Privacy Policy | The Business Workshop

The Business Workshop respects your privacy and is committed to protecting personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and protected when you visit our website, contact us, enquire about our services or work with The Business Workshop.

1. Who we are

The Business Workshop provides flexible business support, business improvement and operational support services to businesses across the UK.

Lucy Goffin trading as The Business Workshop

Website: www.thebusinessworkshop.uk

Email: hello.thebusinessworkshop@gmail.com

For personal information we collect and use for our own business purposes, The Business Workshop will generally act as the data controller.

When we access or process personal information held by a client, for example information within a client's CRM, inbox or customer database, we may instead act as a data processor on that client's instructions.

2. Information we may collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

Contact information

This may include:

your name
business name
job title
email address
telephone number
business contact details

Enquiry information

This may include:

information submitted through our website
information provided during discovery calls
details of the support you are interested in
correspondence with us

Client information

If you become a client, we may process:

contact and billing information
contracts and proposals
invoices and payment records
information required to provide the agreed service
notes relating to projects and meetings
information you provide about your business processes and operations

Information within client systems

Where necessary to provide our services, clients may give The Business Workshop authorised access to systems such as:

CRM systems
business email accounts
spreadsheets
databases
project-management systems
cloud storage
customer records
supplier information

Where this information includes personal data relating to a client's customers, suppliers, employees or other contacts, The Business Workshop will normally process it only on the client's documented instructions and for the purpose of delivering the agreed service.

Website information

Depending on the technology used on the website, we may collect limited technical information such as:

browser type
device type
pages visited
approximate location derived from technical information
referral source
website performance information

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

3. How we obtain personal information

We may receive personal information:

directly from you
through our website
by email, telephone or video call
through a booking system
through a client relationship
from publicly available business websites and directories
from professional networking platforms
through business referrals
from a client where we are carrying out services on their behalf

Where business contact information is obtained from a public source for legitimate B2B prospecting, we will use it responsibly and provide a straightforward way to ask us not to contact you again.

4. Why we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

respond to enquiries
arrange discovery calls
provide quotations or proposals
provide contracted services
communicate with clients
carry out Business MOTs
provide Flexible Business Support
carry out business improvement projects
provide ongoing Business Care
manage accounts and invoices
maintain business records
comply with legal and regulatory requirements
protect our business and clients from fraud or misuse
improve our services
maintain and improve our website
send relevant B2B communications where permitted by law

We will not sell personal information.

5. Our lawful bases

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Contract

Where processing is necessary to:

take steps before entering into a contract
provide services you have requested
administer our contractual relationship

Legitimate interests

We may rely on our legitimate interests where necessary to:

operate and develop The Business Workshop
respond to business enquiries
maintain client relationships
understand how our services are used
carry out proportionate B2B marketing
protect our business
improve our services

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on the individuals concerned.

Legal obligation

We may process information where necessary to comply with legal, accounting, taxation or regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where consent is required, for example for certain marketing activities or website technologies, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

6. Business marketing

The Business Workshop may contact businesses where we reasonably believe our services could be relevant.

Business contact information may be obtained from sources such as:

company websites
business directories
professional networking platforms
public business listings

We will comply with applicable UK data protection and electronic marketing rules.

Every recipient may ask us to stop contacting them. You can opt out by emailing hello.thebusinessworkshop@gmail.com.

If you opt out, we may retain limited information to record that preference and ensure we do not contact you again unnecessarily.

7. When we work inside client systems

Some services may require authorised access to client systems. Where The Business Workshop processes personal information on behalf of a client:

the client remains responsible for determining why the information is processed
we will process it only for the agreed purpose and on documented instructions
access will be limited to what is reasonably required
information will be treated confidentially
reasonable security measures will be used
we will not use client customer data for our own marketing
we will return or delete client personal data when required at the end of the engagement, subject to any legal retention requirement

Additional data-processing terms may form part of our Terms of Business, proposal or client agreement.

8. Sharing information

We do not sell personal data.

We may share information with carefully selected service providers where reasonably necessary to operate the business. These may include providers of:

email services
cloud storage
website hosting
appointment booking
accounting
invoicing
payment processing
IT and security services
analytics

We may also disclose information:

to professional advisers
where required by law
to regulators or public authorities
where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

Service providers should only receive the information necessary for the service they provide.

9. International transfers

Some technology providers may process information outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate legal safeguards are in place where required.

10. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary. Typical retention periods may include:

General enquiries

Normally up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact, unless there is a reason to retain the information longer.

Client records

Commercial records may normally be retained for up to six years after the end of the client relationship where required for contractual, accounting, taxation or legal purposes.

Client-system data

Personal data accessed solely to provide a client's service will normally be returned, deleted or access removed once it is no longer required, in accordance with the client's instructions and any applicable agreement.

Marketing records

Marketing information may be retained while the relationship remains relevant. Suppression information may be kept for longer where necessary to ensure an opt-out continues to be respected.

Actual retention may vary depending on legal requirements and the circumstances.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. These may include:

strong passwords
multi-factor authentication where available
access controls
secure cloud services
device security
limiting access to information
keeping client information confidential
removing unnecessary access when work ends

No internet or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

12. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis involved, you may have rights including:

access to your personal information
correction of inaccurate information
deletion of information
restriction of processing
objection to processing
data portability
withdrawal of consent

Some rights are subject to legal exemptions.

Your right to object to direct marketing

You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

To exercise your rights, contact hello.thebusinessworkshop@gmail.com.

We may need to confirm your identity before responding to certain requests.

13. Automated decision-making

The Business Workshop does not currently use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

14. Complaints

If you have a concern about how your personal information is being used, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve it.

You also have the right to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, website, technology or legal obligations change.

The latest version will always be published at www.thebusinessworkshop.uk.