Addressing your business address

Is your info business based out of your home? Have you considered using a virtual office or private mailbox service instead of publicly listing your residential address?

That’s an issue of interest to members of AIIP, the Association of Independent Information Professionals. On AIIP-L, our members-only online discussion group (and one of the most-frequently mentioned benefits of AIIP membership) we recently addressed this question.

A compilation of all the responses on this topic is available for AIIP members and below is a summary of some of the considerations AIIP members raised.

 Advantages of a virtual office/mailbox included:

• Your residential address is more difficult to identify (although this does not prevent someone from finding your residential address).
• Packages and other deliveries can be accepted without you needing to be home; some services notify you when packages arrive.
• Some virtual offices also offer ad hoc rental of conference rooms and office space.
• You have a reason to get out of the house and interact with the world in person.
• Your business address stays the same even if you move residences.
• You can have a business address in a more prestigious commercial area rather than a residential neighborhood.
• You can keep your business and personal mail separate.

 Disadvantages of a virtual office/mailbox included:

• Some legal documents require the business’s physical location so your home address may be part of the public record anyway.
• You have to go out to get your mail and packages.
• Virtual office addresses are not treated by the US Postal Service as first-class forwardable, so if your virtual office moves or closes, your mail cannot be forwarded by the USPS.

Would you like to be able to tap into the AIIP brain trust when you aren’t sure how to handle a business issue or a difficult client?

Join AIIP for access to our collegial online discussion, monthly members-only webinars, virtual and face-to-face meetings, mentoring programs, and resources for infopreneurs in all stages of their business.

If you have any questions about how you could benefit from joining AIIP, please email membership@aiip.org or call our office at +1 (225) 408-4400.