If you’re tired of the 9-5 life, want to enjoy more autonomy and freedom, and the chance to increase your earnings with unlimited potential, then starting your own home business can be an ideal option. These days, the internet has made it easier than ever for lots of people to start a business that they can run from home whether you want to sell products online through an eCommerce store or are offering an online service like web design, virtual assistance, graphic design, content creation and more.
Starting a home business can be an ideal way to get more flexibility and be in charge of your own life. However, when you run your business from home, you will need to be careful that your privacy is not compromised. This is especially true when it comes to selecting your business address, which will be accessible to the public if you are setting up an LLC.
Get a Virtual Address
The best way to keep your address private when you are running a business from home is to get a virtual business address. What is a mailbox address? A mailbox with address provides a virtual mailbox address where you can receive mail virtual sent to your business. This allows you to keep your personal home address private even if you are running the business from your home address. But if you need mailbox identification, then you may consider using mailbox name plates.
In general, a virtual mailing address will be a P.O. Box or similar where you can receive mail that can be forwarded to your home, and you will not have any actual office space. You can easily set up a virtual address for your business at PhysicalAddress.com, an online virtual address service. With Physical Address, you can set up virtual addresses in various locations at affordable prices to give your business a more professional look and protect your personal information.
Lock Down Social Media
When you run a business from home, there may be more information about you out there online. For example, you might set up a LinkedIn profile or have a photo with your name on your business website so that your customers can get to know you better as the business owner. However, while this can be great for networking and making new business connections, it can also make it easier for your personal social media profiles to be found.
To avoid any hassle, make sure that your personal social media profiles are set to private and that only your friends and followers that you have authorized can send you messages. The last thing you need is customers trying to contact you about your business on your personal Twitter or Facebook account!
Get a Business Phone Number
Another main priority to consider when it comes to your privacy as you are setting up a home business is a business phone. If you already have a decent smartphone that you can do a lot with then you might not see the point in the additional expense of a business phone, but the truth is that you want to avoid having your personal number as your business number. If your personal phone number is listed on your website, on advertisements and on Google, then you could end up getting calls about your business at all times of the day or night, even if you list your business hours.
The good news is that many modern smartphones today have e-SIM capabilities allowing you to have dual SIM in your phone, which can be ideal if you don’t want to spend money on another handset. Otherwise, consider getting a basic second phone purely for taking business calls that can be switched off outside of business hours.
Set Up a Business Email Address
Using your personal email address for running your business is not only risky when it comes to security, but it could also make your company look less professional. If you’ve ever done business with somebody who is still using a Gmail or Outlook email address, then you might know that it can make you think twice about the business and how professional they actually are. For your email security safety, you can ask help from an email verification services online to ensure the legitimacy of who you’re transacting with.
The truth is, it doesn’t create that polished and professional first impression that you are going for, and having your personal email address out there as the main contact for your business could mean that you are going to be subject to a huge amount of spam. Instead, you can set up a business email address using your website domain name to keep things consistent and as professional as possible. You may want to use your first name or full name as the suffix or keep it simple by using something like ‘hello’ or ‘contact’.
Running a business from home can be a rewarding career. But when your home address and your business premises are one and the same, it’s important to take some extra steps to protect your privacy.