THE FSTATE™

CULTURAL IDENTITY CONSULTANCY™

TERMS + CONDITIONS

Effective September 2026

These Terms + Conditions establish the standards governing consulting engagements between The Fstate, LLC (“The Fstate™”) and its clients.

The Fstate™ is a Cultural Identity Consultancy that helps misunderstood founder-led brands, creative executives, and organizations become understood, trusted, and chosen.

Our work may include cultural identity consulting, research, audits, positioning, perception strategy, Identity Direction™, strategic communications, creative guidance, relationship architecture, opportunity development, campaigns, and implementation.

Each engagement is governed by these Terms + Conditions together with the applicable proposal, statement of work (“SOW”), estimate, or other written agreement.

If a project-specific agreement conflicts with these general terms, the project-specific agreement controls for that engagement.

1. ENGAGEMENT + SCOPE

The Fstate™ provides strategic consulting and related creative, communications, cultural identity, and implementation services according to the scope established in writing.

Each engagement may define:

• Objectives

• Scope of services

• Deliverables

• Timeline

• Client responsibilities

• Investment

• Payment schedule

• Usage or licensing rights

• Third-party expenses

• Success measures

Services or deliverables not expressly included in the agreed scope are considered additional work and may require additional fees, time, or a revised SOW.

2. CULTURAL IDENTITY CONSULTING

The Fstate™ works at the intersection of identity, perception, positioning, expression, culture, and relationships.

Consulting may include evaluating how a client currently understands and communicates its identity and how that identity is perceived by audiences, customers, communities, partners, media, and other stakeholders.

Recommendations may address positioning, messaging, narrative, visual expression, communications, creative direction, cultural relevance, audience understanding, partnerships, organizational alignment, or opportunity development.

The Fstate™ does not manufacture an identity for a client.

Our role is to identify, clarify, structure, translate, and communicate what is authentic, valuable, and strategically relevant.

3. CULTURAL IDENTITY OPERATING SYSTEM™

The Fstate™ may use proprietary methodologies, frameworks, processes, terminology, systems, research methods, templates, tools, and intellectual property in performing its services, including the Cultural Identity Operating System™ and related methodologies.

Unless expressly transferred through a separate written agreement, these underlying systems remain the intellectual property of The Fstate™.

A client is purchasing the agreed consulting services and deliverables, not ownership of The Fstate's underlying methodology.

4. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

The Fstate™ provides recommendations based on professional judgment, available information, research, experience, cultural context, and the circumstances known at the time of the engagement.

Recommendations are intended to support informed decision-making.

The client retains final authority and responsibility for its business, operational, financial, legal, employment, marketing, communications, and organizational decisions.

The Fstate™ does not guarantee specific commercial outcomes, revenue, media coverage, audience growth, investment, partnerships, contracts, employment, customer acquisition, sales, or other opportunities.

We engineer understanding. We do not manufacture outcomes.

5. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Successful consulting requires accurate information, timely communication, and meaningful client participation.

Clients agree to:

• Provide accurate and reasonably complete information.

• Identify relevant decision-makers and stakeholders.

• Provide requested materials and access within agreed timelines.

• Review deliverables within established review periods.

• Communicate material changes that could affect the engagement.

• Obtain internal approvals required for implementation.

• Disclose known legal, contractual, reputational, cultural, or operational considerations relevant to the work.

• Respect agreed timelines, boundaries, and communication procedures.

Delays caused by missing information, approvals, access, or client decisions may extend the project timeline.

6. TRUTH + ACCURACY

The integrity of Cultural Identity work depends on truth.

Clients may not knowingly provide false, misleading, plagiarized, fraudulent, defamatory, or materially incomplete information for incorporation into work produced by The Fstate™.

The Fstate™ reserves the right to decline, revise, or remove recommendations or materials that cannot reasonably be supported.

We will not knowingly engineer false authority, fabricate credentials, manufacture cultural legitimacy, or misrepresent a client's identity, history, achievements, relationships, or impact.

7. CULTURAL INTEGRITY

The Fstate™ approaches culture as something to understand and respect, not something to exploit.

Where an engagement involves communities, cultural traditions, identities, social movements, or historically significant material, The Fstate™ may recommend additional research, consultation, attribution, compensation, permission, or community participation where appropriate.

The Fstate™ reserves the right to decline work that requires deceptive representation, cultural exploitation, discriminatory practices, tokenization, or conduct materially inconsistent with our professional standards.

8. FEES + PAYMENT

Fees are established in the applicable proposal, SOW, estimate, or agreement.

Unless otherwise stated:

• Required deposits or retainers must be received before work begins.

• Payments secure consulting capacity and scheduled project time.

• Invoices must be paid according to the stated payment schedule.

• Third-party expenses are separate unless expressly included.

• Additional work outside the agreed scope will be quoted separately.

• The Fstate™ may suspend work on overdue accounts.

Payments already earned for completed work, reserved capacity, research, strategy, consulting, or non-refundable expenses remain payable if an engagement is terminated.

9. CHANGE OF SCOPE

A request may constitute a scope change when it materially changes the agreed objectives, deliverables, volume, timeline, audience, market, stakeholders, distribution, production requirements, or strategic direction.

Scope changes may require:

• Additional fees

• Revised timelines

• Additional research

• Additional personnel

• A new SOW or change order

The Fstate™ is not required to begin additional work until the revised scope and associated fees have been approved.

