Terms of Service

1. Agreement and Eligibility

By accessing or using the Services, creating an account, beginning a trial, making a purchase, or otherwise indicating acceptance, you agree to these Terms and to the Privacy Policy. Before completing a purchase or beginning a paid subscription or free trial, you must be given access to the current Terms and Privacy Policy and must affirmatively accept them through the applicable checkout or enrollment process. PPG may retain the accepted version, transaction or enrollment date, and associated customer or account information as evidence of acceptance.

If you use the Services for a company or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization. In that case, “you” includes both you and the organization.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding agreement. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Services.

2. Services

Pinnacle Process Group LLC (“PPG,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) provides a connected ecosystem of website content, educational resources, practical business tools, decision support, community programming, diagnostics, operational consulting, project work, implementation services, institutional partnerships, and Lean Six Sigma collaboration. The Services may include:

• the PPG website, Insights articles, The Path, Methodology, case studies, examples, and other informational or educational content;
• Free Tools, including self-service Trail Markers and Climbing Gear, that provide general, session-based guidance and may be available without an account;
• the Pinnacle Support Suite, including the Control Panel, business workspaces, Decision Guides, saved history, and related account features;
• Get Connected offerings, including Basecamp workshops, Trailhead community access, events, registrations, and related communications;
• PPG Projects, including website builds, budgets, research, documentation, lead magnets, process work, and other bounded implementation projects;
• Full Engagement offerings, including diagnostics, assessments, Action Plans, The Climb, implementation support, and Progress Portfolio deliverables;
• bounded analysis and recommendations, including the PPG Problem Guide;
• GlidePath partnerships, sponsored participation, cohorts, Progress Portfolios, and program-level reporting for organizations and professionals who support entrepreneurs;
• The Pinnacle Partnership and other Lean Six Sigma services, including Kaizen events, process documentation, standard work, KPI systems, continuous improvement, leader development, knowledge transfer, operational coaching, and improvement projects; and
• communications and interactions conducted through email, messaging, video conferencing, scheduling services, contact forms, feedback forms, and other channels used to deliver or support the Services.

The description, scope, price, duration, deliverables, and availability of a particular Service are the terms presented on the applicable registration page, purchase page, checkout screen, proposal, invoice, order form, or statement of work when you enroll or purchase it (“Order Terms”). We may add, change, or discontinue Services prospectively. A material change will not reduce a paid Service already purchased for its stated term unless the change is reasonably necessary for security, legal compliance, or continued operation.

3. Accounts and Access

Some Services require an account. You agree to provide accurate information, keep your login credentials and access methods confidential, and promptly notify PPG at admin@pinnacleprocessgroup.com if you know or suspect that your account, email address, device, authentication method, or business information has been accessed without authorization.

You are responsible for activity conducted through your account and for maintaining the security of the devices, email accounts, passwords, personal identification numbers, and third-party services you use to access the platform. Access is personal to you or, where expressly permitted by the Order Terms, limited to the purchasing organization and its authorized users. You may not share credentials, sell access, bypass access controls, or use another person's account without authorization.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PPG is not responsible for unauthorized access to an account or information resulting from shared, disclosed, lost, or inadequately protected credentials; access to your email account or device; failure to log out or secure a shared device; information you voluntarily share with another person; a third-party service, network, device, or system outside PPG's reasonable control; or your failure to provide timely notice of suspected unauthorized access.

PPG may suspend access, invalidate credentials, or take other reasonable protective action when unauthorized access is suspected. PPG remains responsible for its own obligations under applicable law, and nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be limited or waived.

4. Fees and Payment

You agree to pay the fees and applicable taxes disclosed in the Order Terms. Prices are stated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Payments may be processed by a third-party payment provider, whose terms and privacy practices also apply to the payment transaction. We do not store complete payment-card numbers.

The checkout or enrollment process will provide access to the current Terms and Privacy Policy before you complete the transaction or begin a free trial. Your affirmative acceptance applies to the purchase or enrollment and to your related use of the Services.

If an Order Term conflicts with these Terms regarding price, payment schedule, scope, deliverables, cancellation, or refunds for that purchase, the Order Term controls for that subject.

