Terms & Conditions

01About these terms

These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of this website and the consulting services provided by Natural Choice Consulting, of 2108 N Street, Suite N, Sacramento, CA 95816 ("Natural Choice Consulting", "we", "us", "our").

By using this website, submitting an enquiry, or entering into an engagement with us, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree with them, you should not use this website or engage our services.

These terms apply alongside any written agreement entered into for a specific engagement. Where a signed agreement conflicts with these terms, the signed agreement prevails in respect of that engagement.

02Definitions

• Client means the individual or entity engaging Natural Choice Consulting for services.
• Agreement means the written engagement document setting out scope, deliverables, milestones, fees, currency, and timelines for a specific project.
• Milestone means a discrete, defined stage of work identified in the Agreement, with its own deliverable and associated fee.
• Deliverable means any report, analysis, model, plan, framework, or other work product produced under an Agreement.
• Consult means the initial exploratory conversation preceding any Agreement, provided at no cost.
• Services means the consulting services described in the Agreement.

03Consultation and scope

Every project begins with a consult. The initial consult is provided at no cost and carries no obligation on either party. Its purpose is to understand your situation and determine whether an engagement is appropriate.

Nothing said or provided during a consult constitutes a binding commitment to perform services or to pay fees. No fee is payable in respect of the consult itself.

Following the consult, if both parties wish to proceed, we prepare a written scope. Scope and milestones are agreed in writing before any billable work begins.

04Engagement and agreement

An engagement commences only once an Agreement has been issued by us and accepted in writing by the Client. The Agreement sets out, at minimum, the deliverables, the milestones, the fee for each milestone, the currency, the expected timelines, and the refund terms.

Work outside the agreed scope is not performed and not charged unless a written variation is agreed by both parties. Any variation identifies the additional deliverables, the revised milestones, and the associated fees before that work begins.

Unless otherwise stated in the Agreement, fees are quoted and invoiced in United States Dollars (USD).

05Milestones and delivery

Work is performed in defined milestones as set out in the Agreement. Each milestone has an identified deliverable and an associated fee.

A milestone is treated as complete when the associated deliverable has been provided to the Client, reviewed with the Client, revised as reasonably needed under section 6, and approved by the Client.

Where the Client does not respond to a request for review or approval within fifteen (15) business days of delivery, and after at least one written reminder, the milestone may be treated as approved for invoicing purposes. This does not remove the Client's right to reasonable revisions under section 6.

06Revisions

Reasonable revisions are included. Revisions necessary to bring a deliverable in line with the outcome agreed in the Agreement form part of that milestone. They are not treated as additional scope and are not charged separately.

Revisions that introduce new objectives, new deliverables, or requirements materially different from those described in the Agreement are treated as a variation under section 4 and require written agreement before being undertaken.

Where there is any doubt as to whether a request is a revision or a variation, we will raise it with you in writing before performing the work.

07Fees and invoicing

Fees are as stated in the Agreement. An invoice is issued only after a milestone has been completed, revised as reasonably needed, and approved by the Client.

If work has been performed but a milestone has not been reached, that milestone is not charged. We do not invoice for partial progress toward an unreached milestone.

Unless the Agreement states otherwise, invoices are payable within fourteen (14) days of issue. Fees are exclusive of any applicable sales, use, or similar taxes, which are payable by the Client where they apply.

Where an invoice remains unpaid beyond its due date, we may suspend further work on the engagement after giving written notice. We will not suspend work without first notifying you and allowing a reasonable opportunity to resolve the matter.

Reasonable pre-approved expenses, such as travel undertaken at the Client's request, are recharged at cost and itemised on the relevant invoice. No expense is incurred on the Client's account without prior written approval.

08Payment methods

Payments are accepted through Stripe and PayPal. Invoices include payment instructions and a secure payment link.

Payments are processed by these third-party providers under their own terms and privacy policies. We do not receive or store your full card details. Any transaction fees charged by your own bank or payment provider are your responsibility.

09Refunds and cancellation

If a project cannot be completed, the Client receives a pro rata refund for any milestone that has been paid for but not delivered. The refund is calculated by reference to the portion of the paid milestone that was not delivered.

Either party may terminate an engagement by giving written notice as set out in section 17. On termination:

• Milestones completed, approved, and invoiced remain payable.
• Milestones not reached are not charged.
• Any amount paid in respect of a milestone that was not delivered is refunded on a pro rata basis.

Refunds are issued to the original payment method within fourteen (14) days of the refund amount being agreed, unless a different method is agreed in writing.

Because the consult is provided at no cost, no refund arises in respect of it.

10Client responsibilities

The quality and timeliness of our work depends on the information and access you provide. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete, and timely information relevant to the engagement.
• Make available the personnel, records, and systems access reasonably required to perform the Services.
• Nominate a single point of contact authorised to review and approve milestones.
• Respond to requests for review, approval, or information within a reasonable period.
• Make your own decisions regarding the implementation of any recommendation.

Where delays are caused by the Client, agreed timelines are extended accordingly. We are not responsible for outcomes affected by incomplete or inaccurate information provided to us.

11Confidentiality

Each party will keep confidential all non-public information disclosed by the other in connection with an engagement, and will use it only for the purposes of that engagement.

This obligation does not apply to information that is or becomes public other than through breach of these terms, was already lawfully known to the receiving party, is independently developed without reference to the disclosed information, or is required to be disclosed by law or a competent authority.

