T&Cs

These terms of use form a binding agreement between Nedbank Limited ('Nedbank', 'We', 'Us' or 'Our') and any person who uses or registers on the SimplyBiz platform at www.SimplyBiz.co.za ('You'). By accessing the platform, you confirm that you accept and agree with these terms of use.

SimplyBiz SA © 2010- Nedbank group of companies or its licensor. Trade marks are owned by or licensed to the Nedbank group of companies. All rights reserved.

 

Banking and Beyond will be noted as : © 2012- Nedbank group of companies or its licensor. Trade marks are owned by or licensed to the Nedbank group of companies. All rights reserved.

 

1 Interpretation and definitions

Unless otherwise specified or indicated by the context:

1.1 the term 'person' refers to natural and legal persons or groups of persons;

1.2 the singular includes the plural, and vice versa;

1.3 one gender includes all the others;

1.4 references to Nedbank will, where necessary to limit its liability or enforce its rights, include Nedbank's officers, shareholders, directors, employees, service providers, agents and/or clients, unless such officers, shareholders, directors, employees, service providers, agents and/or clients are acting in their personal or business capacity, with no affiliation to Nedbank;

1.5 the following words will have the following meanings –

1.5.1 'Use' means any of the following actions:
· creating or posting content on the platform; and/or
· accessing, viewing, copying, editing, sharing, commenting on or otherwise contributing to the content on the platform.

1.5.2 'Content' means material, data or information in any form or of any kind, including icons, text, graphics, files, documents, software, license codes, videos, photos, podcasts, layouts, images, sound clips, advertisements, tradenames, trademarks, designs, service marks, member details or other multimedia works;

1.5.3 'Post', read as a verb, means submitting, uploading, creating, transmitting, disseminating, sharing, commenting, storing, copying or otherwise making content available on the platform;

1.5.4 'User' means any person who merely visits the platform or a member who accesses, uses and/or posts content on the site; and

1.5.5 'Member' means a registered user.

1.5.6 'Platform' is an online marketplace that uses technology to match and encourage positive interactions between producers and consumers in a multisided marketplace that may contain products, services, opportunities, guidance and information. The online system many be entirely self-contained, or it may allow third-party apps and individuals to connect through the platform's programming interface (API).

1.5.7 'Funder' means any organisation, individual, company or other entity that has presented themselves as able to offer legitimate funding solutions to businesses and business owners and have requested their details to be published on the platform as an investor.

 

2 Nature and purpose of this platform

2.1 This platform enables members to:
· post questions and give advice to other business owners on business matters;
· find articles, downloadable templates and other digital assets, such as polls and webinars;
· advertise their business products and services to other business owners;
· generate leads and create new business opportunities between members;
consider recommendations; and
· equip business owners to start, run or grow a small business on a public platform.

2.2 When you become a member, and view and use the platform, you consent to receiving direct marketing notifications and other communications from SimplyBiz, Nedbank or other SimplyBiz members. Should you wish not to be contacted or receive communications, you may cancel your membership.

2.3 The content on this platform may be used only to:
· help you find and connect with people, groups, businesses, organisations and others that matter to you across SimplyBiz; and
· profile yourself and your businesses for networking, document processing and mentoring purposes.

2.4 The content displayed on or incorporated in this platform is protected by law, including, but not limited to, copyright and trademark law and is either the property of a member, or Nedbank, its advertisers, contributors, value shares of third parties not associated with Nedbank,  and/or sponsors, and/or is licensed to SimplyBiz.

2.5 You will not acquire any right, title or interest in or to the platform or the content.

2.6 Any use, distribution or reproduction of the content is prohibited, unless expressly authorised in these terms of use or otherwise provided for in law. To obtain written consent for the commercial use of or a link to any content, you must send us an email at contactus@simplybiz.co.za. If we do not respond in writing within 10 business days, we have not agreed to your request.

2.7 The platform contains, among other things, the intellectual property rights, including copyrights and trademarks, of Nedbank, the members, authors and/or third parties. Your right to use the content will be subject to any terms and conditions set out by the owner of the intellectual property rights and you agree to comply with such owner terms and conditions.

2.8 Members can:

2.8.1 contact other members for information, business relations or networking purposes;

2.8.2 accept, ignore or decline a request to further a business relationship;

2.8.3 unsubscribe from SimplyBiz if they do not want to receive information regarding Nedbank products and services on SimplyBiz.