5. Subscriptions and Free Trials

5.1. Automatic Renewal

A subscription automatically renews for successive periods of the same length until cancelled, unless the Order Terms state otherwise. Before you subscribe, the checkout process will disclose the recurring price, billing frequency, trial terms if any, renewal terms, and minimum commitment if any. You authorize us and our payment provider to charge the payment method on file for each renewal and applicable taxes.

5.2. Free Trials

If a Service includes a free trial, the trial length and the date paid billing begins will be disclosed before enrollment. Unless you cancel before the trial ends, the subscription will convert to a paid subscription and automatically renew at the disclosed rate. Eligibility for a trial may be limited to new subscribers or one trial per person, business, account, or payment method.

5.3. Cancellation

You may cancel a subscription at any time through the cancellation method identified in your account, purchase confirmation, or renewal notice, or by emailing admin@pinnacleprocessgroup.com. Cancellation stops future renewal charges but does not ordinarily create a refund for the current billing period. Unless the Order Terms state otherwise, access continues through the end of the paid period.

5.4. Renewal and Change Notices

We will provide confirmations, renewal notices, price-change notices, and cancellation information as required by applicable law. A price change applies no earlier than the next renewal following the notice period required by law. If you do not agree to a prospective change, you may cancel before it takes effect.

6. Refunds

Unless the Order Terms or applicable law provide otherwise:

• subscription fees are non-refundable after they are charged, and cancellation applies to future renewals;
• digital materials and Decision Guide access are non-refundable after access is provided;
• a scheduled session may be cancelled for a full refund at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time, but a later cancellation is non-refundable; and
• refund, cancellation, milestone, deposit, and acceptance terms for custom, project-based, sponsor-supported, or implementation work are governed by the applicable proposal, invoice, agreement, or statement of work.

Nothing in this section limits a refund or remedy required by applicable law.

6A. The PPG Promise™

Pinnacle Process Group stands behind its work through specific commitments appropriate to each Service. The promises below apply to eligible Services, subject to their stated conditions and the applicable Order Terms or Engagement Agreement.

6A.1. Full Engagement - Investment Promise

Qualifying purchases of the Pinnacle Process Check or RMAE Action Plan may be credited toward enrollment in The Climb within 24 months of the applicable qualifying purchase date.

Eligible credits may be combined but cannot exceed $499 in total toward a single Climb engagement. Credits apply once toward the engagement fee, have no cash redemption value, and are not independently refundable or transferable.

6A.2. The Climb - Progress Promise

The Climb is a six-month guided implementation engagement. At the beginning of the engagement, PPG and the client establish measurable progress benchmarks, an agreed action plan, and the responsibilities necessary for implementation.

If the client follows the agreed action plan in good faith but does not demonstrate meaningful progress against the agreed benchmarks during the initial six-month engagement, PPG will provide an additional six months of support at no additional charge.

Eligibility is evaluated against the documented benchmarks, agreed client responsibilities, and actual engagement progress. The extension provides additional support under the engagement's agreed scope; it is not a guarantee of specific business or financial results.

6A.3. PPG Projects - Second Pass Promise

Every eligible PPG Project includes a 14-calendar-day review period beginning on the calendar day after the customer receives the completed deliverable.

During this period, the customer may report deficiencies, omissions, or functionality shortfalls relative to the original agreed project scope.

PPG will correct qualifying shortfalls at no additional charge. A qualifying issue reported during the review period remains PPG's responsibility to correct until resolved, even when corrective work extends beyond the 14-calendar-day review period.

The Second Pass Promise does not include new requirements, additional functionality, changes in project direction, or requests outside the original agreed scope. PPG may request information reasonably necessary to identify and correct an issue.

6A.4. Support Suite - DIY Promise

Support Suite is designed around the principle "Do It Yourself. Not By Yourself."

Support Suite users may submit questions through PPG's designated WhatsApp support channel. PPG will provide a personal response as soon as reasonably possible.

This commitment does not establish guaranteed response or resolution times, continuous availability, or an obligation to perform separate consulting or implementation work outside the purchased Service.

6A.5. Basecamp - No-Strings Promise

Free Basecamp workshops are provided without an attendance fee, purchase obligation, or required enrollment in another PPG Service.

