Set up Virtual Business Mailing Address
If you don’t have a permanent office location or you don’t want to use that address to receive your mail, you have 3 primary alternatives:
Virtual Mailroom
A Virtual Mailroom provides you with a business mailing address where your mail will be received then scanned for you to view online.
Virtual Office
A Virtual Office is more expensive than a simple mailing address, but they will not only receive your mail, but also offer other services like executive suites, conference rooms and receptionist services.
Private Mailbox
A Private Mailbox is the cheapest option for getting a business mailing address, but they don't offer mail scanning services like a Virtual Mailroom or services offered by a Virtual Office.
Virtual Mailroom
After the virtual mailroom receives your mail, you decide what actions you want taken, including:
Open and scan the contents of a piece of mail
Shred the letter
Forward the letter to you
Deposit your checks
Pay your bills
Some virtual mailrooms also offer “registered agent” services, which is necessary if you want to use your virtual mailing address for your legal business address with the state in which you register.
A virtual mailroom is ideal for people trying to create a paperless office, because they handle the scanning and shredding of the documents as they arrive.
Resources:
$$$$ Earth Class Mail is the largest, most established virtual mailroom and has business addresses in 57 cities (15 street addresses, 42 PO boxes), but it is also the most expensive.
If you click through using this link and enter the promo code CHOOSEWHAT when you check out, you can get 1 month free to test the service
Plans start at $49/ month (Starter plan) for 10 pieces of incoming mail per month
Unlimited mail plans start at $99/ month
Integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive and Box
Shredding included for no extra fee; Additional fees for registered agent services, check deposit and mail forwarding
$ Traveling Mailbox is a newer, much less expensive virtual mailroom with physical addresses (no PO Boxes) in 21 cities (all street addresses, no PO boxes).
The Basic plan is $15/ month, which includes 40 incoming envelopes and 35 page scans
Extended Plan is $25/ month for 100 envelopes and 80 scans & Small Business Plan is $55/ month for 200 envelopes and 180 page scans
Extended Plan and Small Business plan include a monthly "ScanPAK" that you can fill with papers and send to TravelingMailbox to scan and upload to your cloud interface
Integrates with Evernote
Shredding included for no extra fee; Additional fees for check deposit and mail forwarding services
iOS and Android apps to provide easier access to your mail on mobile devices
Traveling Mailbox has partnered with Abenity to now offer their customers over 302,000 discount offers across 10,000 cities
Drawbacks: If you cancel the service, you can't use USPS to forward your mail to your new address. You have to notifiy everyone of your change of address. We suggest that you keep a record of everyone that sends you mail at your virtual business address (which shouldn't be too hard, since you have digital scans of every envelope you receive).
If you decide NOT to go with a virtual mailroom, you can still create a "paperless office" by using a document scanner. Neat.com offers 3 different types of scanners (ranging from $180 to $500) as well as special services to help people eliminate the hassle and cost of storing paper.
Virtual Office
Virtual Office and Executive Suite providers charge around $50 to $300 per month and offer a wide variety of services:
Virtual office mailbox services will accept and sign for packages from all carriers and will give you mail and package notifications.
Virtual offices also offer other services, such as office space or conference room rentals and virtual receptionists.
A virtual office will continue to receive your mail if you move your business location.
Many virtual office providers offer registered agent services.
Ideal for Business owners who are interested in exhibiting a more traditional professional image without incurring the overhead of paying for office space.
Resources:
$$$$$ Davinci Virtual Office Solutions is a virtual office provider with 1500+ locations across the country. Davinci's services include registered agent services (at many locations), live receptionist services, large meeting room reservations, etc.
Private Mailbox
A private mailbox is much different than just having a post office mailbox (PO Box). Its many advantages include:
You receive a real street address, which provides you with advantages in business dealings that require a physical location.
Private mailboxes offer additional services that the United States Postal Service does not such as package acceptance from all carriers, email or text notifications when packages arrive, and the ability to call and inquire if you have any mail.
A private mailbox will continue to receive mail if you move your business location.
Ideal for business dealings that require a physical location.
Resources: Visit the websites of UPS or Pak Mail to check on availability and pricing options.
Drawbacks: The biggest drawback to Private Mailbox services is that they typically will NOT serve as your registered agent, which means you'll have to list a different address on your legal business filings.
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Friendly Tips
Zoning Laws:
If you have a home business, make sure that your physical address is properly zoned for your endeavor. Check your local zoning laws to make sure your home business complies with them before you start listing your home address as a business mailing address.
Receiving Mail:
You will receive a lot of mail at your business address, so keep that in mind, especially if you plan to use your residence. In addition to bills, invoices, and other important mail from business contacts or clients, you should expect junk mail and random offers. It’s important to exercise caution when mentioning your address online or offline, as it could increase your junk mail.
Receiving Packages:
Consider how frequently you expect to receive packages. Typically, someone must be present to sign for your package. If you expect to receive packages frequently, don’t use a residential address if someone isn’t always at home to sign for parcels.
Receiving Customers/Publicizing Your Address:
If you frequently meet customers or clients, using your home address probably isn’t the way to go. You might not want clients or business contacts knowing where you live or randomly dropping by without an appointment. Conversely, if most of your work is done from home and you rarely meet with clients, then the home address is a good option for your business address and makes checking your mail extremely convenient.
Problems with Changing Your Address Later:
Small businesses typically need maximum flexibility when it comes to office space. An average startup might move office locations three times in one year. Avoid having to change your mailing address on your business cards, website, corporate documents, and other official forms by getting a Private Mailbox or Virtual Office, both of which will continue to receive your mail no matter where you move.
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Fair Warnings
If you go with a private mailbox address or virtual office (or even a P.O. Box despite its problems), make sure it is centrally located. If you end up moving offices, you still want to be relatively close to your mail. For example, we selected a virtual office in downtown Austin to receive our mail, which was relatively close to each of our physical business locations.