PRIVACY POLICY

September 28, 2012

PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE HPSB WEBSITE, THE HPSB NEWSLETTER AND/OR ANY HPSB PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

The How to Plan and Sell a Business website (www.howtoplanandsellabusiness.com) (the “HPSB Website”) is owned and managed by Taggart, LLC (“Taggart”). Taggart exists to provide sponsored information, content, products, services and other materials, including the “How to Sell a Business Newsletter” (the “HPSB Newsletter), to business owners on topics relevant to the sale of a business.   

Taggart seeks to protect the privacy of users of the HPSB Website and subscribers to the HPSB Newsletter, all as described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected through your use of the HPSB Website and HPSB Products and Services and/or through your subscription to HPSB Newsletter, how we seek to safeguard your email address, how other information may be used and/or shared with others, how we safeguard information and other aspects of our business policies.  Taggart endeavors to take reasonable steps to protect user privacy as set forth in this Privacy Policy.

Taggart provides the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter, and other information, content, products, services and materials available at or through the HPSB Website (collectively the “HPSB Products and Services”), for your personal non-commercial use only and subject to this Privacy Policy and all other terms and conditions set forth in the HPSB Terms of Use Agreement, of which this Privacy Policy is a part (click here to view the entire HPSB Terms of Use Agreement). Please read this Privacy Policy and the entire HPSB Terms of Use Agreement carefully before accessing or using the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter, and/or any of the HPSB Products and Services.  Your access and use of the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter, and/or of any HPSB Products and Services confirms your acknowledgment and understanding of this Privacy Policy and constitutes your acceptance to be bound by it and the entire HPSB Terms of Use Agreement without limitation, qualification or change by you.  If at any time you do not accept this Privacy Policy and all terms and conditions of the HPSB Terms of Use Agreement, either of which may be modified by Taggart at any time in its discretion and without direct notice, you should immediately discontinue use of the HPSB Website and the HPSB Products and Services and unsubscribe to the HPSB Newsletter.            

In this Privacy Policy, “we”, “us” or “our” refer to Taggart, and “you” or “your” refer to each visitor, user, customer or subscriber of the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter and/or the HPSB Products and Services.   

      

Information We Collect On the HPSB Website

Information You Provide To Us

Because the HPSB Website and certain content on the HPSB Website and in the HPSB Newsletter are independently sponsored, access to and use of the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter, and the HPSB Products and Services are currently available without charge. However, in order to have full access to all features and content at the HPSB Website, you must be an active email subscriber to the HPSB Newsletter.  There is no charge for subscribing to the HPSB Newsletter.  Even if you elect not to become an email subscriber to our HPSB Newsletter, you will still have access to limited or truncated content at the HPSB Website concerning topics relevant to the sale of a business.             

When you subscribe to the HPSB Newsletter, we will ask you to provide your email address and certain other information (such as your name, company name, zip code or other profile-related information (“Personal Information”)). Taggart may also collect certain Personal Information from you when you request information, videos, white papers, reports, articles, newsletters or other materials, submit comments, or participate in other features available at or through the HPSB Website or otherwise communicate or interact with us. We may combine supplemental information we collect about you with Personal Information about you and we will treat the combined information as Personal Information.

The HPSB Website may contain bulletin board services, news groups, forums, blogs and/or other message or communication facilities (“Communication Services”) designed to enable you to communicate with others.  Please remember that any information that you disclose in these areas becomes public information and is not subject to the provisions of this Privacy Policy. Accordingly, you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose Personal Information in Communication Services areas.

Information We Collect Automatically

Whenever you visit or interact with the HPSB Website or HPSB Newsletters, Taggart and/or its service providers may use a variety of technologies that automatically or passively track or collect information about how the HPSB Website and/or the HPSB Newsletter are accessed and used (“Usage Information”). Usage Information may include, in part, browser type, device type, operating system, the page served, the time, the preceding page views, and your use of features or applications on the HPSB Website, as well as email deliveries, email opens and email click-throughs of HPSB Newsletters. This statistical data provides us with information about the use of the HPSB Website and the HPSB Newsletters, such as how many visitors visit a specific page on the HPSB Website, how long they stay on that page, and which hyperlinks, if any, they “click” on. This information helps us keep the HPSB Website fresh and interesting to our visitors and tailor content to a visitor’s interests.  Taggart may associate Usage Information with you as a specific and identifiable person and will treat that as Personal Information.

