terms & conditions

These Terms & Conditions (“Agreement”) govern the purchase and use of consulting services, subscription services, retainers, digital products, downloadable resources, templates, and related offerings provided by Strategic Business Management Services (SBMS) (“SBMS,” “Consultant,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).

By purchasing, subscribing to, downloading, accessing, booking, or otherwise engaging with SBMS services or products, the client (“Client,” “you,” or “your”) acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

Services

SBMS provides consulting, advisory, subscription-based, and digital services on an independent contractor basis.

Services may include, but are not limited to:

• grant consulting;

• strategic advisory;

• fundraising support;

• operational guidance;

• business planning;

• research;

• stakeholder engagement support;

• document review;

• templates;

• guides;

• digital downloads; and

• related consulting services.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all services are provided remotely using email, telephone, video conferencing, cloud platforms, project management software, and other remote communication technologies.

Services provided by SBMS are advisory and consulting-based in nature and do not constitute legal, accounting, tax, investment, or regulated professional advice.

Payment Terms

Payment is due in full at the time of purchase unless otherwise agreed in writing.

All pricing is listed in Canadian Dollars (CAD) and may be subject to applicable taxes.

Purchased consulting hours, subscription services, retainers, annual services, and digital products are non-refundable once:

• services have commenced;

• meetings have occurred;

• work has been initiated;

• deliverables have been transmitted; or

• digital files/resources have been downloaded, accessed, delivered, or shared.

By purchasing recurring or subscription-based services, the Client authorizes SBMS to process applicable recurring charges and valid cancellation fees in accordance with this Agreement.

SBMS reserves the right to suspend services for overdue accounts or unpaid invoices.

Ad Hoc Consulting Hours

Ad hoc consulting hours are intended for short-term or project-specific support only.

Purchased consulting hours:

• may include meetings, preparation time, research, strategy development, document review, written follow-up, and related administrative work;

• must be used within six (6) months of purchase unless otherwise agreed in writing; and

• do not constitute an ongoing retainer, employment relationship, or guaranteed future engagement.

Services outside the purchased scope may require additional fees, consulting hours, or a separate consulting agreement.

Subscription & Annual Services

Month-to-month, recurring, and annual services are subject to the agreed service scope and term selected at the time of purchase.

Cancellation of month-to-month or recurring subscription services shall require payment equal to three (3) months of service fees or the remaining contract value, whichever is less.

Cancellation of annual or fixed-term services prior to completion shall require payment equal to the remaining contract value or three (3) months of fees, whichever is less, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

SBMS reserves the right to terminate services where the Client breaches this Agreement, fails to provide required cooperation, or fails to remit payment.

Scheduling & Availability

Consulting sessions are scheduled based on mutual availability.

Purchase of services does not guarantee immediate availability, expedited response times, or ongoing service capacity.

Standard business hours are Monday–Friday excluding statutory holidays unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Meetings cancelled with less than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice may be charged in full or deducted from purchased consulting hours.

Failure to attend a scheduled meeting without notice may result in the session being considered completed and billable in full.

SBMS reserves the right to reschedule meetings due to illness, emergencies, scheduling conflicts, technology issues, or circumstances outside reasonable control.

Client Responsibilities

Clients are responsible for providing accurate, timely, and complete information required to support consulting services.

Delays in providing materials, approvals, feedback, or requested information may impact timelines, deliverables, or service completion dates.

Clients acknowledge that all operational, financial, legal, governance, compliance, and funding decisions remain solely their responsibility.

SBMS shall not be responsible for missed funding opportunities, grant denials, delays, losses, or negative outcomes resulting from incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, or client-supplied information.

No Guarantee of Outcomes

While SBMS will make commercially reasonable efforts to provide professional consulting services, specific outcomes, approvals, funding decisions, revenue generation, partnership opportunities, or business results cannot be guaranteed.

Grant funding decisions remain solely at the discretion of the applicable funding organization, review body, or third party.

Purchase of consulting services does not establish any contingency fee arrangement or guarantee of funding success.

Digital Products & Downloads

Digital products, templates, downloads, guides, frameworks, and resources are licensed for individual or internal organizational use only unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Digital products may not be:

• reproduced;

• redistributed;

• sublicensed;

• resold;

• commercially exploited;

• incorporated into resale products;

• uploaded into AI training systems; or

• shared externally

without prior written consent from SBMS.

Due to the nature of digital products, all digital product purchases are final and non-refundable once access has been granted or files have been delivered.

Confidentiality

Confidential information shared during the engagement will be treated confidentially except where:

• authorized by the Client;

• reasonably necessary to perform the services; or

• required by law.

SBMS will take commercially reasonable steps to protect confidential information shared through remote communication technologies and digital collaboration platforms.

Confidentiality obligations survive completion or termination of services.

Intellectual Property

Clients retain ownership of materials and information they provide to SBMS.

SBMS retains ownership of its:

• methodologies;

• templates;

• frameworks;

• systems;

• workflows;

• tools;

• digital products;

• processes; and

• proprietary materials.

Custom deliverables created specifically for Clients may be used for the Client’s normal operational, governance, fundraising, and organizational purposes only unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Recording Restrictions

Consulting calls, meetings, presentations, materials, deliverables, and digital resources may not be recorded, reproduced, distributed, published, shared externally, or commercially reused without prior written consent from SBMS.

Chargebacks & Payment Disputes

Clients agree to contact SBMS directly to attempt resolution of billing concerns prior to initiating chargebacks or payment disputes.

Evidence of service delivery, communications, meeting attendance, deliverable transmission, digital file access, or other engagement activity may be used in response to payment disputes or chargeback claims.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SBMS shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, reputational, business interruption, loss of profits, loss of funding, or related damages arising from services or digital products provided.

Total liability related to any service or purchase shall not exceed the total fees paid for the applicable purchase or engagement giving rise to the claim.

Force Majeure

SBMS shall not be responsible for delays or inability to perform services resulting from circumstances beyond reasonable control, including:

• internet outages;

• technology failures;

• cyber incidents;

• illness;

• governmental actions;

• natural disasters;

• labour disruptions; or

• failures of third-party platforms or providers.

Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the applicable federal laws of Canada.

Modifications

SBMS reserves the right to update or modify these Terms & Conditions at any time without prior notice. Updated versions shall become effective upon publication to the SBMS website or applicable purchase platform.

Continued use of services following updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms & Conditions.