2.8.4 view, message and share information, which may be seen by other users.

2.9 If any contact details or information is uploaded, accessed, accepted or shared, it is done at the risk of members.

2.10 Where we have made settings available, we will honor the choices you make about who can see the content or information.

2.11 Interactions on SimplyBiz are classified as public, social-media interactions and members are encouraged to bring to our attention any incorrect, defamatory or inappropriate content or conduct by logging an incident using the SimplyBiz help function or sending an email to contactus@simplybiz.co.za. We will take appropriate action as we see fit.

2.12 If a member has unsubscribed, the member's account will be deactivated, but for purposes of continuity posts, activities and information will still be available for 12 months from the date the member unsubscribed. After the 12 months all posts will be destroyed on the SimplyBiz platform. We are not able to delete any shared posts that appear elsewhere.

2.13 SimplyBiz uses third party plugins such as the following:

2.13.1 Mailchimp – newsletter services: https://mailchimp.com/?ds_rl=1276838&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdvSP4-DJJVtEVn0byMU-Xf1O-LERo-prMHPZ6sLWUSVBIPRRQir-4saAlr9EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

2.13.8 The third parties will have access to and use the data you share on SimplyBiz. SimplyBiz takes no and has no responsibility in this regard.

2.13.9 SimplyBiz is not responsible for the upkeep or updating of the abovementioned third party platforms, terms or conditions.

3 Prohibited content

3.1 We respect and encourage the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression, but in the interest of all users the content listed below may never be posted on the platform, whether you are posting your own content or using content created by a third party:

3.1.1 Content that in our sole opinion is not of a business nature or does not meet the strategic intent of the platform.

3.1.2 Content that in our sole opinion is or can generally be considered to be obscene, sexually explicit or pornographic.

3.1.3 Content that is illegal.

3.1.4 Content that you know to be false, or that is designed to be misleading.

3.1.5 Content that is defamatory, intimidating, harassing, hateful, injurious, racist, sexist, abusive, malicious or threatening to any person or group of persons.

3.1.6 Content that incites hatred or violence.

3.1.7 Content that is frivolous, unreasonable, vexatious or posted in bad faith.

3.1.8 Content that infringes or may infringe the intellectual property rights of any person or legal entity. This includes content that you didn't create or that you do not have permission to post.

3.1.9 Content that constitutes or may constitute an invasion of the privacy of any person.

3.1.10 Content that constitutes or may constitute the wrongful or unlawful disclosure or publication of confidential information or trade secrets.

3.1.11 Content that is otherwise injurious to any person or entity.

3.1.12 Content that contains viruses, worms or other destructive codes, spyware, malware, trojans, destructive materials or any other data that can corrupt, destroy, compromise, disrupt, disable, harm, jeopardise or otherwise impede the members, operation, stability, security functionality or content of the platform, computer network, hardware or software.

3.1.13 Content that may expose us or any other users to harm or liability.

3.2 If your posts violate any of these provisions, we may remove the content, disable your account after repeated violations and take any other action we see fit.

4 Right of use

4.1 You may not use the platform to:

4.1.1 impersonate any person;

4.1.2 harass or intimidate any person;

4.1.3 collect the personal information of any person;

4.1.4 post spam; or

4.1.5 collect members' information and sell it to other parties.

4.2 If you are unsure whether your conduct or content will amount to defamation or infringement or cause any harm, you must not post it but obtain legal advice first. We are not in a position to assess whether this is the case and cannot advise you on this.

4.3 We reserve the right to remove any prohibited content and suspend or terminate your right to use the platform at our sole discretion.

4.4 We reserve the right to remove any member found guilty of any misconduct.

5 Desired behavior

5.1 You must ensure that any comments you make, articles you share or opinions you repost are true or amount to fair comment and are in the public interest in the context of the business community. If you fail to do this, you may be held liable for defamation (causing harm to a person or legal entity's reputation).

5.2 By posting content on the platform you warrant and represent that you either created, own or otherwise have accurately accredited the content source.

5.3 You warrant that any content that you post will not infringe any party's intellectual property or personal rights, including, but not limited to, patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy or other personality rights. You also warrant that your use of the content or posting thereof will constitute fair use or fair comment or truth that is in the public interest.

5.4 To help support the platform and members we encourage you to report content or conduct that you believe violates your rights (including intellectual property rights) or our terms of use.

