Terms & Conditions

1About these terms

These terms and conditions ("Terms") apply to membership of The Engine Room, a business community and development membership for second-in-commands and operational leaders working in founder-led businesses.

The Engine Room is operated by COO Accelerator Ltd, trading as The Engine Room ("The Engine Room", "we", "us" or "our").

Our registered or principal business address is:

Blake House, 18 Blake Street, York, YO1 8QG

Our contact email address is:

[email protected]

By applying for, purchasing, accepting or using a membership, you agree to these Terms.

Where an employer, founder or other organisation purchases membership for an individual, both the purchasing organisation and the individual member agree to comply with the provisions of these Terms that apply to them.

2About The Engine Room membership

The Engine Room provides a combination of professional development, peer support, training, events, resources and community activities for second-in-commands and operational leaders.

Depending on the membership package purchased, membership may include access to some or all of the following:

• an online membership platform or community;
• live online training and development sessions;
• peer discussions and networking opportunities;
• templates, tools, recordings and digital resources;
• member events, clinics or workshops;
• preferential or discounted rates for selected events or services;
• opportunities to connect with other members;
• guest speakers or specialist contributors; and
• other benefits described on our website or in the relevant membership offer.

The precise benefits included are those stated in the membership offer in force at the time of purchase, subject to reasonable changes made in accordance with these Terms.

Membership does not include individual coaching, consultancy, event tickets, travel, accommodation or other separately priced services unless these are expressly included in writing.

3Meaning of "lifetime membership"

Where a membership is described as a "lifetime membership", "lifetime access" or using similar wording, this means access for the operational lifetime of The Engine Room membership business, subject to these Terms.

It does not mean:

• the natural lifetime of the individual member;
• the lifetime of the purchaser;
• the lifetime of any particular company, founder or employer;
• that The Engine Room will continue to operate indefinitely;
• that every current membership benefit, platform, event or service will remain available forever; or
• that membership can never be suspended or terminated under these Terms.

For these purposes, the operational lifetime of The Engine Room ends if we permanently cease operating The Engine Room as a membership community or permanently discontinue the lifetime membership service.

A change to our company name, ownership, legal structure, branding, website, delivery platform or management will not, by itself, bring the operational lifetime of The Engine Room to an end if a substantially equivalent membership continues to operate.

Lifetime membership is subject to the member continuing to comply with these Terms, our community standards and any reasonable policies communicated to members.

4Eligibility

Membership is intended primarily for:

• second-in-commands;
• Chief Operating Officers;
• Operations Directors;
• Operations Managers;
• Heads of Operations;
• Chiefs of Staff;
• General Managers;
• Integrators;
• senior Executive Assistants; and
• other professionals performing a comparable operational leadership role in a founder-led business.

We may also accept founders, business owners, advisers or other professionals where their participation is appropriate for a particular membership activity.

Members must be aged 18 or over.

We reserve the right to refuse a membership application where we reasonably believe that:

• the applicant is not suitable for the community;
• there may be a conflict of interest;
• the application contains inaccurate or misleading information;
• the applicant's participation could adversely affect members or the community; or
• accepting the application would create a legal, safeguarding, reputational or commercial risk.

We are not required to provide detailed reasons for refusing an application, although we will act reasonably and fairly.

5Membership applications and acceptance

Submitting an application, enquiry or payment does not automatically guarantee membership.

A membership contract is formed when we:

• confirm acceptance of the application in writing;
• confirm the membership purchase;
• provide access to the membership platform; or
• otherwise confirm that membership has commenced,

whichever happens first.

You must ensure that information supplied during the application or purchase process is complete and accurate.

You must notify us of any significant change to your contact details, employment status or role where that change may affect your membership.

6Individual and organisation-funded memberships

Membership may be:

• purchased directly by the individual member; or
• purchased by an employer, founder or other organisation for a nominated individual.

Where an organisation purchases membership:

• the individual receiving access is the "Member";
• the purchasing organisation is responsible for payment;
• the Member remains personally responsible for complying with the community and conduct provisions of these Terms;
• the organisation does not own the Member's personal contributions, discussions or relationships within the community; and
• we will not routinely disclose confidential details of the Member's participation to the purchasing organisation unless the Member agrees, disclosure is necessary to provide the service, or we are legally required to do so.

We may provide the purchasing organisation with reasonable administrative information, such as confirmation of membership, attendance or use of included benefits, where appropriate.

