Episode Summary
Hans shares his journey from early Groupon employee to Chicago agency founder—and the moment he realized copying–and-pasting privacy policies could put clients (and agencies) on the hook for eye-watering fines.
Termageddon was born to solve that risk with auto-updating policies at USD 119 per year—and a free license for agencies.
Episode Highlights
- Privacy laws now carry real teeth. New state regulations set fines as high as USD 2,500 per website visitor—even small sites aren’t safe.
- Copy-and-paste policies won’t cut it. They’re often non-compliant, outdated, and could violate copyright.
- Agencies can stay out of legal hot water and add recurring revenue by reselling an automated solution instead of drafting policies themselves.
Agency Info
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Company: Termageddon
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Guest: Hans Skillrud
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Year Started: 2017
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Employees: 1-10
It’s a good idea to educate the clients about privacy policies, what they are and how they’re beneficial.
Hans Skillrud
Key Takeaways
Treat Policies Like SSL Certificates—Table Stakes, Not Upsells
“We’ll look back and laugh that we ever launched sites without privacy policies—just like launching without HTTPS.” – Hans Skillrud
What SSL did for encryption, privacy policies now do for data protection. Clients expect them and laws require them. Make them standard in every launch package.
The Risk Is Real (and Growing)
California’s CPRA sets minimum fines at USD 2,500 per infraction. New privacy bills in multiple states give consumers the right to sue any site collecting an email address without proper disclosures. Even one-person marketing firms have faced six-figure penalties.
“Educate, Don’t Litigate”
Providing a waiver that makes clients responsible for compliance protects your agency and positions you as a trusted advisor. Hans’ team lets partners hand clients three options: Hire their own attorney, Use an automated solution (e.g., Termageddon), Do nothing—and accept the risk. Most choose option 2, creating a low-maintenance recurring-revenue stream for the agency.
Automate the Headache Away
Termageddon’s questionnaire: Identifies which privacy laws apply to a site, Generates the right disclosures, and Auto-updates policies when laws change. Agencies get a forever-free license for their own site, then wholesale pricing for clients.
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