Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Last Updated: April 2026

PART 1: PRIVACY POLICY

How To Be Your Own General Contractor / Edward Nellums /EF Development LLC ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (howtobeyourowngc.com), purchase our digital products, book consulting services, or opt-in to our marketing communications.

1. Information We Collect

• Personal Identification Information: Name, email address, billing address, shipping address, and phone number.
• Project Information: Architectural blueprints, budgets, site addresses, and other project-specific details provided during consulting sessions.
• Financial Information: Credit card details and payment info (processed securely by third-party gateways like Stripe or Shopify Payments; we do not store full credit card numbers).
• Automated Data: IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, and browsing behavior via cookies and tracking pixels.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your data for the following business purposes:

• To deliver digital products (ebooks) and schedule consulting services.
• To process payments and prevent fraudulent transactions.
• Email & SMS Marketing: To send promotional offers, newsletters, and updates regarding our products and services (see Section 4).
• To improve our website functionality, customer service, and overall user experience.

3. Sharing Data with Third Parties

We may share your information with trusted third parties to facilitate our business operations, including:

• Service Providers: Platforms that host our website (Shopify), process payments, schedule meetings (Calendly), and deliver emails/SMS.
• Marketing Partners: We may share data with third-party advertising partners (such as Facebook/Meta, Google, or affiliate networks) to deliver targeted advertisements and measure ad performance.
• Legal Compliance: We will disclose data if required by law, subpoena, or to protect our legal rights.

4. SMS & Text Message Marketing (TCPA Compliance)

By providing your phone number during checkout, via a contact form, or through a pop-up widget, you explicitly consent to receive recurring automated promotional and personalized marketing text messages (e.g., cart reminders, booking updates, special offers) from How To Be Your Own General Contractor / EF Development LLC at the cell number used when signing up.

Consent is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. You can cancel the SMS service at any time by texting "STOP" to the shortcode or number you received the message from. After you send the SMS message "STOP", we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you experience issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our site and hold certain information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our site.

6. Your Data Rights

Depending on your location (such as under the CCPA or GDPR), you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data. To exercise these rights, please contact us at info@howtobeyourowngc.com.

7. Targeted Advertising & U.S. State Privacy Rights

As described in our Privacy Policy, we collect personal information from your interactions with us and our website, including through cookies and similar technologies. We may also share this personal information with third parties, including advertising partners. We do this in order to show you ads on other websites that are more relevant to your interests and for other reasons outlined in our privacy policy.

Sharing of personal information for targeted advertising based on your interaction on different websites may be considered "sales", "sharing", or "targeted advertising" under certain U.S. state privacy laws. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to opt out of these activities. If you would like to exercise this opt-out right, please follow the instructions below:

• To opt out: Please email us directly at info@howtobeyourowngc.com with the subject line "Opt-Out of Data Sharing".

If you visit our website with the Global Privacy Control opt-out preference signal enabled, depending on where you are, we will treat this as a request to opt-out of activity that may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information or other uses that may be considered targeted advertising for the device and browser you used to visit our website.

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PART 2: TERMS OF SERVICE

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of howtobeyourowngc.com and your purchase of digital products or consulting services from EF Development LLC/ Be Your Own General Contractor. By accessing the site or making a purchase, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Digital Products & Refund Policy

Due to the immediate access and downloadable nature of our digital products (including the ebook "How to Become Your Own General Contractor"), all sales of digital products are final and non-refundable. Once the file has been delivered to your email, we cannot issue a refund. By completing your purchase, you acknowledge and agree to this strict no-refund policy.

2. Consulting Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability

The information, strategies, and advice provided in our ebooks, courses, and 1-on-1 consulting sessions are strictly for educational and advisory purposes.

• Not a General Contractor of Record: EF Development LLC acts purely as an advisor/consultant. We are not acting as the General Contractor, Architect, or Engineer of Record for your specific physical project.
• Client Responsibility: You, the client, are choosing to act as an Owner-Builder. You are solely responsible for pulling necessary permits, ensuring code compliance, hiring licensed subcontractors, and managing site safety.
• Financial Disclaimer: While our strategies are designed to save you money (e.g., bypassing GC markups), construction is unpredictable. We do not guarantee specific financial results, savings, or project timelines.

In no event shall EF Development LLC, its owners, or employees be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, construction defects, subcontractor disputes, code violations, or financial losses arising from your construction project or your application of our advice.

3. Intellectual Property

All content included on this site, such as text, graphics, logos, images, and digital downloads (ebooks), is the property of How To Be Your Own General Contractor / Edward Nellums and EF Development LLC and protected by copyright laws. You may not reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell, or otherwise exploit our digital products for any commercial purpose without express written consent.

4. Right to Refuse Service

We reserve the right to refuse service, terminate consulting retainers, or cancel orders at our sole discretion. If a consulting retainer is terminated by us without cause, a prorated refund for unused time will be issued.

5. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms will be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Harris County, Texas.

6. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service or our Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: info@howtobeyourowngc.com
Phone: +1 (832) 422-7220