We will not identify you as a client, publish a case study, or use your name or marks for promotional purposes without your prior written permission.

These confidentiality obligations survive the end of the engagement.

12Intellectual property

On full payment of all invoices properly due in respect of a deliverable, the Client receives ownership of that deliverable in the specific form in which it was provided, for the Client's internal business use.

We retain ownership of all pre-existing materials, methodologies, frameworks, templates, models, and general know-how used in producing the deliverable, together with any improvements to them. Nothing in an Agreement transfers ownership of these underlying materials.

We retain the right to use general skills, experience, and knowledge acquired in the course of an engagement, provided no confidential information of the Client is disclosed or used in doing so.

Deliverables are prepared for the Client and for the purpose stated in the Agreement. They should not be provided to third parties who may rely on them without our prior written consent.

13Nature of advice

We provide business consulting services. We do not provide legal, accounting, tax, audit, investment, insurance, or regulated financial advice, and nothing in our deliverables should be treated as such.

Where a matter requires professional advice of that nature, you should obtain it from an appropriately qualified and licensed professional. Our recommendations are made on the basis of information available at the time and are not a substitute for such advice.

Business outcomes depend on market conditions, execution, and factors outside our control. We do not guarantee any particular financial result, revenue, saving, or other business outcome.

14Warranties and disclaimers

We warrant that the Services will be performed with reasonable skill and care, in a professional manner, and in accordance with the Agreement.

Except as expressly stated in these terms or the Agreement, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, all other warranties, conditions, and representations, whether express or implied, statutory or otherwise, are excluded.

This website and its content are provided on an "as is" basis for general information only. We make no warranty that the website will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from harmful components.

15Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability which cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Subject to the paragraph above, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, anticipated savings, business opportunity, goodwill, or data, however arising.
• Our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with an engagement is limited to the total fees actually paid by the Client to us under that engagement in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
• We are not liable for any loss arising from your decision to implement, not implement, or partially implement any recommendation.
• We are not liable for any loss arising from inaccurate, incomplete, or late information provided by you or on your behalf.

Each provision of this section operates separately. If any part is found to be unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply.

16Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against any claim, loss, or expense arising from your breach of these terms, your misuse of a deliverable outside the purpose stated in the Agreement, or the provision by you of information that infringes the rights of a third party.

17Term and termination

An engagement begins on acceptance of the Agreement and continues until the final milestone is delivered and approved, or until terminated in accordance with this section.

Either party may terminate an engagement by giving fourteen (14) days' written notice. Either party may terminate immediately by written notice if the other commits a material breach that is not remedied within fourteen (14) days of written notice requiring it to be remedied, or becomes insolvent or subject to insolvency proceedings.

The consequences of termination in respect of fees and refunds are set out in section 9. Sections concerning confidentiality, intellectual property, limitation of liability, indemnity, and governing law survive termination.

18Data protection

We collect personal information you provide through our contact form, by email, or by telephone, including your name, company, email address, telephone number, and the content of your enquiry.

This information is used only to respond to your enquiry, to provide the Services, and to administer invoicing and record-keeping. It is retained for as long as necessary for those purposes and to meet legal and accounting obligations.

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. It is shared only with service providers necessary to operate our business, such as our payment processors and form handling provider, each of whom processes it under their own terms.

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you by writing to info@naturalchoiceconsulting.com. We respond to such requests within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable law.

19Website use

All content on this website, including text, layout, graphics, and design, is owned by or licensed to Natural Choice Consulting and is protected by applicable intellectual property law. You may view and print pages for your own reference. You may not reproduce, republish, or exploit the content commercially without our prior written permission.

This website may contain links to third-party websites. Such links are provided for convenience only. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any third-party site.

You agree not to use this website in any way that is unlawful, or that damages, disables, or impairs the site or interferes with any other party's use of it.

20Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure or delay in performing its obligations where that failure or delay results from events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disaster, fire, flood, epidemic, war, civil unrest, industrial action, government action, or failure of telecommunications or utility infrastructure.

The affected party will notify the other promptly and the parties will agree a reasonable extension of timelines. Where the event continues for more than sixty (60) days, either party may terminate the engagement, with fees and refunds handled under section 9.

21Dispute resolution

If a dispute arises, the parties will first attempt to resolve it in good faith through direct discussion between senior representatives, within thirty (30) days of written notice of the dispute.

If the dispute is not resolved through discussion, the parties will consider mediation before commencing proceedings. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking urgent injunctive relief.

22Governing law

These terms and any engagement are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Sacramento County, California, in respect of any dispute arising out of or in connection with these terms.

23General provisions

Entire agreement. These terms, together with the applicable Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all prior discussions and representations.

Severability. If any provision is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

Waiver. A failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

Assignment. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations without the other's prior written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld.

Independent contractor. We act as an independent contractor. Nothing creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship.

Third parties. No person other than the parties has any right to enforce these terms.

Notices. Written notices may be given by email to the addresses stated in the Agreement, or by post to the addresses stated in these terms.

24Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal obligations. The current version is always published on this page with its effective date.

Changes do not apply retrospectively to engagements already underway. An engagement is governed by the terms in force on the date its Agreement was accepted.

25Contact

Questions about these terms should be directed to:

Natural Choice Consulting
2108 N Street, Suite N
Sacramento, CA 95816
Telephone: 510-993-6544
Email: info@naturalchoiceconsulting.com