7Named-member basis and transfer of membership

Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, membership is issued to one named individual and may not be shared.

Login details must not be given to another person.

A Member must not allow colleagues, employees, contractors or other third parties to access member-only content using the Member's account.

Transfer where an employer has purchased membership

Where an organisation has purchased membership for a named employee or operational leader, the organisation may request that the membership be transferred to a replacement employee if:

• the original Member leaves the organisation or permanently changes role;
• the replacement meets our membership criteria;
• the request is made in writing;
• the original Member's access is ended;
• the membership is not being divided or shared between two people; and
• any applicable transfer or administration fee stated at the time of the request is paid.

Transfers are subject to our reasonable approval.

Unless otherwise stated in the membership offer, we may limit transfers to one transfer per 12 month period.

An individually purchased membership is personal to the Member and cannot normally be sold, gifted or transferred.

8Membership fees and payment

The membership fee is the price stated at the time of purchase.

Fees may be payable:

• as a single payment;
• through an agreed payment plan; or
• by another arrangement confirmed in writing.

Where payment by instalments is offered, the instalments are normally a payment arrangement for the full agreed price and not a monthly membership that can be cancelled simply by stopping payments.

You agree to pay all amounts due on the agreed dates.

Unless stated otherwise:

• fees are quoted exclusive of VAT;
• payment-processing charges are non-refundable;
• travel, accommodation and expenses are not included; and
• additional products, events or services will be charged separately.

If a payment is overdue, we may:

• contact the purchaser to request payment;
• suspend access while the payment remains outstanding;
• charge reasonable costs incurred in recovering the overdue payment;
• cancel any instalment arrangement and request payment of the outstanding balance, where legally permitted; or
• terminate the membership if the payment remains outstanding after reasonable notice.

We will not be responsible for access lost because payment details have expired, a payment has been declined or the purchaser has failed to update payment information.

9Cooling-off and cancellation rights

Business purchases

Where membership is purchased wholly or mainly for purposes relating to a person's trade, business, craft or profession, statutory consumer cooling-off rights may not apply.

Any cancellation right offered for a business purchase will be the cancellation right expressly stated in the relevant membership offer or order confirmation.

Consumer purchases

Where an individual purchases membership online or at a distance primarily for purposes outside their trade, business, craft or profession, they may have a statutory right to cancel within 14 days, subject to applicable law.

To exercise a cancellation right, the purchaser must notify us clearly by emailing:

[email protected]

If the purchaser asks us to begin delivering services during a statutory cancellation period, they may be required to pay a proportionate amount for services supplied before cancellation.

Where immediate access to digital content is provided, we may ask the purchaser to expressly consent to immediate supply and acknowledge that the applicable cancellation right may be lost once access or downloading begins.

Nothing in these Terms limits any statutory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

10Refunds

Except where required by law or expressly stated in the membership offer, membership fees are non-refundable once:

• the applicable cancellation period has expired;
• access has been activated;
• digital resources have been supplied;
• membership benefits have begun to be used; or
• the Member has attended an included session or event.

A decision not to participate, failure to attend sessions, a change in role, workload, personal circumstances or dissatisfaction caused solely by a failure to use the available benefits will not normally entitle the purchaser to a refund.

We may consider exceptional circumstances at our discretion. Doing so on one occasion does not require us to make the same decision in another case.

Any statutory right to a refund or remedy remains unaffected.

11Membership access

We will use reasonable efforts to provide the membership services described in the relevant offer.

Membership is not a guaranteed minimum number of:

• sessions;
• events;
• introductions;
• opportunities;
• responses;
• downloads;
• coaching hours; or
• business results,

unless a specific minimum has been confirmed in writing.

Members are responsible for:

• maintaining suitable internet access and equipment;
• using a supported browser or device;
• keeping login information confidential;
• protecting their account from unauthorised access;
• notifying us promptly if their account may have been compromised; and
• ensuring that their use of membership platforms complies with applicable third-party terms.

Access may occasionally be interrupted because of maintenance, security updates, platform failure, supplier issues or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

We will take reasonable steps to restore access but cannot guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability.

12Community standards

The Engine Room is intended to be a supportive, constructive and professionally valuable community.

