Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Purpose and General Principle

This Cancellation & Refund Policy explains how cancellations, rescheduling, project termination, unused scope, completed work, reserved consulting time, and approved refunds are generally handled.

Consulting services differ from physical goods. Fees compensate for professional time, preparation, research, analysis, meetings, deliverables, project administration, and capacity reserved specifically for the client. For that reason, refund decisions depend on the stage of the engagement and the work already performed.

2. Cancellation Before Work Begins

If a client requests cancellation before substantive work begins, the company will review whether any preparation, reserved time, project setup, research, administrative work, or non-recoverable cost has already been incurred.

Where no substantive work has been performed and no meaningful capacity has been reserved, a greater portion of an advance payment may be eligible for refund. Where work or reservation has already occurred, the refundable amount may be reduced accordingly.

A project-specific cancellation term in an accepted proposal, invoice, or statement of work controls over this general rule where permitted by applicable law.

3. Cancellation After Work Begins

Once consulting work has begun, fees attributable to completed work are generally not refundable. Completed work can include research, analysis, document review, meetings, planning, drafting, preparation, project administration, coordination, or delivery of interim materials.

If a project is cancelled partway through, the company may review the amount paid against the value of work completed, time reserved, deliverables provided, and any non-recoverable cost.

4. Consultation Sessions and Reserved Time

Consultation sessions require time to be reserved. A client who needs to cancel or reschedule should provide reasonable notice.

A missed session or late cancellation may be treated as used consulting time where the reserved period could not reasonably be reassigned. The specific treatment may depend on the engagement terms and the amount of notice provided.

Repeated scheduling changes may require a new appointment, new availability, or revised payment arrangement.

5. Project Changes Are Not Automatically Cancellations

A client may decide that the business question, deliverable, timeline, or internal priority has changed. A change in objective does not automatically cancel the original engagement.

The company may propose a revised scope, revised price, revised schedule, or separate engagement. If the revised work is not accepted, the original project may be closed based on work completed to date.

6. Client-Caused Delay or Inactivity

If progress depends on information, feedback, approvals, documents, or decisions from the client, a prolonged delay may affect the project schedule.

Where significant time has been reserved or work has been completed before the delay, that work is not automatically refundable. The project may be paused, rescheduled, or closed after a reasonable period of inactivity.

7. Ongoing Advisory Cancellation

Ongoing Business Advisory Support may be cancelled according to the terms confirmed for the recurring engagement. The monthly fee generally covers recurring availability, review points, business discussions, and other agreed advisory activity.

Fees for a monthly period that has already begun may be non-refundable where advisory capacity has been reserved or services have already been delivered during that period.

Future recurring periods may be cancelled according to the applicable notice terms.

8. Work Already Delivered

Research, plans, process reviews, workflow recommendations, organizational recommendations, project structures, market analysis, growth plans, meeting time, and other completed deliverables are generally not refundable after delivery.

A client may request reasonable correction of an error or clarification of a deliverable within the agreed scope. That is different from a refund request.

9. Dissatisfaction With Business Results

Consulting services provide analysis, planning, advisory perspective, and recommendations. They do not guarantee revenue, profit, market demand, funding, staffing outcomes, implementation success, or any other business result.

A business outcome that differs from the client's expectation does not by itself establish a right to a refund where the agreed consulting services were performed.

10. Refund Request Review

A refund request should identify the relevant engagement, payment, reason for the request, and any specific issue with the work performed.

The company may review the accepted scope, project timeline, communications, meetings, research performed, deliverables, reserved time, and any project-specific cancellation terms.

The review is intended to determine whether any portion of the payment remains unearned after accounting for work and costs reasonably connected with the engagement.

11. Partial Refunds

Where appropriate, an approved refund may be partial rather than full. A partial refund may reflect work completed, time used, reserved capacity, deliverables provided, or non-recoverable costs.

Approval of a partial refund for one engagement does not create a general policy requiring the same result for a different project.

12. Refund Method and Processing Time

If a refund is approved, it will generally be returned through an appropriate available payment method. Processing time can depend on the payment provider, bank, card network, or other financial institution involved.

The company does not control delays caused by independent payment providers after a refund has been properly initiated.

13. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

Clients are encouraged to raise billing or service concerns directly before initiating a payment dispute. This allows the company to review the engagement record and explain work completed, payment terms, or any proposed resolution.

A chargeback or payment dispute does not automatically cancel contractual payment obligations for services that were properly performed.

14. Non-Refundable Categories

• Completed consultation sessions.
• Completed research and analysis.
• Delivered plans, reviews, recommendations, or project materials.
• Reasonably documented project preparation.
• Reserved consulting time that could not reasonably be reassigned.
• Non-recoverable third-party costs approved for the engagement.
• Work performed outside a refund-eligible period stated in a project-specific agreement.

15. Project-Specific Terms

A proposal, statement of work, invoice, or written project confirmation may contain more specific cancellation, rescheduling, or refund terms. Those specific terms control for that engagement where they do not conflict with applicable law.