the security measures taken by our survey software (TypeForm), CRM (MailChimp), storage software (Google Workspace and DropBox) and payment processor (Stripe).

-All our employees and contractors sign a non-disclosure agreement. Employees and contractors only access the level of information required to do their job (i.e. a graphic designer does not need to access any of your personal and private or financial information, so they don’t have access to it).

Feeling kinda nerdy? Us, too.

Here’s the same info, but, like, how lawyers say it:

Privacy Policy

Introduction

First Steps Strategies, LLC doing business as (DBA) First Steps for Startups (“us,” “we,” or “First Steps For Startups” or “First Steps” or “FS”) is committed to respecting the privacy rights of the Users of www.firststepsforstartups.com (the “Site”). 

This Privacy Policy (this “Policy”) is only applicable to the Site, and not to any other websites that the User (“you,” “they,” “them,” “their,” “Site User,” “the User,” or “Users”) may be able to access from the Site, each of which may collect data and/or use practices and policies that differ substantively from this Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those other websites and/or third parties, and it is the User’s responsibility to review the privacy policies of those websites and/or third parties to confirm that their policies are understood and agreed with by the User.

We reserve the right to make changes to this Policy at any time. Users should periodically revisit this Policy for any updates. First Steps will make a reasonable effort to notify its Users of any policy changes via our newsletter or email, but even if we do not, Users who continue to interact with the Site following a revision of the company's Privacy Policy will automatically be subject to the new terms.

Site Users’ information will be stored primarily within the borders of the United States of America. This information is thereby subject to the laws of the United States of America, regardless of the country from which their data originates or is stored on backup servers.

We do not direct our content at children under 18 years of age. If we suspect a Site User is not legally an adult in the United States, we will promptly delete any personal information in that User’s account.

Users are permitted to correct, update, or change their personal information, or adjust or cease the frequency with which they receive company communications. The User can disable their account in accordance with the Site’s Terms and Conditions. Requests to effectuate the foregoing can be made via email to karen@firststepsforstartups.com.

First Steps uses necessary and industry-standard measures to protect the security of our User’s data. However, since it is impossible for First Steps to completely guarantee that User data will be immune from malicious attack or compromise, Users should understand that their transmission of personal data is always at their own risk. First Steps is not liable for security breaches beyond our control.

Users should always carefully protect the personal information that they submit on the site or through outside vendors — including their passwords, usernames, location, images, and videos — so that third parties can't manipulate their accounts or assume their identities.

Information Collection Practices

Sometimes our Site and third parties connected to it will collect and maintain personal information provided by its Users when they complete forms, create an account with us, sign up for our newsletter or communicate with us about our services via comments, emails or other forms of communication. This information may include Users’ names, addresses, mobile telephone numbers, email addresses, and so forth. The amount of information Users provide is completely voluntary; however, providing less information than requested might limit a user's ability to access all of the site's features and/or may slow down services being rendered to clients such as web design and creation services. Other information we collect includes your account log-in details when you create an account with us, credit card or other financial information when you purchase services through the Site, and reviews or comments you leave on the Site. Sometimes our Site may permit Users to either transmit text messages to the company (for support purposes, for example) or between users (on membership pages, for example). The company reserves the right to retain this information indefinitely.

Usage and analytics data

Sometimes we may collect usage information in order to assess how Users access and utilize our Site. This data is valuable to the company for various internal purposes, including troubleshooting and improving the site's functionality. This information might include the user's Internet service provider, type of web browser or operating system, IP address, viewed pages, time and duration of site visits, crash logs, and other information relating to site usage.

Use of Information

Here are some ways First Steps may use information shared by Users via the Site or third parties connected to the Site:

-For customer support services, including dealing with guarantees, returns, repairs, replacements, rescheduling, cancellations, billing and payment issues, or other matters. We might also collect user information for routine follow-ups in order to assess customer satisfaction.

-For periodic general announcements to users. These can include notifications, updates regarding the company or the site, marketing communications, and so forth.

First Steps might need to use personal user data in connection with website maintenance, upgrades, new product or service releases, or analytics data review or compilation. First Steps may share User data with any third-party service providers that it might engage to assist in these efforts. Similarly, First Steps may share user information in connection with third-party marketing or advertising services. First Steps ensures that our third party service providers employ adequate security measures with respect to user data at or above the industry standard. We will not share your personal information with any third parties without your consent, except as necessary to provide you with the services offered by us, to comply with the law, or as otherwise described in this Policy. We may share your contact and financial information with third parties who assist us by performing required services (such as hosting, billing, order fulfillment, data storage, and security) related to our operation of the Site.