Members must:

• behave respectfully and professionally;
• contribute in good faith;
• respect different experiences, opinions and working styles;
• protect confidential information shared by other members;
• avoid harassment, bullying, intimidation or discriminatory conduct;
• avoid making knowingly false, defamatory or misleading statements;
• avoid disruptive, aggressive or abusive behaviour;
• respect facilitators, speakers, team members and other participants;
• comply with reasonable instructions given by our team;
• use member information only for legitimate professional networking purposes; and
• comply with applicable law.

Members must not:

• use the community primarily to make unsolicited sales approaches;
• repeatedly promote products or services without permission;
• add members to mailing lists without their consent;
• scrape, harvest or compile member contact information;
• impersonate another person;
• upload malware or harmful content;
• share illegal, offensive or infringing material;
• record private sessions without permission;
• disclose another member's confidential or commercially sensitive information;
• copy or redistribute member-only resources; or
• behave in a way that could reasonably damage the safety, trust or reputation of the community.

We may issue separate community guidelines from time to time. Those guidelines form part of these Terms.

13Confidentiality within the community

Members may share business challenges, financial information, staffing matters, personal experiences and commercially sensitive information.

Members agree to treat information shared in private member sessions, forums, groups, discussions and events as confidential where:

• it is identified as confidential;
• its confidential nature is obvious from the circumstances; or
• a reasonable person would understand that it should not be shared outside the community.

Members must not disclose another participant's confidential information without that person's permission.

This does not prevent disclosure where:

• the information is already lawfully public;
• the receiving Member already knew the information lawfully;
• disclosure is required by law or a court;
• disclosure is necessary to report a safeguarding or serious legal concern; or
• the information is shared with a professional adviser who is bound by confidentiality.

Members should use appropriate judgement before disclosing sensitive information. We cannot guarantee that another member will comply with their confidentiality obligations and are not responsible for unauthorised conduct by an individual member unless caused by our own failure to take reasonable care.

14Changes to membership services

The Engine Room is intended to develop over time.

We may make reasonable changes to the way membership is delivered, including changes to:

• session formats;
• schedules;
• speakers and facilitators;
• online platforms;
• resource libraries;
• community structures;
• event locations;
• member benefits;
• terminology and branding; and
• the balance between online and in-person delivery.

We may replace a benefit, platform or service with a reasonably comparable alternative.

We will not deliberately remove the essential substance of a paid membership without a reasonable operational, legal, technical or commercial reason.

Where a significant change materially reduces the overall membership offering, we will provide reasonable notice where practicable and consider an appropriate remedy having regard to:

• the nature of the change;
• how long the Member has had access;
• the benefits already received;
• the membership fee paid; and
• any applicable statutory rights.

Lifetime membership does not guarantee that the initial mix of benefits will remain unchanged throughout the operational lifetime of The Engine Room.

15Closure or discontinuation of The Engine Room

We may permanently close or discontinue The Engine Room where continued operation is no longer reasonably practicable, including because of:

• insolvency or business closure;
• sustained lack of commercial viability;
• loss of essential staff, suppliers or technology;
• legal or regulatory changes;
• serious security or operational risks;
• force majeure circumstances; or
• a strategic decision to cease operating the membership business.

Where reasonably practicable, we will give members advance notice of permanent closure.

On closure, membership access and future benefits will end.

Because lifetime membership refers to the operational lifetime of The Engine Room, permanent closure does not by itself amount to a breach of a promise to provide membership for the natural lifetime of the Member.

However, we will act reasonably when deciding how to manage closure. Depending on the circumstances, we may offer one or more of the following:

• a period of continued access before closure;
• an opportunity to download selected resources;
• transfer to a reasonably comparable alternative service;
• access to replacement content;
• a partial or discretionary refund; or
• another fair arrangement.

The appropriate arrangement will depend on factors including how long the membership has operated, the price paid, benefits already provided, the reason for closure and our legal obligations.

Nothing in this clause removes any statutory remedy that a Member may have.

16Events and live sessions

Membership may include access to or preferential booking for online or in-person events.

Unless expressly stated:

• event places are subject to availability;
• admission is not guaranteed until booking is confirmed;
• travel and accommodation are the Member's responsibility;
• event tickets cannot be resold;
• guest places are not included;
• unused places have no cash value; and
• discounted event rates may change.

We may change an event's:

• date;
• time;
• location;
• venue;
• speaker;
• format; or
• content.

Where an included event is cancelled, we may provide a replacement event, online alternative, credit or another reasonable substitute.

Members attending physical events must comply with venue rules, health and safety requirements and reasonable instructions from event staff.

