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Obtaining a business address can be problematic if you’re on limited funds. Whether it’s a small business, home-based business, or a startup, you need to have a business address. It is used to get your business legalized, apply for loans, and to give a reputable address to your customers or investors.
Renting office space at the start of your business will quickly consume your funds. Many businesses tend to start off from home which isn’t a bad thing, but using your home address for business can reflect poorly on your business. Major cities like San Francisco or New York, which are famous for being home to many startups, offer office space for no less than $80 per square foot. A quick and smart solution that has grown popular the past few years is renting a virtual office address for your business.
What is a Virtual Office Address?
A virtual office address has all of the privileges of having an actual commercial address without needing to go through expensive rent or business costs. Virtual office providers offer multiple services like a business address, a virtual receptionist, voicemail service, and in some cases, meeting space if needed.
However, if you only need the business address without all the excessive services, you can find that for as low as $14.95 per month.
This is lesser than what you’d pay on fancy rent. With a virtual office, you get virtual mail handing. This means you get online access to all your postal mail; you’ll be able to log onto your virtual mailbox and manage all your mail and packages. Your postal mail arrives at mail facilities then the envelopes are scanned and uploaded to your mailbox. When you log in, you’d be able to open & scan, forward, archive, or print any mail piece.
Home Address vs. Virtual Office Address:
– A Business address: Using your home address as your business address may seem like the cost-effective solution with a startup. But with a virtual office address, you get an address in a commercial location to use as your business address. This will boost your business’s reputation, give you a professional image, and increase your business credibility.
– Privacy: Working from home means your personal life can get mixed with your work time which is not good for a startup. Your business needs most of your focus while working hours, giving out your home address to clients or investors won’t just lessen your credibility for funding and potential business but it’ll take away your home privacy.
– Better Postal Mail Handling: Dealing with paper mail can get hectic and leads to losing important documents or contracts sent by mail. With an online mailbox, you’ll have a digital storage with all your important mail whenever needed.
– Security: It is not recommended to market your home address online because it can put your home at a security risk. You don’t want your customers to easily be able to pull out where you live online and connect it to your business. A virtual address gives you extensive security because you’ll be able to use it on your website and social media platforms without jeopardizing your home.
– Physical Storage Space: Boxes and piles of mail will clutter your home, especially if your business involves shipping or packaging. A virtual office offers you physical storage space to store your packages when needed. Don’t turn your home into a storage space, save the space and have your packages stored the right way.
How to register your business to a virtual office address?
Your virtual address is great for business! However, it is recommended to use your home address instead on registration and legal documents. You can market your virtual office as yours online and hand it out to your customers but for sensitive procedures like registration, you should use your home address.
But some virtual office providers allow using their addresses as your business registration address. You will need to contact your provider ahead of time and confirm this with them. However, using your home address for registration won’t affect your business negatively nor will it be a problem when applying for credits or loans. Most startups look into a getting virtual office because it gives your business a professional image and that is what you need it for.