5.5 It is your responsibility to keep all your information up to date.

6 Complaints

6.1 Any complaints about non-Nedbank products, services or opportunities must be directed to the relevant provider for resolution.

6.2 Any complaints about our products, services or opportunities must be done using the correct Nedbank channels.

6.3 Any complaints related to SimplyBiz must be made using the help function on the platform or emailed to us at contactus@simplybiz.co.za.

7 Use of content

7.1 By posting content on the platform, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual and worldwide licence to use your content in connection with the operation of the platform and supporting information about our products, services and/or opportunities.

7.2 By posting content on the platform, you grant users or members permission to view and use the information in any manner and to share your content on social-media platforms, subject to these terms of use.

7.3 You own the content you create and share on SimplyBiz, and nothing in these terms of use takes away your right to your own content. You are free to share your content with anyone else, wherever you want. You give us legal permission to use your content so that we can provide our services. This means that if there are intellectual property rights on the content you post, you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free licence to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate and create derivative works of your content. For example, if you share a photo on SimplyBiz, we may store, copy and share it with others that support our platform. You can end this licence any time by cancelling your membership and deleting your content. You should know that, for technical reasons, content you delete may persist for a limited time in backup copies and may be visible to other users and in third-party locations, especially if you have shared it with others and they have not deleted it.

7.4 Using the platform or holding SimplyBiz membership does not give you ownership of the content or information made available through our site. Such content or information is the property of the respective owners.

8 Registration

8.1 When you become a member, you must provide information that is true and accurate to create a personal and business profile for yourself.

8.2 You must keep this information up to date.

8.3 By becoming a member, you warrant that you are at least 18 years old, or that your parent or legal guardian is aware of and has agreed to your use of the platform.

8.4 In the case of business registrations, you warrant that you are duly authorised to register the business and its services, products and opportunities on the platform, and you warrant that you are not misrepresenting your capacity to act on behalf of the business and/or your area of expertise.

8.5 Businesses and individuals that register on the platform will be vetted to exclude any businesses or individuals we, at our sole discretion, deem to be inappropriate.

9 How we protect your user information

9.1 All users must be registered to become members.

9.2 With the exception of the minimum required information, members can choose which details other members, users and the public can view or access on or through SimplyBiz. Information that a member chooses to omit will not be published to other members on the site.

10 Privacy policy

10.1 Although we recognise and respect your right to privacy, you must use your discretion in respect of the information you load onto your profile as this information can be viewed by members, users and the public. It is your choice whether to include sensitive information on your profile.

10.2 You may refuse to provide personal information on SimplyBiz, but you must keep in mind that this refusal may limit resources available on the platform.

10.3 If you decide to post and communicate with other users of SimplyBiz, it is visible to others. Do not post or add personal data in your communications or posts that you would not want to be publicly available.

10.4 We are committed to the protection of your private, personal and business information and the appropriate use of that information, and we are therefore committed to ensuring that your information is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure and to safeguard and secure the information, we collect, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures.

10.5 Cookies accessed on or stored by our platform may retain personal information such as your name, email address and contact number. Please bear in mind that even if you switch off cookies on your computer, there is no guarantee that the information on your profile will be withheld from other users.

10.6 Personal information gathered or curated from or provided by other public platforms will be shared as a means of networking on the SimplyBiz platform.

10.7 We will retain your information for as long as we need it, given the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law.

10.8 To obtain information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2000 (as amended). Access-to-information manual as prepared in terms of section 51 of said Act.

11 Your login details and duty to log out

11.1 You must keep your registration and login details secret, including your email address, username, social-media accounts and the password you selected.

11.2 You must not give third parties access to your account or login details.

11.3 You must log out after each session to prevent other persons from accessing your account.

11.4 If the platform was accessed with your login details, we will assume that you consented to the login and the posting of any content.

11.5 Be aware that communication between you and any other members or advertisers on the platform can be accessed by other users and used on the platform for marketing purposes.

12 Nedbank's role and responsibilities

12.1 We provide a growth portal for business by creating a platform for networking purposes, where services, products and opportunities can be discussed and advertised.

12.2 We reserve the right to screen users after registration as members. We may, at our sole discretion, accept or reject your membership application and temporarily suspend or discontinue your membership after registration.

12.3 We reserve the right to monitor, delete or modify any of the content posted on the platform from time to time and to perform checks on members.