Taggart also automatically collects your IP address or other unique identifier (“Device Identifier”) for the computer, mobile device, technology or other device (collectively, “Device”) you use to access the HPSB Website. A Device Identifier is a number that is automatically assigned to your Device when you access a website or its servers, and our computers identify your Device by its Device Identifier. We may use a Device Identifier to, among other things, administer the HPSB Website, help diagnose problems with our servers, analyze trends, track users’ web page movements, help identify you, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. The technologies used on the HPSB Website to collect Usage Information, including Device Identifiers, include but are not limited to:

Email Data. We may track the number of HPSB Newsletters delivered to your email inbox, as well as email that you open and links that you click within emails you receive from us.

Log Data. Our servers automatically record information ("Log Data") created by your use of the HPSB Website. Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type, the referring domain, pages visited, and search terms. Other actions, such as interactions with links on the HPSB Website, may also be included in Log Data.

 

Clickstream Data.

When you access the HPSB Website, we may track your session data based on your log-in information, or we may place a small file called a “cookie” on your hard drive.  If you become a subscriber to the HPSB Newsletter, Taggart may use your log in or cookies to authenticate your identity when you visit the HPSB Website, collect the data generated in connection with your activity on the HPSB Website (“Clickstream Data”) and to personalize your user experience on the HPSB Website, including display of the Content Sponsor's (as defined below) information. We may track the Clickstream Data of subscribers on the HPSB Website and may obtain non-personally identifiable information from users, such as the number of visits to the HPSB Website that a certain user has made, the movement of the user through the HPSB Website, and the searches that the user conducts on the HPSB Website. Please note that Taggart does not collect Clickstream Data on any websites other than the HPSB Website. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some subscriber content, features and services may not be fully available to you if your cookies are disabled. We may use electronic images known as "clear GIFs" (sometimes called "transparent GIFs", "Web bugs", “pixel tags” or "beacons") that allow us to track general user traffic patterns. Taggart also automatically receives and records information from our servers and from your browser, including your IP address, the time, and information about the page you requested.

Google Analytics.  Taggart uses Google Analytics to help understand the use of the HPSB Website.  Using Google Analytics, Taggart collects, among other things, the information sent by your browser as part of a web page request, including cookies and your IP address. Google also receives this information and their use of it is governed by their privacy policy (www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/).     

 

Third Party Clickstream Data. 

If you leave the HPSB Website by clicking on links on the HPSB Website that may redirect you to other websites not owned by Taggart, those third parties may place cookies or clear GIFs on your computer.  This Privacy Policy does not govern the use and disclosure of any information collected by third parties, such as through cookies or clear GIFs, when you visit their websites or by third parties regarding your clickstream activity on websites other than the HPSB Website.

 

Third Party Personal Information.

The HPSB Newsletter and the HPSB Website may include an “email a friend” feature, which allows a user to email content to a third party.  We will use the email address of that person for purposes of emailing that content to that person and may contact that person regarding their interest in subscribing to the HPSB Newsletters. 

 

How We Use the Information We Collect

Taggart may use the information we collect about and from you for a variety of business purposes, including for example, to: provide you with the HPSB Newsletter; respond to your questions and requests; provide you with access to certain areas and features of the HPSB Website; verify your identity; communicate with you about your account and activities on the HPSB Website and, in our discretion, about any changes to the HPSB Website, this Privacy Policy or any other provisions of the Terms of Use Agreement or any other Taggart policy; tailor content, advertisements, and offers we serve you; improve the HPSB Website; for internal business purposes; process applications and transactions; comply with license obligations; provide you with surveys or other information we think might be of interest to you; better understand our subscriber base; to market the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter and/or the HPSB Products and Services, including to Content Sponsors (as defined below) or prospective Content Sponsors; and for purposes disclosed at the time you provide your Personal Information or otherwise with your consent.

 

Taggart Seeks to Safeguard Your Email Address.

Taggart does not sell, rent or share your email address to or with third parties, except under the following limited circumstances:

• Taggart may share your email address with our family of companies which are commonly controlled by or with Taggart for internal reasons, primarily for business and operational purposes.  The goal of each such Taggart company is to provide sponsored educational content to business owners regarding how to sell a business.

• Taggart is always seeking to improve the HPSB Website and its business. If all or part of Taggart is sold, merged or otherwise transferred to another entity, your email address may be transferred as part of that transaction.