10. REVISIONS

The number and nature of revisions included in an engagement will be defined in the applicable scope.

A revision modifies work within the approved strategic direction.

A request to substantially change the approved direction, positioning, concept, audience, strategy, or deliverable may constitute a new scope rather than a revision.

11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Fstate™ retains ownership of its pre-existing and independently developed intellectual property, including its methodologies, frameworks, processes, systems, templates, terminology, research structures, consulting tools, and know-how.

This may include proprietary concepts associated with The Fstate's Cultural Identity Consultancy practice.

Upon full payment, clients receive the ownership or usage rights to final client-specific deliverables expressly identified in the governing agreement.

Unless expressly authorized, clients may not sell, license, reproduce, teach, distribute, white-label, commercialize, or represent The Fstate's proprietary methodology as their own.

12. WORKING FILES + DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

Unless specifically included in the scope, final delivery does not automatically include:

Research databases, internal notes, prompts, working files, unused concepts, preliminary drafts, source files, internal analyses, proprietary templates, process documentation, or internal strategic tools.

These materials remain the property of The Fstate™ unless otherwise agreed in writing.

13. CONFIDENTIALITY

Both parties agree to use reasonable care to protect confidential or proprietary information received during the engagement.

Confidential information may include:

Business strategies, unreleased products, financial information, customer information, research, internal operations, trade secrets, unpublished creative work, personal information, partnership discussions, and proprietary methodologies.

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that is publicly available through no breach of obligation, independently developed, lawfully obtained from another source, or required to be disclosed by law.

Where greater confidentiality is required, the parties may execute a separate NDA.

14. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE + TECHNOLOGY

The Fstate™ may use professional digital tools and artificial intelligence to support appropriate aspects of research, ideation, analysis, organization, production, or execution.

Technology supports professional judgment; it does not replace it.

The Fstate™ remains responsible for the professional work delivered under the engagement, subject to the limitations established in these terms.

Clients should identify confidential, regulated, privileged, or otherwise restricted information that must not be processed through specified third-party systems.

15. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

The Fstate™ may recommend or coordinate third-party specialists, vendors, platforms, photographers, designers, developers, producers, researchers, publicists, talent, venues, or other service providers.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, independent third parties are responsible for their own work, conduct, availability, pricing, warranties, and contractual obligations.

The Fstate™ does not guarantee the performance of independent third parties.

16. RELATIONSHIPS + OPPORTUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Fstate™ may identify, recommend, facilitate, or make introductions to individuals, organizations, media, brands, institutions, partners, or other opportunities.

An introduction does not guarantee a meeting, response, partnership, contract, coverage, investment, sale, employment, endorsement, or other outcome.

The Fstate™ will not knowingly misrepresent the existence or strength of a relationship.

Access is not ownership. Relationships require trust.

17. PUBLICITY + CASE STUDIES

Unless prohibited by the governing agreement or confidentiality obligations, The Fstate™ may identify publicly released work it created or materially contributed to for portfolio, credentialing, award, archival, or case-study purposes.

Confidential information will not be knowingly disclosed.

Where a client requires the entire engagement, relationship, or resulting work to remain confidential, that requirement should be established in writing before the engagement begins.

18. CANCELLATION + TERMINATION

Either party may terminate an engagement according to the cancellation or termination provisions of the applicable agreement.

Upon termination, the client remains responsible for:

• Work completed through the termination date

• Consulting time already performed

• Reserved capacity where contractually applicable

• Approved expenses

• Non-cancellable third-party commitments

• Other amounts earned under the agreement

The Fstate™ may immediately suspend or terminate an engagement involving nonpayment, harassment, discrimination, threats, unlawful activity, material misrepresentation, unsafe conditions, infringement, or material breach of the agreement.

19. PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES

The Fstate™ provides Cultural Identity Consultancy services.

Unless expressly contracted and appropriately qualified to provide them, our services do not constitute legal, tax, accounting, investment, medical, psychological, or other regulated professional advice.

Clients should engage appropriately licensed professionals when those disciplines are required.

20. LIMITATION OF OUTCOMES

Cultural Identity work can improve clarity, positioning, understanding, expression, and strategic readiness.

However, market response is influenced by factors outside The Fstate's control, including timing, competition, economic conditions, audience behavior, client implementation, platform changes, stakeholder decisions, and market conditions.

Accordingly, no specific business or commercial result is guaranteed unless expressly stated in a written agreement.

21. MUTUAL RESPECT

The Fstate™ maintains a professional environment grounded in dignity, cultural respect, inclusion, accountability, and mutual respect.

Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, threats, exploitation, or abusive conduct toward The Fstate™, its team, contractors, collaborators, talent, or community partners will not be tolerated.

The same professional standard applies to The Fstate™ in its treatment of clients and their stakeholders.

22. GOVERNING AGREEMENT

These Terms + Conditions should be read together with the applicable proposal, SOW, estimate, invoice, and any separately executed agreement.

Project-specific terms supersede these general terms where they expressly conflict.

No material modification to an engagement is binding unless documented and approved by authorized representatives of the parties.

OUR STANDARD

Identity is more than appearance.

It shapes how people understand you, what they trust you to do, and which opportunities they believe you are prepared to own.

The Fstate™ exists to close the gap between who you are, what you do, the value you create, and what people believe about you.

Identity → Understanding → Trust → Authority → Opportunity

Visibility is rented. Identity is owned.

THE FSTATE™
Cultural Identity Consultancy™
Love. Style. Culture.