Running a business from home has grown increasingly popular over recent years. Sure, a standard nine to five provides relative security and you still get pay when you take time off for sickness or holiday. But running your own business provides so much more freedom. You can wave goodbye to the stressful morning and evening commutes. You can decide what you want to wear each day rather than sporting a uniform or sticking to a strict (and often uncomfortable) dress code. You have much more flexibility with your working hours, which can prove perfect if you have kids to organise your day around. But perhaps the best part? You get to keep the bulk of your profits. You’re making your own money rather than making someone else’s for them! Of course, when you run a business from home, you’re going to want to protect yourself and your privacy. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve this!

Rent a Business Address

All businesses have to be registered to an address and this address is usually publicly accessible. If you don’t want people knowing your address, you can rent a business address. This will save you the cost of having to rent or run a commercial premises and allows you to operate from home while being registered to an alternative address. There are a number of companies out there that offer this service, so it’s a good idea to have a scout around and find the best for you.

Use a Mail Forwarding Service

Of course, if you’re selling goods that could be returned or will be receiving anything by post (such as invoices or business documents), you’ll need an address for people to send these things to. There are plenty of mail forwarding services you can use. These provide you with an address or a PO box for customers, clients or others to send goods or mail to. The mail will then be forwarded to your personal address.

Invest in CCTV

If you’re keeping your stock in your home, you may need to protect it with CCTV. This will act as a deterrent to potential thieves and will also ensure you have footage of anyone who does attempt to steal or damage your property. CCTV systems are great for protecting residential and commercial properties. So, have one fitted by a professional as soon as possible.

Have a Business Phone

It may be tempting to use your own phone to deal with business enquiries. But this can prevent you from creating a healthy work life balance and can also invade your privacy, as anyone will be able to access your personal number. Instead, invest in a business phone. This should have a separate number to your private phone and will create a healthy and safe divide.

These are just a few different tips and tricks that can help you to protect yourself and your privacy if you do decide to run a business from the comfort of your own home. Hopefully, they can help you out!