• Taggart may utilize third-party service providers (“Service Providers”) to help operate the HPSB Website, deliver the HPSB Newsletters or for other services.  To the extent our Service Providers require subscribers' email addresses to provide services, we may share your email address with them.  These Service Providers will only be allowed to use your email address for the purpose of providing the specific services requested by Taggart.  We require our Service Providers to undertake to maintain the confidentiality of your email address.

• While we strive to protect the email addresses of our users, Taggart will disclose your email address if legally required to do so, if requested to do so by a governmental entity, or if it believes in good faith that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process; (b) protect our rights or property or our affiliated companies; (c) prevent a crime or protect national security; or (d) protect the personal safety of users or the public.

Sharing of Information

Except as provided in this Privacy Policy, we will not provide any of your Personal Information or Usage Information to any third parties without your specific consent. We may share your Personal information and/or your Usage Information as set forth elsewhere in this Privacy Policy and in the following circumstances:

     Third Parties Providing Services on Our Behalf. In order to carry out your requests, to make various features, services and materials available to you at or through the HPSB Website, in the HPSB Newsletter and/or in other HPSB Products and Services, and/or to respond to your inquiries, we may share your Personal Information and Usage Information with companies or individuals that host or operate the HPSB Website, publish the HPSB Newsletter and/or produce or deliver any other HPSB Products and Services, but only for the purpose of hosting or operating the HPSB Website, publishing or delivering the HPSB Newsletter, or producing or delivering any other HPSB Products and Services. These third-party service providers will only be allowed to use your Personal Information and Usage Information for the purpose of providing the specific services requested by Taggart.  We require our Service Providers to undertake to maintain the confidentiality of your Personal Information and your Usage Information.  This prohibition does not include or cover links to third-party sites accessible at or through the HPSB Website.  

      Content Sponsors.  We may also make certain of your Personal Information (with the exception of your email address) and Usage Information available as part of periodic reports or summaries or as statistical data, to third parties who sponsor content on the HPSB Website and/or in the HPSB Newsletter (each a “Content Sponsor”). Taggart's agreements with its Content Sponsors do not preclude the Content Sponsor from using this information to contact you via common methods of communication, but do prohibit disclosure of the information to any third party other than employees or agents of the Content Sponsor for the permitted communications.       

      Disclosure of Aggregated Information. Taggart may provide summary reports to our Content Sponsors, based on our analysis of Clickstream Data, which may include a description of activity levels by aggregated sponsored subscribers on the HPSB Website or by HPSB Newsletter deliveries/activity.  Taggart may also disclose aggregated subscriber statistics in order to describe our services to prospective Content Sponsors and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes.

     Your Agreement to Have Your Personal Information Shared. While on the HPSB Website, you may have the opportunity to opt-in to receive information and/or marketing offers from someone else or to otherwise consent to the sharing of your information with a third party, including social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. If you agree to have your Personal Information shared, your Personal Information will be disclosed to the third party and the Personal Information you disclose will be subject to the privacy policy and business practices of that third party.

      Business Transfers. We may share your Personal Information and Usage Information with other companies commonly controlled by or with Taggart for internal reasons, primarily for business and operational purposes. As we continue to develop our business, we may sell or purchase assets. If another entity acquires Taggart or all or substantially all of Taggart’s assets, or assets related to the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter and/or the HPSB Products and Services, Personal Information, Usage Information, and any other information that we have collected about the users of the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter and/or other HPSB Products and Services may be disclosed to such entity as part of the due diligence process and will be transferred, in whole or in part, to such entity as one of the transferred assets. If so, Taggart will seek to obligate the acquiring entity to use any information transferred in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy, but cannot guarantee that it will be able to impose that requirement or that the acquiring company will comply. Also, if any bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding is brought by or against us, all such information may be considered an asset of ours and as such may be sold or transferred to third parties.

      Legal Disclosure. Taggart may transfer and disclose information, including your Personal Information, Usage Information and Device Identifier (including IP address), to third parties to comply with a legal obligation; when we believe in good faith that the law requires it; at the request of governmental authorities conducting an investigation; to verify or enforce the HPSB Terms of Use Agreement or other applicable policies; to respond to an emergency; or otherwise to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of third parties, visitors to the HPSB Website or the public.

