A Guide to Gym Owner Privacy and Terms of Service

*Guest post from our friends at Conscious Counsel . Written by Cory Sterling

As the wellness industry has changed over the last year and a half, operating online has become an essential element of running a versatile and pandemic-proof business.

If you’re like most people, the law is the last thing you feel like dealing with. It can be confusing, intimidating and stressful. It’s tempting to sweep it under the rug and hope and pray nothing ever happens to you...

Yet with this industry shift to the online space, governments are cracking down on the rules around how business owners can legally use and collect data.

Data breaches happen. Lawsuits happen. So how can you be proactive against these possibilities and have adequate protection in place?

Our friends at Conscious Counsel shared some tips with us about operating online and protecting your business with a Privacy Policy.

What is a Privacy Policy?

A privacy policy is a statement or legal document (in privacy law) that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client's data.

Since websites collect user information, you’ll want to be open and honest about what you’re going to do with it and where you’re keeping it. This gives web visitors a choice about the personal information they share and helps them avoid ‘spam’. ⁣

Do you need a privacy policy?

If you operate your business online, collect 3rd party payments (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), have an email list or collect people's data (clients, leads, etc.)...

A Privacy Policy (and Terms & Conditions) is essential. As our society has shifted into the age of data, Governments are cracking down on:

• intellectual property
• collecting personal information
• meeting regulatory standards.
• supporting consumers to ensure their info is being protected and collected fairly

What about Terms & Conditions?

You know how before you played a board game when you were a kid, you would first read the instruction manual that details the rules of the game? Well, Terms and Conditions (T&C) are sort of like the rule book.

T&C details the rules your visitors must agree to in using your website and buying your products and services. Since your website does all the talking for you, you have to make sure it is saying all of the right things to protect you and ensure that you are participating in relationships how you would like to.

Some of the common items you’ll find in terms and conditions or terms of service include:

• copyright
• Purpose
• links to third-party websites
• license to use materials
• limitation of liability
• disclaimers
• no guarantees.

So how can you ensure you are operating at best legal practices with privacy and data...a.k.a not stressing about getting sued or unintentionally breaking the law?

Have a professional and customized Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions in place.

Check out this video here to learn what to include in your Privacy Policy and T&C.