If you have a restaurant or bar or any business that offers a product or service that cannot be accessed virtually, then it’s all about location. You have to find an area that has enough traffic and is easily accessible to as many of the types of clients/customers who you want to attract as possible. Working from home is just not an option for you, and your business physical address and mailing address can be the same without much issue.
For those of us whose product can be accessed virtually, it is very tempting to keep expenses low by working out of our home and using our home address for the business. In these cases, the decision to have a separate business address becomes a little trickier.
When to get a Business Mailing Address
If any of the following apply to you then I would strongly suggest you get a separate business mailing address from your home address, such as a post office box at a nearby UPS store:
- You move a lot.
- You want to keep your home address private.
- You want to keep your business mail separate from your personal mail.
When to get a Business Physical Address
There are going to be times when you need to have an actual physical address for your business and a P.O. box just won’t cut it. Below are some of the reasons to have it separate from your home address:
- You don’t want your home address to be used as the physical address of the business when you register it.
- You plan to apply for business funding. Banks and potential creditors tend to prefer if you have an actual location for the business that’s not your basement.
- You need to meet clients or customers. You can always meet people at a local Starbucks or somewhere you can sit down and talk, but I have found that this is just not very professional.
Business Address Solution
I use Regus as a solution for both the mailing and physical address for my business. They offer a variety of options that will allow you to have a mailing address that is an actual physical address and won’t show up as a red flag to potential creditors. You can also use their meeting rooms if you need to meet with a client and have access to office spaces depending on the membership you choose. There are also other small businesses using the space, so you can meet people from time to time who might just help you on your journey!