This policy explains what SMB Startups collects when you use this site or send me a form, what I do with it, who else sees it, and how to ask me to correct or delete it. It is written in plain language on purpose. If anything is unclear, email carlos@smbstartups.com and I will answer it myself.
Who this covers
SMB Startups is a fractional operating practice run by Carlos Franco from Fort Myers, Florida. This policy covers the website at smbstartups.com and the forms on it. It does not cover work performed under a signed engagement, which is governed by that engagement's own agreement.
What I collect
When you send a form. Name, company, email address, phone number if you give it, the situation you describe, a budget range if you choose one, and any file you attach to a diagnostic request. Nothing on the forms is required except a way to reach you.
When you browse. Standard technical information that any website receives: the pages you visit, how you got here, your browser type and rough location from your IP address, and how long you stayed. This is collected through analytics, described below.
What I do not collect. No payment details through this site. No account is created. No data is bought from third parties. Nothing is collected from children.
What it is used for
- To reply to you and, where there is a scope worth pricing, to send you a scope and a price.
- To keep a record of the conversation so I do not ask you the same thing twice.
- To understand which pages are read and which are not, so the site can be improved.
- To meet legal obligations and to protect the site from abuse.
I do not sell your information. I do not rent it. I do not use it for advertising to you on other sites.
Who else sees it
A small number of services process data on my behalf. Each one sees only what it needs to do its job.
- Form submissions are routed to a customer relationship system so I can reply and keep the thread. At present that is GoHighLevel, via an automation service, n8n, running on infrastructure I control.
- The site is hosted on Vercel, which receives standard server logs.
- Site analytics run through PostHog, loaded via Google Tag Manager. Analytics are configured not to record what you type into forms.
- Files attached to a diagnostic request are stored with a file-hosting provider under a private, non-public location.
I may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of the practice or of others. Beyond that, your information is not shared.
Cookies and analytics
The site uses analytics cookies to tell returning visits from new ones and to see which pages get read. It does not use advertising cookies. You can block cookies in your browser and the site will still work. If you have “Do Not Track” or Global Privacy Control enabled, analytics respect it.
How long I keep it
Form submissions are kept for as long as there is a live conversation, and for up to three years afterwards so that if you come back, the context is still there. Analytics data is kept in aggregate. You can ask me to delete your information at any time, and I will, except where I am required to keep a record.
Your rights
Whatever state or country you are in, you can ask me to tell you what I hold about you, correct it, delete it, or stop using it. Email carlos@smbstartups.com. I answer these myself, usually within a few days. There is no charge and no form to fill in.
Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and other states with consumer privacy laws have specific rights under those laws. SMB Startups is currently below the size thresholds at which most of those laws apply, but I will honour the same requests regardless of where you live.
Security
Data is transmitted over encrypted connections and stored with providers that maintain their own security programs. I do not store form data on shared or public systems. No method is perfectly secure, and I will tell you if something goes wrong that affects your information.
Children
This site is for businesses and the people who run them. It is not directed at anyone under 18, and I do not knowingly collect information from them.
Links to other sites
Pages here link to other companies' sites, including some I operate. Each has its own privacy policy, and this one does not cover them.
Changes
If this policy changes in a way that matters, the date at the top will change and the change will be described here. I will not quietly widen what I collect.
Contact
Carlos Franco, SMB Startups, Fort Myers, Florida. carlos@smbstartups.com. See also the terms of use.