We use Stripe to offer safe and secure credit card transactions for our Users. Stripe, and not First Steps, is responsible for the security of these transactions.

As a general policy, we use personal information and message data for internal purposes only. We do not sell or rent information about you. We will not disclose personal information or message data to third parties without your consent, except as explained in this Privacy Policy.

First Steps might share user data with its affiliated entities, including parent companies and subsidiaries. Furthermore, if the company participates in a merger, stock purchase, asset purchase, or other acquisition, it will be required to share user information with the purchaser or surviving entity.

Compliance with laws

First Steps might be required to disclose user information in order to comply with any court orders or applicable laws. FS cooperates with government and law enforcement officials to enforce and comply with the law. We may therefore disclose personal information, usage data, message data, and any other information about you, if we deem that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process (such as a subpoena or court order), or enforceable governmental request; (b) enforce the Terms of Use, including investigation of potential violations thereof; (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues; or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of the Company, its users or the public, as required or permitted by law.

California Residents

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), California Civil Code Sections 1798.100-.199, provides additional rights to residents of California regarding our information collection and use practices. If you are a California resident, this section applies to you.

Personal Information Collected

The categories of personal information that we have collected about our users in the last 12 months (using the categories provided in the CCPA) are as follows: 

• identifiers such as your name, alias, address, phone numbers, or IP address;

• personal information, such as a credit card number;

• commercial information, such as products or services purchased;

• Internet or other electronic network activity information, including your interactions with our website and other services;

• geolocation data, such as the location of your device or computer;

• audio or visual information, such as images and videos collected or stored in connection with the Services; and

• inference data, i.e., inferences about your preferences based on other information we’ve collected.

In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed the following categories of personal information for business purposes to the following categories of recipients:

-Category of Personal Information;

—Category of Recipients

-identifiers such as your name, alias, address, phone numbers, or IP address;

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe), Analytics (i.e. Google Analytics), Audience Management Providers (i.e. MailChimp), Online Audio/Visual Meeting Providers (i.e. Zoom)

-personal information, such as a credit card number;

—Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe)

-commercial information, such as products or services purchased;

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe), Audience Management Providers (i.e. MailChimp), Online Audio/Visual Meeting Providers (i.e. Zoom)

-Internet or other electronic network activity information, including your interactions with our website and other services;

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe), Analytics (i.e. Google Analytics), Online Audio/Visual Meeting Providers (i.e. Zoom)

-geolocation data, such as the location of your device or computer;

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe), Analytics (i.e. Google Analytics), Audience Management Providers (i.e. MailChimp)

-audio or visual information, such as images and videos collected or stored in connection with the Services;

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Online Audio/Visual Meeting Providers (i.e. Zoom)

-inference data, i.e., inferences about your preferences based on other information we’ve collected.

—Web Service Providers (i.e. SquareSpace, TypeForm, DropBox, Google Workspace), Payment Processors (i.e. Stripe), Analytics (i.e. Google Analytics), Audience Management Providers (i.e. MailChimp)

For more details on the information we collect, including the sources we receive information from, please refer to our Information Collection Practices above. We do not sell information as defined under the CCPA.

Rights of California Residents

Subject to certain limitations, you have the right to (1) request to know more about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collect, use, and disclose about you, (2) request deletion of your personal information, (3) opt out of any sales of your personal information, if we engage in that activity in the future, and (4) not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. You may make these requests using the contact information in the Contact section below. We will verify requests by asking you to provide identifying information. We will not discriminate against you if you exercise your rights under the CCPA. If we receive your request from an authorized agent, we may ask for evidence that you have provided such agent with a power of attorney or that the agent otherwise has valid written authority to submit requests to exercise rights on your behalf. This may include requiring you to verify your identity. If you are an authorized agent seeking to make a request, please contact us using one of the methods described above

Contact

If you have any questions about this Policy, our practices related to this Site, or if you want your information removed from our database(s), contact us via email at karen@firststepsforstartups.com or by completing the contact form located on our website at [www.firststepsforstartups.com/contact], or by written request to us at:

First Steps Strategies, LLC 

1721 Calle Poniente 

Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Last Updated July 6, 2021