Privacy Policy

Information we collect

Account information you provide: your name, email address, phone number, password (stored only in hashed form), the journey stage and business details you choose to share, and your communication preferences.

Sign in with Google: if you choose to sign in with Google, Google sends us your name, your email address, and a Google account identifier so we can create or match your smbnest account. We use this information only to sign you in and identify you. We do not receive your Google password, we do not store Google access tokens, and we do not access your Gmail, contacts, calendar, or any other Google data.

Payment information: subscription payments are processed by our payment provider, Stripe. We receive billing status and the last four digits and brand of your card, but we never receive or store your full card number.

Usage and technical information: pages viewed, actions taken, your IP address (and the approximate location derived from it), device and browser type, and similar technical data, collected to operate, secure and improve the service. We log the IP address and browser of each sign-in, password reset and acceptance of our Terms, and keep those records as evidence of the account's security and consent.

How you found us: the campaign tags (UTM parameters), landing page, referring site and any affiliate or partner code on your first visit, stored once when you create your account so we can see which channels bring people to smbnest.

Content you upload: files and documents you submit to our tools, such as the financial statements, spreadsheets, and profit-and-loss documents you upload to the benchmarking tool. We use this content only to generate the analysis and provide the features you use it with, and we retain it in line with the data-retention practices described below.

Your fit test answers: when you sign in to see your full Business Fit Finder result, or take the test while signed in, we save your answers and the result (how the test read you and the business models it lined up, with their scores) to your account so they are there when you come back. If you typed a sentence about your work or uploaded a resume (or a LinkedIn profile saved as a PDF), it is read once, by our AI processing provider, to suggest answers, and neither the text nor the file is stored; only the answers you confirm are saved. If you give a ZIP code in the fit test, we use it only to look up its climate zone and state, and we save those, not the ZIP. You can delete your saved results from your account at any time, and they are deleted with your account.

Profile questions you choose to answer: where your business would be (a ZIP code), whether you lean toward starting, buying or a franchise, when, your current situation, whether you have run a business before, how you would most likely pay for it, and who decides with you. Every one is optional. We use them to shape what we show you and, in aggregate without names or email addresses, to improve our benchmarks. You can change or clear them on your account page, and they are deleted with your account.

Confirming your email: if you sign up with an email address, we send a six-digit code (and a link) to confirm the address before the account works in full.

Businesses, franchise brands, apps and suppliers you save: when you tap the plus on a business, a franchise brand, an app or a supplier, we save it to your account, and for a brand the page you saved it from, so it is on your lists when you come back. An app that every business uses (banking, accounting, payroll, insurance and the like) is also added to your launch plans as one you are considering, wherever a plan has no pick for that job yet. In aggregate without names or email addresses, it tells us which businesses and brands people weigh. You can remove any of them at any time, and they are deleted with your account.

Deals you keep: when you open a deal on a business for sale, we save what you enter to your account: the price and loan terms, the seller's figures, which checks you have done, and your notes. We use them to show you the deal dashboard and, in aggregate without names or email addresses, to improve our benchmarks. You can delete a deal at any time, and your deals are deleted with your account.

How we use your information

To provide and operate the service, create and manage your account, and process your subscription and billing.

To send you transactional and lifecycle emails (such as verification, receipts, and account notices), and, where you have not opted out, occasional product updates.

To respond to support requests, improve our content and features, and detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues.

To improve the fit test and our business benchmarks, we study saved fit test answers and results in aggregate, without names or email addresses attached.

To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

How we share information

Service providers who help us run smbnest, under contract and only as needed, for example our payment processor (Stripe), email provider (Resend), and hosting and infrastructure providers.

AI processing providers: to power the guide, the automated readings of your numbers and the benchmarking extraction, some information you provide, including content you upload and the figures in your plan, is processed by a third-party artificial-intelligence provider (currently Anthropic) acting as our service provider under contract and solely to generate the output you request. Under the provider's business terms, this content is not used to train its models. Answers from these features are generated automatically and are general information, not advice about your situation.

Partners you choose to engage: when you click a tracked link to a marketplace partner, that partner receives standard referral information indicating the visit came from smbnest. These relationships are disclosed where they appear.

Legal and safety: when required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of smbnest, our users, or others.

Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, with notice as required by law.

We do not sell your personal information.

Cookies and tracking

Essential cookies keep you signed in, protect against fraud and cross-site request forgery, and remember a referral or affiliate code for up to 30 days so that referral can be credited.

Analytics and advertising: we use Vercel Analytics to understand how the site is used, and we may use Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads and the Meta Pixel to measure our marketing. Where those tools are enabled they may set cookies and share your activity on our site with Google or Meta for measurement and, in the case of advertising tags, for targeted advertising; under some state laws that counts as "sharing" personal information, and you can opt out by emailing hello@smbnest.com or by using the Global Privacy Control setting in your browser, which we honor. You can also control or block cookies through your browser settings, though some features may not work without them.

Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. You can delete your account at any time from your account page or by contacting us. When you do, we remove your name, email, phone number, Google identifier, attribution data and profile details from the account record; we keep payment records for as long as tax and accounting law require (generally seven years) and we keep the record of your acceptance of our Terms, without your personal details, as evidence of that agreement.

Your choices and rights

You can access, correct, or update your account information in your account page, download a copy of your data there, and delete your account there or by contacting us. Every check-in or come-back email carries a one-click opt-out link, and newsletter emails carry an unsubscribe link; receipts, password resets and replies to your support messages still arrive because your account needs them. If you gave us a phone number, we will not send you marketing text messages without asking for your separate consent first.

Depending on where you live (for example, California or the European Union), you may have additional rights over your personal information. To exercise any of these, email us at hello@smbnest.com.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, described further on our Security page. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children

smbnest is not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the date below and, for material changes, provide additional notice.

Contact

smbnest LLC, Houston, Texas. Questions about this policy or your data: hello@smbnest.com.