Did you know there are 31.7 million small businesses in America? If you run one of them, you’ll need to mail products to customers, send invoices to vendors, and receive mail. But you may not want to disclose your personal address in the process.
If you’re wondering what to do, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn whether you should rent a mailbox for your home business!
Create a More Professional Presence
With a business mail address, you’ll be able to funnel all business-related communications into one place. This simplifies things for you when you’re already getting personal mail at your home. But it also makes a positive impression on your customers.
If a customer sees a residential home address on a label, they might make assumptions about the quality of your business. For instance, they could think that it’s not successful or polished. They might question whether it’s legitimate or established.
A PO Box is a recognizable label to see on correspondence from a business. But you may want to get a street address so you can complete online shipping. In either case, customers will connect a business mail address with a sense of legitimacy and experience.
Business addresses can elevate your profile. Even better, a virtual mailbox makes it easy to read your mail regardless of where you are.
Your mail is scanned and then made viewable on a secure server. If you’re on the move operating your business, you’ll still be able to read anything from invoices to payment statements on the go.
Keep Your Identity Safe
Did you know that identity thieves will look at your mail to learn more about you? You might think your mail is secure in a typical mailbox. But anyone can steal a letter and find confidential information.
Especially if you’re sending out invoices and other financial information, you don’t want it falling into the wrong hands. You can compromise your own identity and potentially your customers’ private information, too. The fallout from this could devastate your business.
Sending everything to a private mailbox helps avoid identity theft. You’ll be able to keep the correspondences that are most sensitive in a secure environment, safe from prying eyes. Customer addresses, credit card numbers, and other content won’t be floating into the wrong person’s hands.
Further, you’ll keep your identity and location secure from unhappy customers. While it’s tempting to assume all customers will be happy with your business and patient, that’s not always the case. You could end up with a confrontational customer or someone who feels entitled to speak with you personally.
If they have access to your address, they may come to your doorstep. But if you rent a mailbox for your business, they won’t be able to know where you live.
Avoid Mail and Package Theft
Do you need to order large shipments of materials for your home-based business? If so, you’ll probably see the boxes mounting on your front porch. And if you’re not there to see them, those boxes will continue to mount and become more obvious to passersby.
If a thief happens to see your mail, there’s a good chance they’ll try to take it. Worse yet, the presence of lots of mail could suggest that you are out of town. This can make your home an easy target for criminals looking to score some goods.
With a private mailbox, you can trust that your mail and packages will be secure. You won’t have to worry that items are sitting out and looking vulnerable. Instead, the boxes will be kept in a locked facility until you arrive to get them.
Consider whether you want a PO Box or a private mailbox. With a private mailbox, it will be easier to accept packages from a range of carriers. For home-based businesses that rely on lots of shipments, a private mailbox ensures that all packages, regardless of the carrier, will be safe.
Get a Convenient Solution
If you end up moving, it can be a pain to communicate your new address to people. When you run a business at home, it can be even trickier since you may be communicating with hundreds or thousands of people.
That’s where a private mailbox offers a convenient solution. Regardless of whether you move, the address will be consistent. You’ll save time, too, since you won’t need to share a new address with people or deal with mail glitches.
In addition, you’ll be able to keep larger shipments in boxes clean. If a box arrives on a day when it’s pouring, it won’t be sitting outside and getting soaked.
Renting a mailbox also is an affordable solution for your budget. You may think that you need to lease office space in order to have access to a new address. With a business mailbox, you don’t.
You’ll gain the convenience of having a designated space for all incoming mail. But you won’t have to pay for office space if you’re content running your business from home.
Rent a Mailbox for Your Home Business
When you rent a mailbox for your at home business, you set yourself up for a flexible and professional solution. You’ll help keep your mail secure from identity thieves and others looking to steal items off your porch. And you’ll be able to maintain a consistent address no matter where you live. Need more tips to make running your business easier? Check back soon for new articles!