17Recordings, photographs and participation

Some online sessions, workshops or events may be recorded.

We will normally tell participants when recording is taking place.

Recordings may be made available to other members as part of the membership resource library.

By contributing verbally or through chat during a recorded session, a Member acknowledges that their name, image, voice, comments or questions may appear in the recording.

Where reasonably possible, a Member who does not wish to appear in a recording may:

• keep their camera switched off;
• use a display name agreed with us;
• submit questions privately; or
• notify the facilitator before contributing.

We may take general photographs and video footage at events. Appropriate notices will be provided where practicable.

We will normally obtain specific permission before using an identifiable Member as the main subject of a testimonial, case study or promotional feature.

18Membership content and intellectual property

All intellectual property rights in The Engine Room materials belong to us or to the relevant licensor.

This includes rights in:

• training materials;
• videos and recordings;
• templates;
• worksheets;
• frameworks;
• presentations;
• articles;
• guides;
• branding;
• graphics;
• membership-platform content; and
• downloadable resources.

During an active membership, we grant the Member a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use membership materials for their own professional development and, where appropriate, for internal use within the business that purchased the membership.

Unless we have given written permission, Members must not:

• sell, license or commercially exploit our materials;
• copy or reproduce substantial parts of the membership library;
• share member-only materials publicly;
• provide materials to non-members;
• upload materials to another membership or training platform;
• remove copyright or ownership notices;
• modify materials and present them as their own;
• use our content to train an artificial-intelligence system or build a competing product; or
• record, transcribe or redistribute live sessions.

The Member retains ownership of original materials they contribute, but grants us a limited licence to display and process those contributions as necessary to operate the community.

19Use of artificial intelligence and recordings

Members must not upload confidential membership discussions, session recordings, member directories, private messages or proprietary Engine Room materials into public or third-party artificial-intelligence tools without appropriate permission.

Members remain responsible for checking the confidentiality, data-protection and intellectual-property implications of any technology they use.

We may use technology, including transcription or artificial-intelligence-assisted tools, to support administration, summarisation or service delivery. Where personal information is involved, this will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

20Advice and professional responsibility

The Engine Room provides education, peer learning, professional development and general business information.

It does not provide regulated legal, financial, tax, medical, employment, investment or other specialist professional advice.

Comments made by:

• facilitators;
• speakers;
• guest experts;
• members;
• coaches; or
• community participants

reflect their own experience and should not automatically be treated as advice suitable for a Member's specific circumstances.

Members remain responsible for:

• their own decisions;
• obtaining appropriate professional advice;
• checking information before relying on it;
• compliance with laws and regulations affecting their business; and
• deciding whether a suggested approach is suitable.

We do not guarantee any particular commercial, financial, career or personal result from membership.

21Third-party speakers, services and links

We may introduce members to third-party speakers, advisers, suppliers, platforms or service providers.

Unless expressly stated otherwise:

• third parties operate independently from us;
• we do not guarantee their services;
• any contract with them is separate from The Engine Room membership;
• members should carry out their own checks before purchasing; and
• we are not responsible for losses arising from an independent third party's acts or omissions.

Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience and do not necessarily represent an endorsement.

22Suspension and termination by us

We may suspend or terminate a membership where we reasonably believe that the Member or purchaser has:

• seriously or repeatedly breached these Terms;
• failed to pay an amount due;
• shared login details or member-only content;
• harassed, threatened or discriminated against another person;
• breached confidentiality;
• used the community for persistent unsolicited selling;
• acted illegally or fraudulently;
• created a safeguarding, security or reputational risk;
• provided materially false information; or
• behaved in a way that seriously undermines trust in the community.

For a minor or remediable breach, we will normally provide a warning and reasonable opportunity to correct the issue.

We may suspend access immediately while investigating a serious allegation or where reasonably necessary to protect people, information, systems or the community.

If membership is terminated because of the Member's serious breach, fees already paid will not normally be refunded.

Termination does not affect rights or obligations that arose before termination.

23Ending membership by the Member

A Member may ask us to close their account and stop using the membership at any time.

Closing an account does not automatically create a right to a refund.

For lifetime memberships, choosing to leave does not entitle the Member to sell, pause, transfer or later reactivate the membership unless we agree otherwise.

A Member who leaves may request future reactivation. Reactivation is subject to:

• the continued operation of The Engine Room;
• the Member remaining eligible;
• compliance with current community standards;
• availability of the relevant service; and
• any reasonable reactivation arrangements in force at that time.