Basecamp workshops are intended to provide practical educational value and are not conducted as sales presentations. Attendees will not be subjected to pressured sales follow-up.

PPG may identify its organization and Services, and attendees may voluntarily request additional information or future contact.

6A.6. GlidePath - Accountability Promise

GlidePath engagements are governed by documented objectives, agreed deliverables, responsibilities, and reporting requirements.

PPG is contractually accountable to the client identified in the applicable Engagement Agreement. That client may be an institution, agency, organization, or individual founder.

A referral or financial sponsorship alone does not establish that the referring or sponsoring party is the contracting client. The Engagement Agreement establishes the applicable responsibilities and reporting relationships.

PPG commits to delivering agreed services, communicating progress candidly, documenting work as required, and identifying material obstacles to the agreed objectives. Specific participant or business outcomes are not guaranteed.

6A.7. Scope and Applicable Law

The PPG Promise does not guarantee revenue, profitability, funding approval, customer acquisition, or other business outcomes outside PPG's control.

The express commitments in this Section remain subject to applicable law and the eligibility conditions stated above. Nothing in this Section limits rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be waived.

7. Use of Artificial Intelligence

7.1. Use Across the PPG Ecosystem

PPG may use artificial intelligence and other technology-assisted tools throughout its operations and Services. AI may be used in Free Tools, the Support Suite, Decision Guides, diagnostics, Action Plans, The Climb, PPG Projects, research, document preparation, analysis, communications, and other service-delivery or administrative activities.

Depending on the Service, AI may help PPG organize, classify, or summarize information; identify patterns, gaps, conflicts, and relevant considerations; generate questions, explanations, drafts, scenarios, or preliminary recommendations; analyze information provided by a user; incorporate saved business context, prior work, public information, general business knowledge, or industry assumptions; support research, documentation, design, and implementation work; and improve the operation, consistency, and usefulness of the Services.

7.2. Decisions and Recommendations

AI-assisted output supports human judgment and decision-making. PPG does not authorize an AI system to make a final material decision on behalf of a user or PPG, commit either party to a course of action, or independently make a regulated or similarly significant determination about a person.

The degree of human involvement varies by Service. Free Tools and self-service Decision Guides may present AI-assisted output without prior human review. Diagnostics, Action Plans, The Climb, PPG Projects, and other engagements may use AI as part of PPG's research, analysis, drafting, or delivery process. Human involvement does not mean that every AI-generated statement, source, calculation, or assumption has been independently verified unless the applicable Service expressly promises that level of review.

7.3. Sources and Context

AI-assisted analysis or recommendations may be informed by information you provide, saved business context, prior decisions or activity, uploaded or linked materials, publicly available information, general business knowledge, and industry assumptions. When a Service presents source or influence information, that information is intended to help you evaluate the output; it is not a guarantee of accuracy or completeness.

When relevant business-specific information is missing, unclear, conflicting, or unverified, a Service may limit its conclusion, rely more heavily on general information or assumptions, ask for clarification, or recommend speaking with a PPG representative or another qualified professional. A recommendation based primarily on general information should not be treated as equivalent to one supported by substantial verified information about your business.

7.4. User Responsibility

You remain responsible for evaluating information, confirming material facts, seeking qualified professional advice where appropriate, exercising independent judgment, and deciding whether and how to act. Do not rely on the Services as the sole basis for a decision that could materially affect legal rights, taxes, financing, employment, health, safety, cybersecurity, or regulated activities.

7.5. Questions and Additional Information

Questions or concerns about PPG's use of AI may be directed to admin@pinnacleprocessgroup.com. Upon reasonable request, PPG may provide additional information about the role AI played, the general categories of information and sources considered, material limitations, and relevant safeguards. PPG is not required to disclose proprietary prompts, source code, trade secrets, confidential methods, or information that could compromise security or the rights of PPG, its users, or its service providers.

8. Your Information and Business Materials

You retain ownership of information, documents, and other materials you submit to the Services (“Your Content”). You grant PPG and its service providers a limited, nonexclusive license to host, copy, transmit, process, and display Your Content only as reasonably necessary to provide, secure, maintain, and support the Services, comply with law, and enforce these Terms, subject to the Privacy Policy and any applicable confidentiality commitment.