12.4 We reserve the right to monitor or arbitrate any disputes between members at our sole discretion.

12.5 Publication of any service, product, opportunity and/or any content on the platform by us or any member does not amount to an endorsement.

12.6 Before relying on any information on the platform, you must make sure that it is accurate. We cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect loss that may be suffered as a result of users' and/or members' reliance on the information.

12.7 While we will regularly back up platform data and try to recover data that may be lost, we are not obligated to do so.

12.8 We will make every effort to ensure that the content of the platform is accurate and complete. However, we give no warranties as to the content, quality, timeliness, operation, integrity, availability or functionality of the platform. This includes the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any information on the platform. The availability of the platform and its content, including data stored by members, cannot be guaranteed.

13 Disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability

13.1 Nothing on the platform constitutes an offer.

13.2 Members connect with funders, business solutions, members, offers at their own risk.

13.3 Results obtained from completing funding-related questions or templates do not warrant that funding will be granted – funding applications will be subject to the funders' own credit assessment criteria.

13.4 Members grant funders access to financial information, business information or business pitch decks at their own risk.

13.5 Members remain responsible for doing their own research to find the most suitable financial and business solutions.

13.6 SimplyBiz provides no guarantee that the funders are reputable or relevant to members' businesses.

13.7 The SimplyBiz website or third parties may provide links to other websites or resources. Because SimplyBiz has no control over such sites and resources, the user acknowledges and agrees that SimplyBiz is not responsible for the availability of external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available through such sites or resources. The user further acknowledges and agrees that SimplyBiz will not, directly or indirectly, be responsible or liable for any damage or loss caused or allegedly caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any content, goods or services available on or through any external site or resource.

13.8 We will not be liable, under any circumstances and in any way, for any errors, omissions, loss or damage made or incurred as a result of our use of or reliance on any content posted on this platform.

13.9 We will not be liable to any person for any loss or damage that arises, directly or indirectly, from any content appearing on or originating from this platform, or the actions or omissions of any members of this platform or Nedbank in regard to this platform.

13.10 This platform is provided as is and as available.

13.11 We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the platform or the content included on the platform.

13.12 We cannot and will not verify the accuracy, truth, ownership rights or nature of any content members submit.

13.13 We will not be liable for any damage of any kind arising from the use of or inability to use the platform.

13.14 To the full extent permissible by law we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose.

13.15 By using the internet and transmitting information over the internet, you accept the risks associated with unlawful interception and monitoring by users.

13.16 Comments and/or links will be shared with and by third parties and we will not be held responsible or liable for any consequences and/or damage that may arise as a result of this.

13.17 If we suspend, modify or terminate this platform or part thereof, we will not be liable in any way, except for processing any orders made by you before the suspension, modification or termination to the extent possible.

14 Member indemnity

14.1 You must defend and indemnify us against and hold us harmless from any demands, liabilities, losses, costs and claims, including reasonable attorneys' fees that may result from your use of the platform, or that was caused directly or indirectly by you or any person whom you allowed to access the platform, whether by using or posting on the platform or otherwise.

14.2 Without derogating from the foregoing, you agree that we, at our sole discretion, will have joint control over litigation that arises as a result of your use of the platform

14.3 No undertakings, settlements, public communications or statements that refer to or implicate us, directly or indirectly, may be issued or given without our prior written consent.

15 No responsibility for third-party platforms, content and charges

15.1 We or SimplyBiz members may provide links or access to third-party platforms and content from time to time.

15.2 We are not responsible or liable for such third-party platforms or content or actions.

15.3 We do not provide any warranties about such third-party platforms or the content or the operators of such platforms.

15.4 We in no way recommend or endorse these parties or their platforms, content, services, products, opportunities, opinions, advice, relevance, currency, security or privacy.

15.5 Third parties may levy additional charges for using or accessing any of the content made available on the platform, including cellphone or content service providers.

15.6 You must check charges before accessing and/or downloading content onto any device.

15.7 You agree that you must evaluate and assess content independently.

15.8 You will bear all risks associated with the use of any content. If you download any software by means of the third-party platform, you will be bound by the relevant software licence agreement.

15.9 You must exercise caution when accessing links on the platform or links that are emailed to you. The disclaimer in 13.4 above will apply to your accessing any links as stipulated in these terms of use.

