Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 September 2026

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how X Enterprises, LLC ("X Enterprises," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and discloses information on https://franchisebusinesses.com (the "Site"). Franchise Businesses is a DBA of X Enterprises, LLC, 18122 3rd Dr SE, Bothell, WA 98012.

The Site is a content and research website about franchise ownership, FDD explainers, related tools, and franchise reporting topics. It does not offer user accounts, paid subscriptions, signup, pricing, or a live SaaS portal on this host today. This Policy covers this Site. It does not describe account, billing, or customer-data processing for a product that is not live here.

By using the Site, you agree that information will be handled as described in this Policy. Use of the Site is also subject to the Terms of Use (/terms) and the Cookie Policy (/cookies). Franchise-research disclosures also appear on /disclaimer. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

Privacy requests may be sent to editor@franchisebusinesses.com or by mail to the address at the end of this Policy. Publishing that contact information is not a promise that an office is staffed on a set schedule, or that every message will receive a reply beyond what the law requires.

What we collect

We collect only what this Site actually takes in today.

Information you send us

If you email editor@franchisebusinesses.com, we receive the address you use and the content of your message.

If you use a form that appears on this host (for example, a mill affiliate-program apply form on /affiliate), we receive the fields you submit (such as name, email, website URL, and promotion description). Placeholder example addresses in form chrome are not inboxes we operate. We do not treat a mill apply form as a promise that a staffed affiliate desk will reply.

If you write to us by mail, we receive the information you put on the envelope and in the letter.

This Site does not, today, offer a public research-reader account, a paid billing form for reading content, or a login portal on this host. We do not ask for a payment card to read the public research pages.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, our host and the Site software record ordinary server logs. Those logs typically include IP address, date and time, requested path, referrer, and browser or device user-agent. We use this for security, debugging, and operating the Site.

Cookie consent storage and similar technologies

The Site uses a first-party cookie consent tool. If you make a choice in that tool, we store the choice in first-party browser storage (localStorage key xAffiliate.consent) so we can honor it on later visits. See the Cookie Policy (/cookies).

The Site may also set a first-party affiliate referral cookie named x_affiliate_ref (configured for up to 30 days) when a referral parameter is present, so we can credit a referral. Details are in the Cookie Policy.

Tools and decoder inputs

Some research tools on the Site (including earnings-claim related tools) may let you paste or enter text in the browser. Unless a tool expressly says it sends that input to our servers, treat on-page decoding as happening in your browser session for your own use. Do not submit secrets, passwords, or sensitive personal data into research tools.

What we do not collect on this Site today

This Site does not collect account passwords for a reader login, and it does not run a published Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, or Microsoft Clarity property on the public configuration we fetched. Do not read a network or hub privacy page as a description of processors on this host.

How we use information

We use the information above to:

operate, secure, and debug the Site;
honor cookie-consent choices and operate referral attribution when used;
read email and mail we actually receive, including privacy, editorial, accessibility, or copyright requests;
evaluate affiliate-program applications if you submit one;
improve research pages and tools;
comply with law.

We do not use Site information to bill a live SaaS account on this host, because that account product is not live here.

How we share information

We do not sell personal information.

We share information only as needed to operate this Site, including:

our website host (the Site is served on Vercel), which processes requests and logs;
Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com), which the live Site uses to load fonts and which may receive your IP address and browser information when a page loads;
email infrastructure, when you write to editor@franchisebusinesses.com; and
authorities, when required by law or to protect the Site, our rights, or others.

We do not list customer-management, payment, or authentication vendors as live processors for a reader account on this Site because those products are not live here.

Affiliate or referral partners may receive attribution data necessary to credit a referral when you arrive with a referral parameter. That is not a sale of personal information under this Policy's ordinary meaning. See /disclaimer#affiliate for affiliate relationship disclosures.

Cookies and similar technologies

The Site sets or uses cookies and similar technologies as described in the Cookie Policy (/cookies). Optional analytics or marketing scripts load only if they are configured on this Site and you grant the matching consent.

Children privacy

The Site is for a general adult audience and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a child under 18 sent us personal information, we will use it only to tell them they cannot use the Site and to delete it where we can. See also the children section on /disclaimer.

Retention

We keep server logs as needed to operate and secure the Site, then delete or overwrite them in the ordinary course of hosting. We keep email and mail we actually receive as needed to understand the request, to respond if we respond, and as required to meet legal obligations or resolve disputes. Browser storage for consent stays until you clear it or change the setting. Referral cookies expire according to their configured lifetime or when you delete them.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to know, access, correct, delete, or port personal information we hold about you, or to opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising, subject to the limits and exceptions in applicable law (including comprehensive U.S. state privacy laws). We do not sell personal information. This Site does not publish advertising or analytics cookies that we treat as a sale on the configuration we fetched. If optional advertising or analytics cookies are later configured, you can refuse them through the cookie consent tool.

To make a request, email editor@franchisebusinesses.com or write to X Enterprises, LLC, 18122 3rd Dr SE, Bothell, WA 98012. We may need enough information to find you in our records (typically the email you used or a description of the visit or the mail you sent). We will respond as required by applicable law. Publishing that contact information is not a promise of a staffed helpdesk or a fixed reply time beyond what the law requires.

If we deny a request, you may write again to ask us to reconsider. You may also have the right to complain to a regulator that has jurisdiction over you.

This Site is not a consumer health product and does not publish a separate consumer-health-data policy.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a Do Not Track (DNT) signal. The Site does not respond to DNT. You can control optional cookies through the consent tool described in the Cookie Policy, and you can block or delete cookies in your browser.

Location of processing

The Site is operated from the United States. Information we collect is processed in the United States. If you visit from another country, you do so on your own initiative. Information may be accessible to U.S. authorities as required by law.

Third-party websites

The Site may link to third-party websites, including franchisor sites and reference materials. Those sites have their own privacy practices. We are not responsible for them.

Changes

We may update this Policy by posting a revised version on this page with a new "Last updated" date.

Contact

editor@franchisebusinesses.com

X Enterprises, LLC
18122 3rd Dr SE
Bothell, WA 98012

Franchise Businesses is a DBA of X Enterprises, LLC, 18122 3rd Dr SE, Bothell, WA 98012.