You represent that you have the right to provide Your Content and authorize its processing. Do not submit information you are prohibited from sharing. Unless PPG expressly requests it through an approved workflow, do not submit Social Security numbers, complete payment-card information, protected health information, account passwords, export-controlled information, or another person's highly sensitive information.

9. Privacy and Confidentiality

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information. During an engagement, you may also provide confidential business information. We will use reasonable care to protect information clearly confidential by its nature or context and will disclose it only to personnel and service providers who need it to provide the Services, with your permission, or as required by law.

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that is publicly available through no breach by PPG, already lawfully known to PPG without a duty of confidentiality, independently developed without use of your confidential information, or lawfully received from another source without restriction.

10. Intellectual Property

The Services and all PPG materials, including the RMAE™ framework, Real Market Applied Entrepreneurship™ materials, Decision Guide structures, prompts, classifications, methods, training materials, designs, software, text, graphics, logos, and program architecture, are owned by PPG or its licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws.

Subject to payment and compliance with these Terms, PPG grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to use purchased materials and generated deliverables for your own internal business purposes. You may adapt an output for your own business, but you may not resell, sublicense, publish, distribute, reverse engineer, or use the Services or materials to create a competing product, dataset, model, assessment, or guide without written permission.

Your general knowledge, experience, and business information remain yours. Feedback you voluntarily provide may be used by PPG without restriction or compensation, provided we do not publicly identify you or disclose your confidential information without permission.

11. Acceptable Use

You may not use the Services to:

• violate law, infringe rights, deceive others, or facilitate harmful or fraudulent conduct;
• upload malicious code, probe or disrupt systems, defeat security or usage limits, or access data without authorization;
• scrape, systematically extract, copy, or reproduce the Services or PPG materials except as expressly permitted;
• submit unlawful, infringing, or unauthorized personal or confidential information; or
• represent AI-assisted output as independently verified by PPG when it has not received the human review expressly included in the purchased Service.

12. Third-Party Services

The Services may rely on or link to third-party providers, including hosting, database, artificial-intelligence, payment, email, scheduling, analytics, messaging, and video-conferencing providers. Their services may be governed by separate terms and privacy policies. PPG is not responsible for third-party services outside its reasonable control, but we remain responsible for our own obligations under these Terms and applicable law.

13. No Professional Advice

PPG provides operational, process, market-readiness, educational, and general business guidance. The Services do not provide legal, tax, accounting, investment, medical, mental-health, or other regulated professional advice. Financial information presented by a Service is for business-planning and organizational purposes and is not an audit, attestation, valuation, tax return, or assurance service. Consult an appropriately licensed professional when your decision requires professional advice.

14. No Guarantees and Assumption of Responsibility

Business conditions and markets change. PPG does not guarantee readiness, revenue, funding, profitability, savings, customer acquisition, business survival, or any other particular outcome. Examples, projections, benchmarks, scenarios, and case studies are illustrative and are not promises of future results. Your results depend on factors outside PPG's control, including the accuracy and completeness of your information, market conditions, execution, resources, and decisions.

This limitation on business-outcome guarantees does not negate PPG's express service commitments under Section 6A.

15. Warranty Disclaimer

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Site, Free Tools, Support Suite, Decision Guides, and other Services are provided “as is” and “as available.” PPG disclaims implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and noninfringement. PPG does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or compatible with every device or system. This disclaimer does not exclude warranties that cannot legally be disclaimed.

These general warranty disclaimers do not eliminate express commitments made under Section 6A, subject to the applicable eligibility conditions and governing law.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PPG and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, and agents will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, business opportunities, goodwill, or data, arising from or related to the Services, even if advised that such damages were possible.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PPG's total aggregate liability arising from or related to a Service will not exceed the amount you paid PPG for that Service during the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim. For a free Service, PPG's total aggregate liability will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars. These limits do not apply where prohibited by law or to liability that cannot legally be limited.

