Terms & Conditions
Effective Date: September 26, 2026
These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of thehotmesscollective.com and general interactions with Samantha Diaz, a California sole proprietor doing business as The Hot Mess Collective (“THMC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).
By using the website, submitting an inquiry or application, purchasing a product, requesting a resource, booking a call, or engaging THMC for services, you agree to the Terms that apply to that activity.
A signed service agreement, statement of work, invoice, booking agreement, product license, checkout terms, or other purchase-specific agreement may supplement these Terms. If there is a conflict, the more specific agreement controls for that transaction or engagement.
Website use
You may use this website for lawful personal or business purposes.
You may not:
Interfere with the operation or security of the website.
Attempt unauthorized access to systems, accounts, or information.
Introduce malicious code or harmful technology.
Impersonate another person or business.
Use THMC content in violation of intellectual-property rights or these Terms.
Scrape, harvest, reproduce, or collect website information in a harmful, deceptive, unlawful, or prohibited manner.
Use the website or THMC resources to facilitate unlawful activity.
THMC offers
THMC is a strategic systems and operations studio and digital systems shop.
THMC may provide custom Studio services involving areas such as:
Business operations and workflow design.
CRM structure and implementation.
Automation and connected business systems.
Client intake, onboarding, offboarding, and experience.
Websites and digital infrastructure.
Forms, booking, routing, and follow-up systems.
Documentation, handoffs, and internal processes.
AI-assisted workflows and implementation.
Marketing and operational infrastructure related to how work moves through a business.
THMC may also provide digital products, templates, calculators, diagnostics, guides, educational content, Biz Notes, free resources, and other practical business tools.
The exact scope, deliverables, timeline, approvals, fees, ownership, confidentiality, responsibilities, and other terms of a custom engagement are controlled by the applicable written agreement and statement of work.
Applications, inquiries, and acceptance
Submitting a Studio application, inquiry, contact form, or other request does not create a client relationship, require a purchase, guarantee acceptance, guarantee availability, or guarantee an invitation to a call or engagement.
THMC may determine whether a proposed project is a fit before offering services or access to private scheduling.
A client relationship begins only when THMC accepts the engagement and any required agreement, payment, and onboarding conditions have been completed.
Digital products, diagnostics, and resources
THMC may offer digital systems, templates, calculators, guides, downloads, diagnostics, checklists, and other resources.
Free diagnostics and operational tools are intended to help users identify patterns, friction, or areas that may deserve further review. They are not formal audits, compliance determinations, or guarantees that a particular recommendation is appropriate for every business.
Paid digital products are subject to the Digital Product License & Refund Terms, which are incorporated into these Terms.
If a product page, checkout, confirmation, license, or other purchase-specific agreement contains additional or different terms, those terms control for that product to the extent of the conflict.
Prices, payments, and taxes
Prices are displayed at the time of purchase or stated in the applicable proposal, agreement, statement of work, or invoice.
THMC may change prices for future purchases without changing the price of a transaction that has already been completed or an agreement already entered into, except where the agreement itself permits a change.
Applicable taxes, processor fees, or other charges may be added where required or disclosed.
Payment must be authorized and completed using the checkout, invoice, payment link, or other payment method presented for the transaction.
Custom-service payment schedules, deposits, retainers, milestones, cancellations, refunds, suspension, and termination are governed by the applicable written agreement.
Digital-product licenses
Unless product-specific terms state otherwise, purchasing a THMC digital product grants you a limited license to use the product for your own personal use or the internal operations of your business.
Purchasing a product does not transfer ownership of THMC intellectual property.
Digital products may not be resold, redistributed, sublicensed, published, or made available to other businesses or the public except as permitted by the applicable Digital Product License & Refund Terms.
Intellectual property
THMC and its licensors retain their rights in THMC-created websites, branding, trade names, copy, frameworks, templates, graphics, calculators, methods, workflows, systems, documentation, downloads, educational materials, and other intellectual property.
Client-owned materials remain the property of the client or applicable rights holder.
Third-party materials remain subject to their respective licenses and ownership rights.
Ownership and permitted use of custom Studio deliverables are governed by the applicable written service agreement or statement of work.
Nothing on the website grants a license to use THMC trademarks, branding, trade names, or other protected materials except as expressly permitted.
Client and user responsibilities
You are responsible for:
Providing accurate and reasonably complete information.
Reviewing THMC materials and outputs before implementing them.
Protecting private links, login credentials, accounts, and other access information.
Using THMC products and services lawfully.
