Part A - Website & Service Terms (/terms)

These terms govern your use of the Future Shift Advisory website and any service you purchase directly through this website via self-serve checkout. If you engage Future Shift Advisory for a service under a signed engagement proposal, that engagement is governed by our separate engagement agreement instead - these terms apply only to this website and to direct, self-serve purchases.

1. Who We Are

Future Shift Advisory ("we," "us," "our") is a business advisory practice based in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Contact: hello@futureshiftadvisory.nz

2. What These Terms Cover

These terms cover your use of this website, and any service you purchase directly through this website via self-serve checkout, without a signed engagement proposal.

Our self-serve services currently include Idea Validation and Business Plan + Budget Development, described in Clause 3 below. If we introduce further self-serve services in future, they are covered by these terms on the same basis.

If you engage Future Shift Advisory for a service under a signed engagement proposal - including ongoing advisory services such as business advisory, valuations, due diligence, succession planning, or governance reviews - that engagement is governed by our separate engagement agreement, not by these terms.

3. The Service

The self-serve services currently offered under these terms are described below. This clause is updated as our self-serve offering changes; the general rule in Clause 2 applies regardless of which specific services are listed here at any given time.

3.1 Idea Validation

Idea Validation includes: a structured readiness assessment; guided idea validation covering your problem, target customer, proposed solution, and evidence of demand; an AI-supported viability review; and feedback from a human advisor, delivered as advisor gate feedback.

3.2 Business Plan + Budget Development

Business Plan + Budget Development includes: guided development of a full business plan covering market, strategy, operations, legal, and culture; a structured Budget & Runway Builder covering launch costs, operating costs, revenue forecasting, and funding requirements; an advisor assessment of your completed plan; and a revision round. This service is provided within up to 14 advisor hours per purchase.

3.3 Moving From Idea Validation to Business Plan + Budget

Once your Idea Validation is complete, if it reaches the standard we look for to proceed to business planning, you may request access to Business Plan + Budget Development.

This is a separate purchase, completed through the same self-serve checkout process as Idea Validation. It is not provided under a signed proposal, and no additional agreement is required beyond these terms.

3.4 Nature of These Services

Our self-serve services are advisory and supportive only. None is legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice, and none should be relied on as such. Nothing in the output of any self-serve service constitutes a guarantee, forecast, or assurance of the future success of your business idea.

The decisions you make about your business - including whether to proceed, how to proceed, and any commitments you enter into - remain entirely yours.

4. Fees and Payment

The fee for each self-serve service is the fee displayed at checkout at the time of purchase, in New Zealand dollars, plus GST.

Each self-serve service is a separate, fixed-fee purchase. None is provided under a signed proposal - the price and scope shown at checkout are the full agreed terms for that purchase.

Payment for each purchase is by credit or debit card, processed by our payment processing provider. We do not see or store your full card number.

A GST receipt is issued for each purchase, to the email address you provide at checkout.

5. Cancellation and Refunds

This clause applies separately to each self-serve service you purchase.

You may cancel and receive a full refund on a purchase at any time before you submit the relevant questionnaire or workspace for that service.

Once you submit, the fee for that purchase is non-refundable, as your submission is passed to an advisor for review.

6. Delivery Timeframe

6.1 Idea Validation

You can expect to receive your advisor’s feedback within 5 New Zealand business days of you fully answering and submitting the Idea Validation questionnaire.

6.2 Business Plan + Budget Development

You can expect to receive your advisor’s assessment within 10 New Zealand business days of you fully completing and submitting your Business Plan + Budget Development workspace.

6.3 What "Fully Completing" Means

For any self-serve service, "fully answering" or "fully completing" means you have responded to all required questions or fields - it does not mean your idea or plan itself needs to be complete or fully developed. Identifying what is missing, underdeveloped, or needs further work is part of what these services provide, not a precondition for using them.

If we expect a delay beyond the stated timeframe for any service, we will let you know.

7. Your Responsibilities

You agree to provide truthful, complete, and accurate information when using any self-serve service covered by these terms.

The quality and usefulness of the output you receive depends directly on the quality and completeness of the information you provide. We are not responsible for the accuracy of any assessment based on incomplete or inaccurate information you supply.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Parts of the analysis in our self-serve services are AI-assisted. Every factual claim or finding produced by our AI analysis carries a stated source - the specific information or data it is based on - rather than being presented without explanation.

A human advisor reviews AI-assisted analysis before it is provided to you and is accountable for the feedback you receive. AI-assisted output is never provided to you without human advisor review.

9. Intellectual Property

Future Shift Advisory owns all intellectual property in its assessment methodology, frameworks, scoring criteria, and platform - including each self-serve service’s process.

You own the information you supply to us, and you own the output you receive from each self-serve service you purchase. You may use, share, and rely on that output as you see fit.

10. Confidentiality

We keep the information you provide to us confidential. We do not share the substance of your business idea or the information you submit with any third party, except as set out in our Privacy Policy (Part B) or as required by law.

11. Limitation of Liability

[Placeholder - do not finalise without legal review]: "To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability to you arising from or in connection with any self-serve service is limited to the fees you paid for that specific purchase. We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special loss. Nothing in these terms limits any right or remedy you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 to the extent that Act applies to your purchase."

12. Account Security

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is required to access your account.

You must keep your login credentials secure and must not share them with anyone else.

You must tell us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised or accessed without your authorisation.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any dispute arising from these terms is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.

Part B - Privacy Policy (/privacy)

This policy explains how Future Shift Advisory collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information in connection with this website and Idea Validation, in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

1. Scope

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).

2. What We Collect

We collect: your name, email address, and mobile number; payment status for your purchase (we never see or store your full card number - card payments are processed directly by our payment processing provider); the business and idea information you provide to us through Idea Validation; and website analytics data (see Clause 10).

3. Why We Collect It

We collect and use your personal information to: deliver the self-serve service(s) you purchase; verify your identity; process your payment for each purchase; and communicate with you about your engagement.

4. Who We Share It With, and Where

We share limited personal information with the following overseas service providers, who process it on our behalf to deliver the service to you:

We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers protect your personal information to a standard comparable to the Privacy Act 2020, including through their standard contractual and data protection terms. We do not sell your personal information to anyone, and do not share it with any other third party except as required by law.

5. Marketing

We only send you marketing communications if you separately opt in to receive them - opting in is never bundled with or required for using Idea Validation. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing message, or by emailing hello@futureshiftadvisory.nz.

6. Security

We protect your personal information through: mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts; encryption of data at rest; automated security scanning of uploaded documents; access limited to the advisor and staff working on your engagement; and audit logging of access to your information.

7. Retention

We retain your personal information for the duration of your engagement with us, plus 7 years afterwards, for audit and professional indemnity insurance purposes. If you close your account, we retain information only as required by this policy and applicable law, and delete or de-identify it thereafter.

8. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020 (Information Privacy Principles 6 and 7), you have the right to ask us what personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is wrong.

To make a request, email hello@futureshiftadvisory.nz. We will respond within the timeframe required by the Privacy Act 2020.

9. Breach Notification

If a privacy breach occurs that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals, in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

10. Cookies and Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics collects information such as pages visited, time on site, and general location - it does not collect your name or contact details unless you provide them elsewhere on the site.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using a browser extension such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on, or by adjusting your browser’s cookie settings.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy, or requests relating to your personal information, can be sent to hello@futureshiftadvisory.nz.