Growth Notes — Terms of Service

Last updated: 17 April 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Growth Notes platform ("Growth Notes", "Platform", "we", "us", "our"), operated by The Ordinary Group ("Company"). By creating an account, accessing, or using Growth Notes, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you are entering into these Terms on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organisation, and "you" refers to that organisation. If you do not have such authority, or if you do not agree with these Terms, do not use the Platform.

1. What Growth Notes Is

Growth Notes is a business-to-business mentorship platform that enables organisations to run structured internal mentorship programs. The Platform provides a curated skills taxonomy, growth planning tools, mentor-matching, session scheduling, progress tracking, and a credit-based economy for funding mentorship sessions.

In the current version (V1), mentorship occurs between individuals within the same organisation. Growth Notes facilitates the connection and structure; the mentorship itself is delivered by your organisation's own employees.

2. Definitions

• "Organisation" means a company, department, or business unit that subscribes to the Platform and purchases credits.
• "Org Admin" means the individual authorised to manage an Organisation's account, purchase credits, and configure settings.
• "Team Leader" means a user with direct reports who oversees growth planning for those reports.
• "Team Member" or "Mentee" means an individual user who receives mentorship through the Platform.
• "Mentor" means a user within an Organisation who delivers mentorship sessions to other users.
• "Credits" means the prepaid units used to fund mentorship sessions on the Platform.
• "Content" means any text, data, reports, notes, bios, or other material submitted to or generated on the Platform.

3. Eligibility and Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract to use Growth Notes. By creating an account, you confirm you meet these requirements.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at alfi@theordinary.group if you suspect unauthorised access.

Accounts are personal to the user. You may not share your account or transfer it to another person.

4. Organisation Accounts and User Roles

Where an Organisation creates an account on Growth Notes, the Org Admin accepts these Terms on behalf of the Organisation and all users invited to that Organisation's workspace. The Organisation is responsible for ensuring that its users comply with these Terms.

Users invited to an Organisation also accept these Terms individually when they create their account. Certain rights and obligations apply to the Organisation (for example, payment obligations and configuration), while others apply to individual users (for example, conduct during sessions).

5. Credits and Payment

5.1 Purchasing Credits

Organisations purchase Credits via one-time packages through our payment processor, Paystack. Credits do not expire but are non-transferable between Organisations. All prices are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) unless otherwise stated and are inclusive of applicable VAT.

5.2 Credit Consumption

Credits are consumed when mentorship sessions are delivered, at rates published on the Platform based on mentor level and pricing tier. Credits are reserved at the start of each mentorship cycle and deducted as sessions are completed. Refund behaviour for cancellations is governed by our published cancellation rules within the Platform.

5.3 No Refunds on Unused Credits

Credits purchased are non-refundable except where required by South African consumer protection law. Unused Credits remain in the Organisation's pool until consumed.

5.4 Billing Disputes

Billing queries must be raised with us within 60 days of the transaction via alfi@theordinary.group. We will review and respond in good faith.

6. Mentorship Sessions

6.1 Nature of the Service

Growth Notes is a platform that facilitates mentorship relationships between users within an Organisation. We do not employ Mentors, deliver mentorship content, or guarantee specific outcomes from mentorship. The substantive quality and content of each session is the responsibility of the Mentor and Mentee involved.

6.2 External Video

Sessions are conducted via third-party video services (such as Google Meet or Zoom) provided by the Mentor. Your use of those services is subject to the terms of those providers. We are not responsible for the availability or performance of third-party video tools.

6.3 Growth Reports

Mentors submit growth reports at the end of each cycle. Growth reports are made visible to the Mentee and their Team Leader. You acknowledge that growth reports may be read by your Team Leader and that this is an intended feature of the Platform.

6.4 No Professional Advice

Content shared in sessions, growth reports, or session notes is provided for professional development purposes only. It is not legal, financial, medical, or psychological advice. If you need professional advice in any of those areas, consult a qualified practitioner.

7. User Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users.
• Impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation with any organisation.
• Upload or share content that is defamatory, discriminatory, obscene, or infringes the rights of others.
• Attempt to circumvent the Platform's access controls, credit system, or security measures.
• Scrape, copy, or redistribute the Platform's skills taxonomy or other proprietary content outside the intended use.
• Use the Platform to solicit users away from the Platform for equivalent services, or to poach other Organisations' employees.
• Introduce malicious code, interfere with the Platform's operation, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to any system or data.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these conduct rules.

8. Content and Intellectual Property

8.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of the Content you submit to the Platform (growth plans, session notes, growth reports you author, profile information). By submitting Content, you grant Growth Notes a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and process that Content solely to operate and improve the Platform and provide the service to you and your Organisation.

Growth reports authored by a Mentor grant the Mentee and their Organisation a perpetual, non-exclusive, internal-use licence to retain and use the report for development and record-keeping purposes.

8.2 Our Content

The Growth Notes Platform, including its skills taxonomy (domains, disciplines, career ladders, roles, capabilities, tasks, and skills), software, design, and all other proprietary materials, is owned by The Ordinary Group and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You receive a limited, revocable licence to use this content within the Platform for the duration of your Organisation's subscription. You may not copy, modify, redistribute, or reverse-engineer the Platform or its content.

8.3 Feedback

If you provide us with feedback or suggestions about the Platform, you grant us an unrestricted, royalty-free right to use that feedback without obligation to you.

9. Privacy

Our handling of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By using Growth Notes, you agree to the collection and use of personal information as described in the Privacy Policy.

10. Availability and Changes

We aim to keep the Platform available but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may introduce, modify, or remove features at any time. Where changes materially affect your use, we will provide reasonable notice where practicable.

11. Suspension and Termination

11.1 Termination by You

You may stop using the Platform and request account deletion at any time. Organisations may cancel their subscription by notifying us via alfi@theordinary.group. Cancellation does not entitle you to a refund of unused Credits.

11.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account or your Organisation's subscription if you breach these Terms, fail to pay amounts owed, or use the Platform in a way that risks harm to us or other users. Where practicable, we will give notice and an opportunity to remedy the breach before termination.

11.3 Effect of Termination

On termination, your right to use the Platform ends. Organisations should export their data before termination. We will retain and delete data as described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Platform or its servers are free of viruses or other harmful components.

We make no guarantees about the outcomes of mentorship relationships or the conduct of individual users. You use the Platform at your own risk.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Ordinary Group's total liability to you for any claims arising out of or relating to the Platform (whether in contract, delict, or otherwise) is limited to the amount your Organisation paid us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. In no event shall we be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business opportunities.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including liability for fraud or gross negligence causing death or personal injury.

14. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Ordinary Group, its directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Platform, or your violation of any third party's rights.

15. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If unresolved within 30 days, disputes will be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Where changes are material, we will notify you in advance via email or through the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

17. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Platform.
• Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
• No waiver: Our failure to enforce a provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, or reorganisation.

18. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to:

The Ordinary Group Email: alfi@theordinary.group