Making decisions about your own business, systems, customers, and operations.
Obtaining qualified professional advice when legal, tax, accounting, financial, regulatory, medical, privacy, cybersecurity, employment, accessibility, or other specialized review is appropriate.
Do not submit passwords, complete payment-card numbers, government identification numbers, medical records, unlawful material, or unnecessary sensitive information through ordinary THMC forms or email.
Regulated industries and professional boundaries
THMC may build general business infrastructure, systems, workflows, websites, automation, or content for businesses operating in regulated or specialized industries.
THMC does not determine or certify a client’s legal, licensing, tax, accounting, medical, safety, privacy, advertising, accessibility, employment, security, or regulatory compliance.
A client remains responsible for understanding the rules that apply to its business, obtaining appropriately qualified professional advice, and approving regulated uses of the systems or materials THMC provides.
The fact that THMC works with a business in a regulated industry does not make THMC that business’s attorney, accountant, compliance officer, broker, healthcare provider, or other licensed professional.
Educational and legacy materials
THMC content and educational resources are provided for general informational, educational, and business-infrastructure purposes.
Some older THMC materials that remain accessible may discuss self-reflection, personal patterns, identity, behavior, or emotional experience.
Those materials are not psychotherapy, diagnosis, medical treatment, mental-health treatment, crisis intervention, or emergency services.
Do not use THMC websites, forms, email, products, or other communication channels for an emergency. Contact appropriate emergency services or a qualified licensed professional when urgent support is needed.
AI-assisted work
THMC may use artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools in research, drafting, analysis, automation, content production, systems work, and implementation.
Additional information is available in the AI Transparency Policy.
AI-assisted output can contain errors, omissions, outdated information, or inappropriate recommendations and should be reviewed before implementation.
AI involvement does not convert THMC work into licensed legal, financial, medical, regulatory, or other professional advice.
No guaranteed outcomes
THMC does not guarantee revenue, leads, sales, profit, search performance, audience growth, efficiency gains, cost savings, client retention, operational improvement, automation performance, regulatory approval, platform availability, or any other specific business or personal result.
Results depend on factors including implementation, participation, business conditions, customer behavior, market conditions, third-party systems, technology, platform changes, regulation, timing, and circumstances outside THMC’s control.
Examples, testimonials, case studies, recommendations, diagnostics, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Affiliate and referral relationships
Some THMC links, codes, recommendations, resources, or partner references may involve affiliate, referral, or other compensation.
See the Affiliate Disclosure for additional information.
Where appropriate, THMC also aims to disclose a material financial relationship near the relevant recommendation or link.
Compensation does not guarantee a positive recommendation or a particular result from the product or service being recommended.
Third-party services
THMC products, content, websites, and services may use, integrate with, recommend, or link to third-party platforms and providers.
Those third parties control their own:
Pricing.
Features.
Availability.
Terms.
Policies.
Security.
Data practices.
Integrations and APIs.
Product changes and discontinuation.
THMC does not control and cannot guarantee the continued availability or performance of a third-party service.
A third-party outage, account restriction, feature change, pricing change, policy change, API change, or discontinuation may affect a workflow or system that uses that provider.
Privacy
The Privacy Policy explains how THMC collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information.
The Cookie & Tracking Notice provides additional information about cookies, analytics, measurement technologies, and referral attribution.
Disclaimer of warranties
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the website and free content are provided “as is” and “as available.”
THMC does not promise that the website or free resources will always be available, uninterrupted, error-free, secure, current, or suitable for every purpose.
Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty, consumer protection, or other right that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, THMC will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, punitive, or lost-profit damages arising from use of the website or free content.
Liability relating to a paid service may be further addressed in the applicable written agreement.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude or limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
Suspension and termination
THMC may suspend or terminate access to the website, products, resources, or services when reasonably necessary because of unlawful, abusive, deceptive, fraudulent, infringing, harmful, or materially noncompliant use.
Suspension or termination of a paid custom engagement is governed by the applicable written agreement, including any provisions concerning completed work, payment, access, intellectual property, and treatment of prepaid amounts.
Termination of a digital-product license is governed by the applicable Digital Product License & Refund Terms.
Changes to these Terms
THMC may update these Terms prospectively as its services, products, technology, or business practices change.
The current version will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
Changes do not retroactively alter a completed transaction or signed service agreement unless the applicable agreement or law permits otherwise.
Contact
Questions about these Terms may be sent to:
Samantha Diaz DBA The Hot Mess Collective
California sole proprietorship
sam@thehotmesscollective.com