Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 1, 2026

Startup Cost Guide (“we,” “us,” or “the site”) operates startupcostguide.com. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID: G-JDP10CYBK1) to understand how visitors use the site. Google Analytics collects:

  • Pages viewed and time spent on each page
  • Referring source (how you found us)
  • Device type, browser, and general geographic region
  • Interactions such as clicks and scroll depth

This data is aggregated and does not personally identify you. Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish unique visitors. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser extension.

Cookies

This site uses cookies set by Google Analytics to measure traffic. We do not set any first-party cookies for tracking, advertising, or personalization. No third-party advertising cookies are used on this site.

Cost submission form

When you submit your startup costs through our community submission form or the inline form on guide pages, we collect:

  • Business type selected
  • Total startup cost (approximate)
  • Year you started (optional)
  • State (optional)
  • Biggest cost surprise (optional, free text)
  • Advice for others (optional, free text)
  • Timestamp of submission

This data is stored in Google Sheets. Submissions are anonymous. We do not collect your name, email address, IP address, or any other personally identifiable information through the form. Submitted data may be displayed in aggregated form on guide pages to help future visitors.

Affiliate links

Some links on this site are affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase or sign up for a service, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links on this site redirect through /recommends/ URLs so they are clearly identifiable.

Affiliate partners may set their own cookies when you visit their sites. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Our affiliate relationships do not influence the cost data, recommendations, or editorial content in our guides. See our terms of use for the full affiliate disclosure.

Data retention

Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months under our current configuration. Cost submission data stored in Google Sheets is retained indefinitely to improve the accuracy of our guides.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Your rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (GDPR), California (CCPA), or another jurisdiction with data protection laws, you have the right to:

  • Request access to any data we hold about you
  • Request deletion of your data
  • Opt out of analytics tracking (see above)

Because cost submissions are anonymous and contain no personally identifiable information, we may be unable to locate a specific submission for deletion. If you have questions about a submission, contact us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site evolves. Material changes will be noted by updating the “last updated” date at the top of this page.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy: hello@startupcostguide.com