Terms of Business

These Terms of Business apply to services supplied by The Business Workshop to business clients.

Please read them before instructing The Business Workshop.

1. About The Business Workshop

The Business Workshop is operated by:

Lucy Goffin trading as The Business Workshop
Website: www.thebusinessworkshop.uk
Email: hello.thebusinessworkshop@gmail.com

The Business Workshop operates remotely across the UK.

These Terms apply to business-to-business services.

2. Services

The Business Workshop provides services including:

• Flexible Business Support
• Business MOTs
• business process improvement
• operational improvement projects
• administrative support
• CRM support
• customer and quote follow-up
• research
• supplier support
• process documentation
• Business Care
• other agreed business-support services

The precise services, scope, deliverables, timescale and price may be confirmed in:

• a quotation
• proposal
• statement of work
• booking confirmation
• email
• invoice
• other written agreement

If there is a conflict between these Terms and a specific written proposal or statement of work, the specific written agreement will take priority for that engagement.

3. Business MOT

The Business MOT is a practical operational review. It is not:

• a statutory audit
• financial advice
• legal advice
• tax advice
• regulated financial advice
• formal HR or employment-law advice
• a compliance certification

Recommendations are based on the information made available during the review.

The client remains responsible for deciding whether to implement any recommendation.

Unless otherwise agreed, the standard Business MOT fee is £195.

4. Flexible Business Support

Flexible Business Support may be provided on an hourly, block-hour or agreed project basis.

The standard advertised hourly rate is currently £35 per hour.

The introductory new-client offer is currently 3 hours for £75. This offer may be changed or withdrawn for future clients.

Introductory hours:

• must be used for agreed business-support tasks
• cannot be exchanged for cash
• are intended as a trial of the Flexible Business Support service

The Business Workshop may decline work that:

• falls outside its competence
• requires professional qualifications not held
• is unlawful
• creates unreasonable risk
• falls outside the agreed service

5. Free 15-minute discovery call

The Business Workshop offers a free introductory call of approximately 15 minutes.

The purpose of the call is to:

• understand the business
• understand the problem or support required
• answer initial questions
• determine whether The Business Workshop may be able to help
• identify the most suitable next step

There is no obligation to purchase a service following the call.

The discovery call is not intended to provide detailed consultancy advice or a full Business MOT.

6. Quotes and proposals

Unless otherwise stated, quotations are valid for 30 days.

A quotation or proposal does not create a binding agreement until the client accepts it and The Business Workshop confirms the engagement.

Acceptance may be given:

• electronically
• by email
• by signing a proposal
• by paying an invoice or deposit
• by otherwise clearly instructing work to begin

7. Fees

Fees will be agreed before work begins wherever reasonably practicable.

Services may be charged:

• hourly
• as a block of hours
• at a fixed project price
• through a monthly arrangement
• on another basis agreed in writing

Any additional work outside the agreed scope may be charged separately.

The Business Workshop is not currently VAT registered and VAT is therefore not added to fees.

If this changes, clients will be informed where relevant.

8. Payment

Unless otherwise agreed:

• introductory packages and small pieces of work are payable in advance
• fixed projects may require an upfront deposit
• ongoing monthly services are payable in advance
• other invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date

The Business Workshop may pause work where an invoice becomes overdue.

For qualifying business-to-business debts, The Business Workshop reserves the right to rely on statutory late-payment rights where applicable.

9. Deposits and advance payments

Where a deposit or advance payment is required, work will not normally begin until payment has been received.

Any refund of an advance payment will take account of:

• work already completed
• time specifically reserved
• non-refundable costs already incurred
• obligations already entered into on the client's behalf with permission

10. Cancellation and rescheduling

Free discovery calls may be rescheduled with reasonable notice.

For chargeable meetings, Business MOT sessions or scheduled support time, at least 24 hours' notice should normally be given to cancel or rearrange.

Where less than 24 hours' notice is provided, The Business Workshop reserves the right to charge for time that had been specifically reserved and cannot reasonably be reallocated.

Different arrangements may be agreed for individual projects.

11. Client responsibilities

The client agrees to:

• provide accurate information
• provide information reasonably required to complete the work
• provide timely decisions and approvals
• provide appropriate access to systems where necessary
• ensure The Business Workshop is authorised to access information it provides
• maintain suitable backups and security arrangements for its own systems
• comply with applicable laws and regulations
• promptly notify The Business Workshop if access should be changed or removed

The Business Workshop is not responsible for delays caused by information, access, instructions or approvals not being provided when reasonably required.

12. System access and passwords

Clients should provide the minimum access reasonably necessary for the agreed work.

Where possible, clients should:

• provide individual user accounts rather than shared credentials
• use role-based permissions
• use multi-factor authentication
• remove access when it is no longer required

The Business Workshop will take reasonable steps to keep login information confidential and secure.

Access credentials will not knowingly be shared with unauthorised persons.

13. Confidentiality

Both parties agree to keep confidential information received through the engagement confidential.

Confidential information may include:

• commercial information
• customer information
• pricing
• financial information
• business processes
• supplier information
• passwords
• strategies
• internal documents

Confidential information may be disclosed where required by law or with the other party's permission.

This obligation continues after the engagement ends.

14. Data protection

Each party will comply with applicable UK data protection law.

For personal data that The Business Workshop collects and uses for its own purposes, it may act as a data controller.

Where The Business Workshop processes personal data solely on behalf of the client and according to the client's instructions, the client will normally act as controller and The Business Workshop as processor.

Where The Business Workshop acts as processor

Unless another compliant data-processing agreement has been agreed, the following provisions apply.