24Data protection

We process personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, available at:

ADD PRIVACY LINK

Members must handle personal information obtained through the community lawfully, fairly and responsibly.

Members must not use another member's personal information for unrelated marketing, data collection, profiling or disclosure without an appropriate lawful basis.

25Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for:

• death or personal injury caused by negligence;
• fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
• any statutory rights or liabilities that cannot legally be excluded.

Subject to the above, we are not responsible for:

• losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was formed;
• loss caused by inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by the Member;
• decisions made by a Member following a community discussion or training session;
• acts or omissions of another member or independent third party;
• loss of profit, revenue, business, contracts, opportunity, goodwill or anticipated savings arising from a business purchase;
• technical failure outside our reasonable control;
• failure by the Member to access or use available benefits; or
• events beyond our reasonable control.

Where membership is purchased for business purposes, our total aggregate liability arising from the membership will not exceed the total membership fee actually paid by the purchaser, except where such a limit would be unlawful or manifestly unreasonable.

Where the purchaser is a consumer, this clause applies only to the extent permitted by consumer law and does not affect statutory rights.

26Events outside our control

We will not be responsible for delay or failure caused by events outside our reasonable control.

These may include:

• natural disasters;
• extreme weather;
• epidemic or pandemic;
• war, terrorism or civil disorder;
• government restrictions;
• industrial disputes;
• venue closure;
• utility or telecommunications failure;
• cyberattack;
• supplier or platform failure; or
• serious illness or unavailability of essential personnel.

We will take reasonable steps to reduce disruption and may provide an alternative format, date, speaker, platform or service.

27Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms where reasonably necessary to reflect:

• changes to membership services;
• changes in law or regulation;
• security or technology requirements;
• new membership platforms or delivery methods;
• clarification of existing provisions; or
• reasonable operational developments.

We will not use this clause to make arbitrary changes that fundamentally remove the membership purchased.

Where a change materially affects Members, we will provide reasonable notice by email, through the membership platform or on our website.

The updated Terms will apply from the date stated in the notice.

Changes will not remove rights already accrued or statutory rights that cannot legally be excluded.

28Notices and communications

We may contact Members using the email address supplied during registration or through the membership platform.

Members are responsible for keeping contact details current and checking relevant communications.

A notice sent by email will normally be treated as received on the next working day, unless the sender receives a delivery-failure notification.

29Transferring this agreement

Members may not transfer their rights under these Terms except as permitted under clause 7 or with our written agreement.

We may transfer our rights and obligations to another company as part of a sale, restructuring or reorganisation, provided that this does not materially reduce the Member's contractual protections.

30No partnership or employment relationship

Membership does not create:

• an employment relationship;
• a partnership;
• a joint venture;
• an agency relationship;
• a franchise; or
• authority for a Member to bind or represent The Engine Room.

Members must not describe themselves as an employee, agent or authorised representative of The Engine Room.

31Entire agreement

These Terms, together with:

• the relevant membership offer;
• the order or payment confirmation;
• our Privacy Policy;
• our community guidelines; and
• any specific written terms agreed with the purchaser

form the agreement relating to membership.

If there is a conflict, any individually agreed written terms will take priority, followed by the membership offer, these Terms and the community guidelines.

Nothing in this clause excludes liability for fraud or prevents a party from relying on statements that cannot lawfully be excluded.

32Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

Where possible, the affected provision will be interpreted or adjusted only to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

33No waiver

If we do not enforce a provision immediately, this does not mean that we have waived the right to enforce it later.

Any waiver must be confirmed in writing and applies only to the specific circumstances for which it is given.

34Third-party rights

Unless expressly stated otherwise, no person other than the Member, the purchasing organisation and The Engine Room has a right to enforce these Terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

35Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Where membership is purchased for business purposes, the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.

Where the purchaser is a consumer, they may also have the right to bring proceedings in the part of the United Kingdom in which they live, and nothing in these Terms removes any mandatory consumer protection available to them.

36Complaints

We aim to resolve concerns promptly and fairly.

Members should first contact:

Julie Phillips

[email protected]

Please include:

• the Member's name;
• details of the issue;
• any relevant dates or communications; and
• the outcome sought.

We will acknowledge the complaint and aim to provide a substantive response within 15 working days.

Nothing in this complaints process affects any statutory rights or the right to seek independent legal advice.