Small Biz Primer · US small business Independent · reader-supported · every paid link marked sponsored
Plain-English business guides
Small Biz Primer

How to start & run a business, minus the jargon.

◆ New here? Start with How to Start a Business◆ Rankings are never sold◆ Every paid link is marked sponsored◆ 15 guides live today, more each week ◆ New here? Start with How to Start a Business◆ Rankings are never sold◆ Every paid link is marked sponsored◆ 15 guides live today, more each week
Policy

Terms of use

The rules for using this site. The important one is the first: this is information, not advice.

Effective [EFFECTIVE DATE - set on publish]

Owner action before launch

These terms are a workable starting point written in plain English, not a lawyer's opinion on your business. Fill in the entity, address and governing state, and have a lawyer review them before you start taking money for sponsored placements.

1. Who these terms are between

These terms are between you and [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], which operates Small Biz Primer at smallbizprimer.com. By using the site you accept them. If you do not accept them, please do not use the site.

2. This is information, not advice

Everything published here is general educational information about how starting and running a business generally works in the United States. It is not legal advice, tax advice, accounting advice, or financial or investment advice, and using this site does not create an attorney-client, accountant-client or adviser-client relationship.

Laws, filing fees, tax rules and software pricing differ by state and change over time. What is correct for one business may be wrong for yours. Before acting on anything you read here, check the primary source and, for anything consequential, speak to a licensed professional in your state.

3. Accuracy

We work hard to get things right, we cite primary sources, and we date our comparisons. We still cannot guarantee that everything on the site is accurate, complete or current at the moment you read it, particularly third-party pricing and government fees. If you spot something wrong, please tell us and we will fix it.

4. Affiliate links and sponsored content

This site earns money from affiliate links and, in future, from sponsored placements. This is disclosed in full in our affiliate disclosure and on every page where such links appear. Commercial relationships do not change our rankings or our editorial opinions.

5. Third-party sites and services

We link to other websites, including companies we earn commission from and government agencies. We do not control those sites, we are not responsible for their content, their pricing, their terms or their data practices, and a link is not an endorsement of everything that company does. Your dealings with any third party are between you and them.

6. Using our content

The writing, layout and design on this site belong to us or to our contributors. You may read it, print it for your own use, and quote a short extract with clear attribution and a link back. You may not republish our articles in whole or in substantial part, sell them, or use them to train a commercial model, without written permission. Trade marks and product names belonging to other companies are theirs, and we use them only to identify their products.

7. Contributions

If you submit an article, a pitch, a comment or any other material, you confirm it is your own work, that it does not infringe anyone's rights, and you give us permission to publish, edit and keep it on the site. We may decline, edit, correct or remove any contribution. Details are on the write for us page.

8. Acceptable use

Do not attempt to break, overload or gain unauthorised access to the site, scrape it at a volume that degrades it for other people, or use it for anything unlawful.

9. Limitation of liability

The site is provided as is. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any loss arising from your use of, or reliance on, anything published here - including business losses, lost profits, tax or filing consequences, or losses arising from a product or service you found through a link on this site. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, in which case those limits apply only as far as the law allows. Nothing here limits liability for fraud or for anything that cannot legally be limited.

10. Changes

We may update these terms. The effective date at the top shows when they last changed, and continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated version.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of [STATE - fill in the state your business is formed or based in], United States, and any dispute will be handled by the courts of [JURISDICTION - fill in].

12. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@smallbizprimer.com, or use the contact page.