The client authorises The Business Workshop to process personal data only as necessary to provide the agreed services.

The subject matter, nature, purpose and duration of processing will be determined by the relevant service agreement, proposal, instructions and duration of the engagement.

Personal data may relate to:

• customers
• prospects
• employees
• suppliers
• contractors
• other business contacts

The types of data may include:

• names
• contact details
• correspondence
• CRM records
• appointment information
• customer service records
• business-related transactional information
• other information reasonably necessary for the agreed task

The Business Workshop will:

1. process personal data only on the client's documented instructions unless required otherwise by law;
2. ensure anyone authorised to process the personal data is subject to an appropriate duty of confidentiality;
3. implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data;
4. not appoint a sub-processor for client personal data without appropriate authorisation where required;
5. where a sub-processor is authorised, ensure appropriate contractual data-protection obligations are imposed on that sub-processor;
6. taking into account the nature of the processing, reasonably assist the client with requests from individuals exercising their data-protection rights;
7. reasonably assist the client with applicable security, breach-management and data-protection obligations, taking account of the nature of the processing and information available;
8. notify the client without undue delay if The Business Workshop becomes aware of a personal-data breach affecting data processed on the client's behalf;
9. at the end of the services, delete or return client personal data as instructed, unless applicable law requires retention;
10. make information reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance with these processor obligations available to the client;
11. permit reasonable audits or inspections where legally required, subject to appropriate confidentiality, security and proportionality arrangements;
12. inform the client if, in The Business Workshop's reasonable opinion, an instruction infringes applicable data-protection law.

The client is responsible for ensuring that:

• it has a lawful basis for personal data supplied to The Business Workshop
• its instructions comply with applicable law
• individuals have received any privacy information required
• The Business Workshop is authorised to carry out the instructed processing

15. Third-party services and software

The Business Workshop may work with software, platforms or services selected by the client or reasonably required for the work.

The Business Workshop is not responsible for the following, where caused by third-party services outside its reasonable control:

• outages
• security failures
• service changes
• pricing changes
• data loss
• other failures

Where a recommendation is made regarding third-party software, the client remains responsible for deciding whether that product is suitable.

16. Advice and recommendations

The Business Workshop provides practical business and operational support based on the information available.

Business outcomes depend on many factors outside our control. No guarantee is made that a recommendation will:

• increase revenue
• reduce costs by a specific amount
• generate particular sales
• produce a particular commercial result

The client remains responsible for commercial decisions and implementation.

Where specialist legal, accounting, tax, financial, HR, cybersecurity or other regulated professional advice is required, the client should obtain advice from an appropriately qualified professional.

17. Intellectual property

Unless otherwise agreed:

• the client retains ownership of materials it supplies
• The Business Workshop retains ownership of its pre-existing templates, methodologies, frameworks and know-how

Once the client has paid all relevant invoices, the client may use bespoke work created specifically for it for its internal business purposes.

The Business Workshop may reuse general knowledge, skills, experience and non-confidential methods developed while providing the services.

Client confidential information will not be reused or disclosed.

18. Case studies and testimonials

The Business Workshop will not identify a client publicly in a testimonial, case study or marketing material without permission.

Where a client gives permission, the extent of information that may be published will be agreed.

Anonymised examples may be used only where the client and individuals cannot reasonably be identified from the information disclosed.

19. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where liability cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Subject to that, The Business Workshop will not be liable for indirect or consequential losses, loss of anticipated profits, loss of business opportunity or losses arising from decisions taken by the client contrary to advice or without obtaining appropriate specialist advice.

The Business Workshop's total liability arising from an engagement will be limited to the total fees paid by the client for the specific service or project giving rise to the claim, to the extent such a limitation is legally enforceable.

This provision may be reviewed if professional indemnity insurance is introduced or the nature and value of services materially changes.

20. Insurance

The Business Workshop does not currently state that professional indemnity insurance is held.

If appropriate insurance is obtained in future, this section and the website may be updated.

21. Ending an engagement

Either party may end an ongoing engagement in accordance with any notice period agreed in the relevant proposal or service agreement.

Where no specific notice period has been agreed, either party may terminate the engagement by giving reasonable written notice.

The Business Workshop may terminate or suspend work immediately where:

• invoices remain materially overdue
• continuing the work would be unlawful
• there is abusive or inappropriate behaviour
• the client requests activity outside legal or professional boundaries
• continued system access creates an unacceptable security risk
• the client commits a serious breach of the agreement

On termination, fees remain payable for work properly completed and costs properly incurred up to the termination date.

22. Force majeure

Neither party will be responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control.

This may include major outages, natural disasters, serious illness, government action or widespread telecommunications failure.

The affected party should notify the other party as soon as reasonably practicable.

23. Changes to services or Terms

These Terms may be updated from time to time.

Changes will not retrospectively alter an agreed fixed project unless both parties agree.

The version applying to an engagement will normally be the version accepted when the engagement begins, together with any later changes agreed in writing.

24. Independent business relationship

The Business Workshop provides services as an independent sole-trader business.

Nothing in these Terms creates any of the following, unless specifically agreed in writing:

• an employment relationship
• worker status
• partnership
• joint venture
• authority to legally bind the client

25. Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the accepted proposal, quotation, statement of work or other written agreement, form the agreement between the parties relating to the relevant services.

26. Severability

If any provision is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

27. Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory legal rights that apply.

28. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact:

Lucy Goffin trading as The Business Workshop
Email: hello.thebusinessworkshop@gmail.com
Website: www.thebusinessworkshop.uk