Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how AI MARKETING SALES LLC, doing business as Franchise Guys ("Franchise Guys," "we," "us" or "our"), collects, uses and shares personal information when you visit franchiseguys.co (the "Site") or contact us. Franchise Guys is part of Secret Agents, another trade name of the same company. Your use of the Site is also subject to our Terms of Service.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us. When you submit a request for quote we collect your name, work email, phone number (if you provide one), franchise brand, website, role, industry, number of open units, growth goals, marketing budget range and anything you write in the notes. When you use the Bad Idea Detector we collect the idea you type, your answers and the budget and timeline you choose, together with your first name and email, which we ask for before you start. If you tick the box on that page, you allow us to feature your idea in our content using your first name only. The Franchise Matchmaker Quiz, the Franchise Growth Assessment and the Franchise 101 Guide collect your first name and email, and your answers where there are any, in the same way. Our newsletter is published on Substack. You subscribe there, so Substack collects your email address under its own privacy policy and shows us our subscriber list. If you email or call us, including to report a correction to the franchise directory, we keep that correspondence.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, our hosting provider logs technical data such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you request and the time of each request. If you accept cookies, analytics and advertising tags also collect information about your visit, such as pages viewed, approximate location derived from your IP address, the site or ad that referred you, and cookie or device identifiers.

Public records. Our franchise directory is compiled from public records filed with state and federal government agencies. Those records describe franchise brands and can include the names and business contact details of people associated with them. We use them to publish the directory. To ask us to correct or remove information about you, email hello@secretagents.co.

Information from others. Advertising and analytics platforms may send us reports about how our ads perform and how visitors use the Site.

3. How we use information

• To review your request for quote, respond to you and prepare proposals.
• To provide our services and manage our relationship with you.
• To send updates and marketing about our services, where the law allows. You can opt out at any time.
• To measure and improve the Site and, if you accept cookies, our advertising.
• To keep the Site secure, prevent spam and abuse, and comply with legal obligations.

4. Cookies and similar technologies

Essential storage. We use your browser's storage to remember your cookie choice and, after you submit a request for quote, to greet you by first name on the confirmation page, and to remember that you have unlocked a guide. The franchise directory also uses it to keep your shortlist, comparisons and checklist progress on your device; there is no account, and the IDs of saved brands are sent to our server only to load those brands. None of this tracks you across sites or needs consent.

Analytics and advertising cookies. We load these only if you select Accept on our cookie notice. They may include Google Analytics, the Google Ads tag and the Meta Pixel. They tell us how visitors use the Site, whether our ads lead to enquiries, and let us show our ads to people who have visited the Site. Google and Meta receive this information and use it under their own privacy policies.

Your choice. You can change your mind at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of any page. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we do not show the notice and leave these cookies off unless you later choose to accept them. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.

5. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share it only with:

• Service providers that help us run the Site and our business, such as our website host and form processor (Netlify), our font provider (Google Fonts, which receives your IP address when a page loads), and our email, customer management and analytics tools.
• Advertising partners, such as Google and Meta, if you accept cookies. Some state laws call this "sharing" or "targeted advertising." Selecting Decline in Cookie settings opts you out.
• Our own team, including people working under the Secret Agents name, which is the same company.
• Professional advisers and authorities when needed to get legal or accounting advice, comply with the law, or protect our rights or the safety of others.
• A successor if we are involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.

6. How long we keep information

We keep personal information for as long as we need it for the purposes described above, including to maintain business records and meet legal, tax and accounting requirements, and then delete or anonymize it. You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see section 8).

7. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information. No website or method of storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, get a copy of it, correct it, delete it, and opt out of targeted advertising or the sale or sharing of your information. California and several other US states provide these rights to their residents. We will not treat you differently for using them.

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may also have the right to object to or restrict our processing, to withdraw consent, and to complain to your local data protection authority. We rely on your consent for analytics and advertising cookies, and on our legitimate interests or the steps needed to enter into a contract with you for the other uses described above.

To make a request, email hello@secretagents.co. We may need to verify your identity, and we respond within the time the law requires, generally 45 days or less. To stop marketing emails, use the unsubscribe link in any message.

9. Children

The Site is for business owners and professionals. It is not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us information, email hello@secretagents.co and we will delete it.

10. International visitors

We are based in the United States, and the information we collect is processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your country.

11. Other websites

The Site links to websites we do not control, such as Secret Agents. Their privacy practices are their own, so please read their policies.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the new version here and change the "Last updated" date.

13. Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy? Email hello@secretagents.co.
AI MARKETING SALES LLC, doing business as Franchise Guys