If you own a home business, then you might sometimes feel like you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. Home business owners face a set of unique challenges that oftentimes make or break them. Among those challenges include surviving periods of immense growth, hiring new employees, and simply balancing work and home life. For the smaller home business or startup that hasn’t yet experienced a wave of growth that forces them to find a completely separate office space, the challenges are typically regarding management and administration.
For instance, a home business might want to get listed online. While a website and social media presence will certainly help, having a physical location is critical. Many home business owners don’t like the idea of using their residential address as their public business location, which is an understandable security and safety concern. A home business might want to have a dedicated business address where clients and partners can send business related mail, and a business address has a professional aesthetic appeal.
For many home business owners, leasing an office space isn’t a possibility due to budget constraints. Unless the company is ready to grow enough to cover the extra overhead and then some, this move just doesn’t make good business sense.
So, how does the home business owner meet these goals while keeping costs down? Many home business owners have turned to virtual addresses.
What is a Virtual Address?
A virtual address is a physical location outside of the home business owner’s residence where they can receive mail. The virtual address service provider like VirtualAddress.com.au offers the home business owner a way to receive mail at a dedicated address without revealing their personal information. Of course, this offers numerous advantages, and we’ll discuss some of those in a moment.
It’s important to note that you can find a standalone virtual address service, as well as virtual offices offering address services. Virtual offices are different from virtual addresses, in most cases. Virtual offices usually offer a office space plus other services, while virtual addresses are often just address services.
Not all virtual address services are made equal, however, and we’ll talk more about that right now. Here are 5 tips for choosing the right virtual address for your home business:
1. Find a reputable virtual address company
The first step in finding a virtual address company is to sift through the options and find reputable ones. A reputable virtual address company will have certain traits and factors that you can identify quickly. For instance, a reputable service will have plenty of reviews and testimonials from their clients. You should also be able to look up a list of businesses using the virtual address company.
Next, read the background of the company to see if it has been around a long time. Do some research on Google to see where the company is located. A little bit of research can yield a lot of information, and those details can help you decide which virtual address company might be the best solution for your needs.
2. Make sure you get both a suite number and street address
As we mentioned, not all virtual address services are the same. We recommend using a virtual address company that can provide you with both a suite number and a physical street address. The reason you want both of these is to ensure that your home business can be picked up by Google My Business Listings. As you know, being listed on Google is a huge factor in terms of appealing to customers!
3. Ask if on-site support is available
Even if you solely need a virtual address, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that many virtual addresses come with extra services. On-site support is available with some virtual addresses. This support can include virtual assistants who can help facilitate communication and appointments, mail forwarding, physical meeting space, and receptionist services.
A virtual office will almost always offer all of these services on a larger scale, and virtual offices also cost more money. A virtual address service that offers other on-site support solutions can help you save money and maximize efficiency!
4. Compare the costs of varying virtual address services
It’s always important to get the most for your money. Before you sign up for a virtual address service, make sure you research the competition. Look for price points of varying packages and what those services include. The most reputable service offering the best price is probably the best choice!
5. Read the fine print
Before signing or agreeing to any conditions set forth by a virtual address service, make sure to thoroughly read the fine print. In the disclosures, you can find many segments about confidentiality and general terms. It’s important to know and understand all of the terms of a virtual address service before you commit.
Takeaway
Home businesses are a growing and unique business model of their own, and all home businesses are going to have varying yet somewhat common challenges. A virtual address can help quell some of the obstacles home businesses face. Plus, a virtual address can even be seen as a stepping stone. For instance, if you’re considering taking your home business to a bigger level, then scaling up to a virtual address could be a first step in something much bigger.
A virtual address gives home business owners a remarkable opportunity to test the waters of growth and change before making any business-changing decisions.
The best way to find a virtual address, as you’ve seen outlined here, is to do your due diligence. Research will help you make an informed decision! As always, if you have questions about a contract set forth by any company, be sure to check with your lawyer to decide if the terms are in your best interest.
