data & confidentiality
What I ask for, why, and what happens to it
For most owners, showing a stranger the P&L, the receivables and the payroll is harder than paying. So here is all of it in advance.
01What I ask for
Management numbers: revenue and margin by line, costs, receivables, inventory, sales metrics. Team structure without names where names aren't needed. Access to systems — read-only, not edit.
I don't ask for tax filings, bank statements or any document that isn't needed for the diagnosis.
02When the NDA is signed
Before I receive data, not after. That's a standard, not a favour.
The document is mutual: I also show you my methods, templates and working materials. Term: three years after the work ends. An indefinite NDA in a small business reads as a threat and slows signing down without providing anything.
The template can be downloaded and shown to a lawyer before our first call.
03Where it's stored
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who has access | Only me. There is no team, assistant or contractor with access to your data |
| Where it sits | In one place, separately for each client |
| How long it's kept | 90 days after the work ends |
| What remains after | Only the final documents, which you have anyway |
04Publicity
Your company name, your numbers and any detail that could identify you are not published anywhere without separate written consent. Silence is not consent.
Three levels worth distinguishing
- An anonymised observation"I've seen a distributor where sales commission was tied to revenue while the constraint was margin." No name, no combination of your industry with your region, numbers rounded. Used by default — and not used for a specific example if you ask me not to
- An anonymised caseStructure, numbers, sequence — without a name. Only by separate written consent
- A named caseWith your name and a link. Only by written consent to the specific text you have read
why I need this at all
I write about the work — it's part of how I find clients. I write so that you can't be identified. If a specific example doesn't sit well with you, say so and I won't use it.
05This site
Analytics without cookies and without tracking visitors. I can see how many people opened a page and at which step of the questionnaire they stopped. I can't see who you are, and I don't pass any of it on.
Questionnaire data is kept to prepare for the call and falls under the same rules described above.