16 Shifting Gears Business Bootcamps

 

16.1 Our Shifting Gears business bootcamps are a free, ‘specific to my business’ learning opportunity offered by SimplyBiz.The format is a combination of articles, virtual masterclasses, SimplyBiz chats and downloadable tools or templates. You work at your own pace, in your own time, on your own business. Shifting Gears is designed to help entrepreneurs, whether you need to:

  • Get into Gear to start up or start afresh;
  • Change Gear to reimagine or redesign your business; or
  • Gear Down to close or downsize your business

16.2 Complete the Get into Gear tools, by completing the Business Viability assessment, assessment 1 and assessment 2 to earn 30 points and receive the Nedbank Companion Guide ,subject to availability. On successful completion of your assessments, you will need to email your name, surname and delivery address to support@simplybiz.co.za to redeem your book.  The issueing and availability of the book is at the sole discretion of SimplyBiz.

16.3 Complete the Change Gear tools by completing the Business Viability assessment, assessment 1 and assessment 2 to earn 30 points and receive the “The Book Every Business Owner should Read” ,subject to availability. On successful completion of your assessments, you will need to email your name, surname and delivery address to support@simplybiz.co.za to redeem your book.  The issueing and availability of the book is at the sole discretion of SimplyBiz.

16.4 SimplyBiz Shifting Gears Disclaimer

 

The use of the Shifting Gears Handbooks is subject to this disclaimer, as well as the SimplyBiz terms and conditions and the Shifting Gears competition terms and conditions.

16.4.1 Disclaimer

The information in the Shifting Gears Handbooks is for general information purposes only.

SimplyBiz assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the articles, tools or masterclasses.

In no event will SimplyBiz be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential or incidental damages or any damages whatever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of Shifting Gears or its contents. SimplyBiz reserves the right to make additions, deletions or modifications to the contents at any time without prior notice.

SimplyBiz does not warrant that Shifting Gears Handbooks, external links and SimplyBiz site is free of viruses or other harmful components.

16.4.2 External-links disclaimer

The Shifting Gears programme may contain links to external websites that are not provided or maintained by or in any way affiliated with SimplyBiz.

SimplyBiz does not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of any information on these external websites.

16.4.3 Disclaimer with regard to errors and omissions

The information in the Shifting Gears Handbooks is for general guidance only. Although SimplyBiz takes every precaution to ensure that the content of the Shifting Gears Handbooks is both current and accurate, errors can occur. Plus, given the changing nature of laws, rules and regulations, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in the information in the Shifting Gears Handbooks.

SimplyBiz is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information.

16.4.4 Disclaimer with regard to views expressed

The Shifting Gears Handbooks may contain views and opinions that are those of the authors and that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other author, agency, organisation, employer or company, including SimplyBiz.

Comments published by users are their sole responsibility and the users take full responsibility, liability and blame for any libel or litigation that results from something written in or as a direct result of something written in a comment. SimplyBiz is not liable for any comment published by users and reserves the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever. There is, however, no responsibility on SimplyBiz to monitor the comments or to remove offensive comments.

16.4.5 Disclaimer with regard to no responsibility

The information in the Shifting Gears Handbooks is given with the understanding that SimplyBiz is not rendering legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice and services. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional accounting, tax, legal or other competent advisors.

Under no circumstances will SimplyBiz or its suppliers be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages whatsoever arising out of or in connection with your access or use or inability to access or use the Shifting Gears Handbooks.

16.4.6 Disclaimer with regard to use at your own risk

All information in the Shifting Gears Handbooks is given with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy or timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of performance, marketability and fitness for a particular purpose.

SimplyBiz will not be liable for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information given by the Shifting Gears Handbooks or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

16.4.7 Content protected by law

The content displayed on or incorporated in this platform is protected by law, including, but not limited to, copyright and trademark law and is either the property of a SimplyBiz member, or Nedbank, its contributors, its advertisers and/or sponsors, and/or is licensed to SimplyBiz.

16.4.8 Copy rights

No part of the handbooks may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, without the prior permission in writing of SimplyBiz or as expressly permitted by law, by licence, or under terms agreed with the appropriate rights organisation.  Enquiries concerning the reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to SimplyBiz, at info@simplybiz.co.za.  You must not circulate the handbooks in any form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.

The authors and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to reproduce copyright material in this handbook.  Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, but if any copyright infringements

 

 

 

 

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