In a business world where first impressions mean everything, your business address says a lot about you.
In fact, your street address can either enhance or undermine your company’s reputation.
But when you are a fresh-faced startup looking to gain market share, your business address may seem the least of your worries.
After all, you’re too busy taking hundreds of steps to get your company off the ground and dealing with issues that are part and parcel of starting a business.
However, your business address can actually be one of the most important decisions you need to make in the early stage of your startup.
So, without further ado, let’s discuss the nuts and bolts of business addresses and explore the far-reaching benefits of having a professional address in a prestigious location.
Table of contents:
- 5 reasons why your business address is more important than ever
- How to get a physical mailing address for your small business
1. 5 Reasons Why Your Business Address is More Important Than Ever
As a small business owner operating on a shoestring budget, your gut instinct may tell you to use your home address as a business address to cut costs and save tons of money on expensive overhead.
After all, you might be able to do most of your work at home, propped up in bed, without the need to splurge on an expensive plush office to perform your day-to-day operations.
Sounds reasonable, right?
Hate to break it to you, but there are many downsides, including security issues, to using a home address as a business address.
For example, exposing your private details can put your safety at risk – not to mention the awkward situations when customers show up on your doorstep.
Aside from risking your family’s safety by exposing your personal information, you may also harm your brand’s image as a home address can quickly take its toll on your business reputation.
You might be thinking, “My budget is limited. It is important for me to stay lean and make sure my profit isn’t going down the drain by renting expensive office space.”
Surprising as it may seem, you can actually get a professional business address without the hefty price tag and ongoing costs.
We’ll get into all the details in the second part of this post, but first, we should have a closer look at the benefits of having a professional business address:
- Create a positive brand impression
In a business world where appearance affects your business success, it’s safe to say that first impressions can make or break a business relationship.
Picture the following scenario: you have a meeting with an important client and invite them to your home. To reach your home office, they need to stroll through your kitchen and laundry room.
This would make you look unprofessional and give your clients the notion that you are a small business that does not have the ability to keep up with demand.
As initial impressions are hard to shake, you might want to consider getting a business address that provides you with access to professional meeting rooms to hold effective meetings and impress your clients beyond their expectations.
- Protect your privacy
When you’re running a home-based business, privacy is an essential issue that needs to be addressed.
Just think for a moment – Are you really comfortable with exposing your home address and telephone number?
In Australia, business addresses are public. If you use your home address as a business address, ASIC’s records enable anyone to know where you live. This could jeopardise the privacy of your home.
On the other hand, getting a business address means you can keep your company and family details separate while continuing to promote your business.
- Improve your SEO Rankings
There are a handful of reasons why having a strong online presence is vital to your business: it helps you target your ideal audience, drive online traffic, influence future buyers, create social proof, increase brand awareness and, ultimately, boost sales.
To improve your SEO rankings and establish a strong online presence, you need to set up local business listings so that your website and contact information can appear in search engines.
A business address is a requisite to help you complete your listings on Google My Business, Bing Places, online directories, and other review platforms that can enable you to increase your online presence and get more eyes on your website.
- Keep your parcels and confidential documents secure
According to Canberra Weekly, one in four Aussies have experienced parcel theft.
Parcel theft has become a serious issue, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak which led to an unprecedented surge in e-commerce (which is fueling an increase in package thefts).
If you operate a home-based business and receive business mail and parcels at home, chances are you fall prey to a porch pirate, especially during the holiday season when online shopping is typically set for further boom.
Luckily, a professional business address can provide you with a secure location with live staff who can receive and store your mail, parcels, and confidential documents.
Whether it’s a gift basket from a client or a large parcel you’ve ordered, you can be sure that they will be received and stored until you pick them up.
- Make your business more accessible
Suppose you meet a client at your home. Is your house visible from the street? Is it located near public transit? Do you have available parking space?
As a business starting off, you want to choose a location as convenient as possible for your clients and customers to visit you.
Getting a business address in a location accessible by foot, public transport or car can help your startup reach greater heights based merely on the convenience factor.
In addition, choosing a location in an exclusive area can influence customers’ perception of your business and help you boost your company’s brand awareness.
2. How to Get a Physical Mailing Address for Your Small Business
So you’ve decided that you don’t want to use your home address as a business address. What other options do you have? A brick-and-mortar office or a virtual office.
However, it’s very understandable that not every small business can afford a long-term lease, especially in one of Australia’s most expensive cities such as Melbourne.
In today’s cut-throat startup environment, you need to spend capital wisely to maximise your ROI. That’s why overhead costs can make or break your startup.
As a result, you should keep overhead expenses as low as possible in the early stages of your startup so that you can maintain proper liquidity.
And by signing a long-term commercial lease, you risk putting a heavy burden on your shoulders as you will be paying rent for a long time.
This can be a huge risk especially if you face the issue of unpredictable cash flow during the bumpy first months or even the first year – not to mention that you lack the flexibility to expand into a new location.
On the other hand, virtual offices are ideal for startups and small businesses as they come with the prestige and functionality of a traditional office at a fraction of the cost, without locking you into long-term contracts.
An ultra-flexible and affordable virtual office provides you with a range of services your business needs to build a stellar reputation and successfully scale up, including a professional business address.
Not only does a virtual office make you look professional and legitimate, but it can also help you save time on commuting as it enables you to access office services only when you need them.
To put it briefly, a business address included in a virtual office provides you the best value with the benefits of having professional office space while working from anywhere.
It will offer your business full flexibility, security, and credibility so you can focus on your core activities and increase your investment returns.
Ready to jump on the bandwagon of virtual offices and enjoy the convenience of flexible office space? We at B2B HQ would be more than glad to help you set your business up for success and provide you with everything you need to impress your clients and prepare your startup to scale up. Get your virtual office in Melbourne today and see for yourself how much a prestigious address can benefit your business!