17. Suspension and Termination

You may stop using the Services at any time. We may suspend or terminate access if you materially breach these Terms, fail to pay amounts due, create a security or legal risk, misuse the Services, or if continued access is no longer operationally feasible. When reasonable, we will provide notice and an opportunity to cure before termination, unless immediate action is necessary to protect PPG, users, third parties, or the Services.

Subscription cancellation and account deletion are different actions. Cancellation stops future renewal but does not automatically delete your account or saved information. Requests to access or delete personal information are handled under the Privacy Policy, subject to legal, security, backup, and recordkeeping requirements. After access ends, features for viewing or exporting saved work may no longer be available.

Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including payment obligations, intellectual property, disclaimers, liability limitations, dispute provisions, and applicable confidentiality obligations.

18. Dedicated and Substantial Engagements

Certain Services involve dedicated project work, substantial collaboration, sponsored participation, access to organizational information or personnel, or an ongoing working relationship. Before those Services begin, PPG may require a separate proposal, statement of work, participant agreement, partnership agreement, or other written service agreement (collectively, an “Engagement Agreement”). Examples include a business hiring PPG to conduct a Kaizen event, a defined PPG Project, participation in The Climb, a GlidePath partnership or sponsored-participant engagement, The Pinnacle Partnership, and other custom consulting, Lean Six Sigma, or implementation work.

An Engagement Agreement may establish additional or different terms concerning scope, responsibilities, access, deliverables, milestones, schedules, fees, payment, expenses, confidentiality, intellectual property, data use, reporting, approvals, cancellation, termination, warranties, and liability.

If an Engagement Agreement conflicts with these Terms, the Engagement Agreement controls for the specific engagement and parties it covers. These Terms continue to apply to matters not addressed by the Engagement Agreement and to the participant's or organization's separate use of the Site or other Services.

For a sponsored service, the sponsoring organization may enter into the primary commercial Engagement Agreement. PPG may also require each participant to accept participant-facing terms, privacy disclosures, acceptable-use rules, or consents applicable to the participant's own access and information.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms prospectively. We will post the revised Terms and change the effective date. If a change materially affects an active paid subscription, we will provide notice as required by law. Unless a later effective date is stated, revised Terms apply when posted to future use and future purchases. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance where permitted by law; when affirmative consent is legally required, we will request it.

20. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

20.1. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

20.2. Informal Resolution

Before filing a lawsuit, the party raising a dispute must send written notice describing the dispute, the relevant transaction or Service, and the requested resolution. Notice to PPG must be sent to admin@pinnacleprocessgroup.com. The parties will have 30 days after receipt to attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith.

20.3. Mediation

If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days, either party may request nonbinding mediation. Mediation will occur only if both parties agree. The parties will cooperate in selecting a mutually acceptable mediator and will share the mediator's fees equally unless they agree otherwise. Mediation may occur remotely. Neither party is required to postpone emergency relief or allow a legal filing deadline to expire.

20.4. Court Proceedings

If informal resolution and any mutually agreed mediation do not resolve the dispute, either party may bring the claim in a state court located in Boulder County, Colorado, or the federal court having jurisdiction over Boulder County. A consumer may bring a claim in another location when applicable law gives the consumer that right.

20.5. Small Claims and Urgent Relief

Either party may bring an eligible individual claim in small-claims court without first participating in mediation. Either party may also seek temporary or emergency relief to prevent unauthorized access, misuse of confidential information, infringement of intellectual property, or immediate irreparable harm.

20.6. Government Complaints

These Terms do not prevent anyone from reporting a matter to a government agency or participating in a government investigation.

21. General Terms

These Terms, the Privacy Policy, applicable Order Terms, and any applicable Engagement Agreement form the entire agreement regarding the Services and replace prior agreements on the same subject. An Engagement Agreement controls over these Terms to the extent stated in Section 18. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum lawful extent and the remaining provisions will remain effective. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent; PPG may assign them in connection with a merger, reorganization, sale of assets, or by operation of law. PPG is not liable for delay caused by events beyond its reasonable control. Electronic notices and records satisfy written requirements where permitted by law.

22. Contact

Pinnacle Process Group LLC
Longmont, Colorado
admin@pinnacleprocessgroup.com
720-336-0037