If you're running a small business, you're juggling a million things—client relationships, marketing, finances, and keeping the lights on. Data privacy probably isn't at the top of your to-do list. But here’s the reality: every time you collect a customer’s email address, store client information, or process a payment, you’re responsible for protecting that data.
January 28 is Data Privacy Day, an international effort to raise awareness about online privacy and data protection. For women-owned and LGBTQ+-owned small businesses, this day can carry extra weight. Our communities often face targeted harassment, doxxing, and privacy violations—and protecting your business data isn’t just about “compliance.” It’s about protecting yourself, your team, and the clients who trust you.
Let’s make this Data Privacy Day matter with practical steps you can take right now to strengthen your privacy practices.
Why Data Privacy Matters for Your Business
You might think, “I’m just a solo business owner,” or “I only have a few clients—why would anyone target me?” Here’s the truth: cybercriminals don’t discriminate by business size. In fact, small businesses are attractive targets precisely because they often lack robust security measures.
If someone gains access to your business data, they could steal client information, impersonate you to scam your customers, access your accounts, or leverage personal information against you. And for LGBTQ+ business owners who may not be out in every space—or women entrepreneurs dealing with online harassment—a breach can expose information you’ve carefully chosen to keep private.
Beyond the personal risks, there are real financial consequences too. A data breach can cost a small business thousands (or more) in recovery, downtime, lost sales, and reputational damage. Most small businesses don’t have the time or money to absorb that kind of hit.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need a computer science degree or a massive budget to protect your data. You just need to start with the basics.
Five Actionable Steps for Data Privacy Day
1) Know What Data You Actually Have
Before you can protect your data, you need to know what you’re protecting. Set aside 30 minutes this week to create a simple inventory:
- Where do you store client names, email addresses, and contact information?
- Do you have credit card information, health data, or other sensitive details?
- What systems hold this data? (Think: email, CRM, cloud storage, spreadsheets, payment processors)
- Who has access to each system?
Write this down in a simple document. You’re not building an enterprise data map—you’re building awareness of what you’re responsible for protecting. Many business owners discover they’ve been storing sensitive information in multiple places without realizing it (hello, old spreadsheets and forgotten email attachments).
2) Clean Up Your Data
Now that you know what you have, it’s time to do some spring cleaning. Data you don’t need and that you get rid of is data that can’t be stolen.
Go through your systems and delete information you no longer need. That client who stopped working with you three years ago? You probably don’t need their credit card details anymore. Those old contact lists from a now-irrelevant marketing campaign? Archive or delete them.
Create a simple retention policy. For example:
“I’ll keep active client information for the duration of our working relationship plus one year for tax purposes, then securely delete it.”
Write it down and follow it. This isn’t about being paranoid—it’s about being responsible with people’s trust.
3) Strengthen Your Password Game
Weak passwords are like leaving your front door unlocked with a neon sign that says “Come on in.” Yet many small business owners still reuse the same password across multiple platforms.
Here’s your action plan:
- Start using a password manager. Tools like 1Password, Bitwarden, or Dashlane make it easy to create and store unique, strong passwords for every account.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) everywhere possible. Even if someone steals your password, they’ll still need a second form of verification to get in.
- Update old passwords, especially for critical accounts like your email, bank, and anything that stores client data.
4) Get Smart About Email Security
Email is one of the top ways cybercriminals try to access your business. They’ll impersonate clients, send fake invoices, or create urgent scenarios to trick you into clicking malicious links or sharing information.
Train yourself (and any team members) to spot suspicious emails. Before clicking a link or downloading an attachment, ask yourself:
- Was I expecting this email?
- Does the sender’s email address look legitimate? (Check carefully—scammers use addresses like payment@gooogle.com instead of google.com.)
- Is the message creating a false sense of urgency?
- Does the greeting feel generic rather than personalized?
When in doubt, don’t click. Contact the person through a different method to verify. It takes an extra two minutes, but it could save your business.
If you have a business domain (like you@yourbusiness.com), consider setting up email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These safeguards help prevent scammers from sending emails that look like they came from your business. If those acronyms make your eyes glaze over, this is exactly the kind of thing a managed security service provider can help with.
5) Create a Privacy Policy That Actually Means Something
If you collect customer information—even just email addresses for a newsletter—you should have a privacy policy. In many cases, depending on where you and your customers are located, it may also be legally required.
Your privacy policy should clearly explain:
- What information you collect and why
- How you use that information
- Who you share it with (if anyone)
- How long you keep it
- How customers can request their data or ask you to delete it
Don’t just copy someone else’s policy or paste in a template without reading it. Make sure it accurately reflects what you actually do. Post it prominently on your website, and link to it anywhere you collect information.
Bonus: being transparent about privacy can be a competitive advantage—especially for communities that have experienced privacy violations elsewhere.
Making Privacy Part of Your Business Culture
Data Privacy Day shouldn’t be the only day you think about privacy. Make it a habit:
- Review your data inventory quarterly
- Update passwords regularly
- Stay informed about common scams targeting small businesses
- Ask privacy-related questions before adopting new tools or services
When evaluating new software, ask:
Where will my data be stored? Who has access to it? What happens if I cancel? Can I export my data?
These questions signal to vendors that you take privacy seriously—and they help you avoid risky tools before you’re already committed.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Building privacy practices can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already stretched thin. That’s exactly why managed security service providers exist—to handle the technical complexity so you can focus on running your business.
Whether you work with a security partner or handle things in-house, the key is to start. Pick one action from this post and do it today. Then pick another next week. Progress over perfection.
Data privacy isn’t about achieving some impossible standard of security. It’s about making intentional choices to protect the people who trust you with their information. That’s a business value worth celebrating—not just on January 28, but every day.
Data Privacy Day Checklist (For Non-Technical Small Business Owners)
Use this as a one-page, “print-and-do” list.
1) Map your data
- List what customer data you collect (names, emails, payment info, sensitive details).
- Note where it lives (email, CRM, spreadsheets, cloud storage, payment tools).
- Note who has access (you, VA, bookkeeper, contractors).
2) Delete what you don’t need
- Remove outdated client records you’re not required to keep (ex: tax/accounting needs).
- Delete old CSV exports, spreadsheets, and attachments that include customer data.
- Create a simple rule (example: “Keep data for 1 year after the last interaction, then delete.”)
- Bonus: Don’t store credit card details yourself—use your payment processor instead.
3) Lock down accounts
- Use a password manager and create unique passwords for all business tools.
- Turn on 2FA (two-factor authentication) for:
- Bank and payment accounts
- Social media
- Any tool that stores client data
- Update any reused or very old passwords.
4) Tidy up email security
- Commit to pausing before clicking links or attachments.
- Verify unusual payment, login, or password-reset emails using a second channel (text, call, DM).
- Remove access for ex-employees/contractors from email, shared drives, and business tools.
5) Review your website and tools
- Check what forms on your site collect (contact forms, lead magnets, checkout).
- Turn off or remove tools you no longer use that still have access to data.
- Make sure your website uses HTTPS (your website address starts with https://).
6) Refresh your privacy policy
Make sure it clearly states:
- What you collect
- Why you collect it
- How you use it
- How long you keep it
- How people can contact you about their data
Then:
- Make sure your policy matches what you actually do.
- Add or update the link in your website footer and on opt-in forms.
7) Plan for “what if?”
Write a short, plain-language plan:
- How you’d respond if an account is hacked
- Who you’d contact (clients, bank, platform support)
- What you’d change immediately (passwords, 2FA, revoke access)
Save this plan somewhere easy to find quickly.
