Keeping your home business address secret

Can Home-Based Businesses Keep Their Address Secret?

Working from home presents many advantages. For a start, busy mums can make sure they remain available for their family. After all, many parents struggle with the prospect of going back to work after a baby. Organising childcare services can be difficult and expensive. It’s no wonder that more and more mums choose to build their business presence directly from home, where they can more effectively juggle between their household and business responsibilities. Additionally, a home-based business lets you establish a flexible schedule that suits your day, so that you can include school runs without worrying about what the boss will say about it. 

However, your home office, for all its advantages, has one crucial inconvenient: it is inside your home. As a result, you probably have to think twice before sharing your contact details with your clients. The last thing you want is someone to ring your doorbell in the middle of your day off to ask you about your services. On the other hand, your clients are more likely to take you seriously if you publish your contact information. How can you give your business a professional look and feel without revealing your home address? 

 

You need a company address

If you set up your activities as a company, you will need to share your business address with your Company House. Indeed, the company register publishes, among other information, the postal address of each business. If you are unsure of how this works, take a look at the confirmation statement explained here, which is the verification the Company house sends every year about your data. If you are active as a solo entrepreneur running an LTD, for instance, it is your legal obligation to provide an address for your company. However, if you are a freelancer – and therefore only fills self-assessment tax returns rather than corporate taxes –, providing a public address to your clients is not mandatory. Nevertheless, it can improve your profile. 

 

Can I display an address that isn’t mine?

When you are in the process of creating your company, you might wonder whether the address you provide has to be yours. Ultimately, for home-based businesses, it’s a good idea to consider a registered office which can act as a storefront for your venture. Typically, registered offices also appear in the Company House register, as long as they provide a forward mail service which ensures you get all confidential and business-related documents. You can also use the address on your website to boost your presence.  

 

Where can I invite clients for a meeting?

Admittedly, a storefront address can be helpful to maintain your professional profile; however, it can become an issue if you need to plan meetings with your clients. Registered offices only give you access to a professional letterbox. If you need to hire a conference room, you need to have a look for shared offices, which offer a variety of services, such as meeting rooms to coworking space whenever you need it. You can typically rent out the space you need by the hour or the month, depending on your requirements. 

In conclusion, working at home doesn’t mean that you can’t build a professional business with dedicated office addresses and workspace. Mumtrepreneurs don’t need to expose confidential information to gain professional credibility. Your address can remain private while you build your business presence.

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