 

Information We Receive From Third Parties

Taggart may receive information about you from third parties. For example, if you are on another website and you opt-in to receive information from Taggart, that website may submit to us your email address and other information about you so that we may contact you as requested. You may also choose to participate in a third party application or feature (such as one of our Facebook or Twitter applications or a similar application or feature on a third party website) through which you allow us to collect (or the third party to share) information about you, including Personal Information such as lists of your friends, “likes”, comments you have shared, groups and location. In addition, we may receive information about you if other users of a third party website give us access to their profiles and you are one of their “connections” or information about you is otherwise accessible through your “connections’” web page, profile page, or similar page on a social networking or other third party website or interactive service. We may also receive information about you from our Content Sponsors or from prospective Content Sponsors. 

We may also supplement the information we collect about you through the HPSB Website with outside records from third parties in order to enhance our ability to serve you, to tailor our content to you and to offer you products or services that we believe may be of interest to you. We may combine the information we receive from these third parties with information we collect through the HPSB Website. In those cases, we will apply this Privacy Statement to any Personal Information received, unless we have disclosed otherwise.

 

Unsubscribe

All email communications you receive from Taggart will enable you to easily unsubscribe. If you request to unsubscribe from email communications other than the HPSB Newsletter, you will also be unsubscribed from the HPSB Newsletter. If you unsubscribe from the HPSB Newsletter, you will only be unsubscribed from the HPSB Newsletter and may occasionally receive other types of email communications. However, all other types of email communications will always provide the opportunity to unsubscribe from all email communications.

If at any time you do not accept this Privacy Policy and all terms and conditions of the HPSB Terms of Use Agreement, either of which may be modified by Taggart at any time in its discretion and without direct notice, you should immediately unsubscribe and discontinue use of the HPSB Website, the HPSB Newsletter, and the HPSB Products and Services.

 

Security of Your Information

We take information security seriously and use certain reasonable security measures to help protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of your Personal Information. However, no electronic data transmission or storage of information can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Please note that we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you use the HPSB Website and provide us with your information at your own risk.

 

Other Sites

The HPSB Website may contain links to other sites that we do not own or operate. This includes links from advertisers, sponsors (including Content Sponsors) and/or partners that may use our logo(s) as part of a co-branding or co-marketing agreement. We do not control, recommend or endorse and are not responsible for these sites or their content, products, services or privacy policies or practices. These other sites may send their own cookies to your Device, they may independently collect data or solicit Personal Information and may or may not have their own published privacy policies. You should also independently assess the authenticity of any site which appears or claims that it is one of our sites (including those linked to through an email or social networking page).

Children

The HPSB Website is not directed to individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect, use or disclose personally identifiable information from anyone under 18 years of age. If we determine upon collection that a user is under this age, we will not use or maintain his/her Personal Information without the parent/guardian’s consent. If we become aware that we have unknowingly collected personally identifiable information from a child under the age of 18, we will make reasonable efforts to delete such information from our records.

Consent to Processing and Transfer of Information

The HPSB Website is governed by and operated in, and in accordance with the laws of, the United States, and are intended for the enjoyment of residents of the United States. Taggart makes no representation that the HPSB Website is governed by or operated in accordance with the laws of any other nation. Given that we are an international business, our use of your information necessarily involves the transmission of data on an international basis. If you are located in the European Union, Canada or elsewhere outside of the United States, please be aware that information we collect may be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the HPSB Website, subscribing to the HPSB Newsletter, or providing us with any information, you (a) acknowledge that the HPSB Website is subject to the laws of the United States, (b) consent to the collection, processing, maintenance and transfer of such information in and to the United States and other applicable territories in which the privacy laws may not be as comprehensive as or equivalent to those in the country where you reside and/or are a citizen, and (c) waive any claims that may arise under those laws.

Changes

Please note, we may change, modify, add or remove information on the HPSB Website, this Privacy Statement, and/or any other term or condition in the HPSB Terms of Use Agreement, at any time without prior notice to you. Any changes will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Policy on the HPSB Website, and we encourage you to check back from time to time. However, Taggart will use your Personal Information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Policy in effect at the time you submitted the information, unless you consent to the new or revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, the HPSB Website, or your experiences with the HPSB Website, please contact us at:

Attn: Privacy Questions
Taggart, LLC
13905 Tanglewood Drive
Farmers Branch, TX 75234
By Email: webmaster@howtoplanandsellabusiness.com

Disclaimer

The information contained in the HPSB Website, in the HPSB Newsletter and/or in the HPSB Products and Services is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in the HPSB Website, in the HPSB Newsletter, and/or in the HPSB Products and Services without seeking appropriate advice on your particular facts and circumstances from professional advisors in your state. The author, Taggart and its owners expressly disclaim all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of the HPSB Website.