When you are starting a new business, you want to establish yourself with as much credibility and present the most professional image for your new business. Have a professional business address is one of the first steps in building your brand. Even if you cannot afford to rent office space when you first start out, a virtual office service can be a great place to start. Simply put, using a home address or a P.O. Box as your business address does not help in establishing your professionalism. These days, people are very weary of doing business out of a P.O. Box, because they worry that the business might disappear overnight.

When you are trying to obtain business credit for your new venture, banks and other lenders will be more likely to take your application more seriously if they see that your business has a professional address. If you work from a home office, garage or the kitchen table, having a professional address at a business centre that offers virtual office services will demonstrate that your business should be taken seriously. Not only will customers and lenders want to see that you have a professional business address, but vendors will give you more respect – especially if you are negotiating payment terms.

The two most common virtual office services are mailing address service and telephone and mailing services. A mailing address service is an inexpensive program that provides you with a prestigious and professional business address. You can pick up your mail or have it forwarded to where you are actually working. If you want your business telephone answered by a professional receptionist who answers your calls at the same facility as your business address, then you may want to consider having a telephone and mail service virtual office package.

Telsec, Office Space That Works, is a provider of serviced offices and virtual office solutions for your business needs. Visit our website for more information and for business tips, advice and office-space options.

Some companies offer a turnkey corporate image with all the tools you need to not only run a business, but to meet the business credit building requirements. For a flat monthly fee, you get a business phone number, a live receptionist answering your phone calls, a corporate business address for all your mailing and packages, a personalized voice mailbox that converts to email, and even a fax number that will convert to email. It is an excellent solution for start-ups and small businesses looking to keep costs low while gaining all the resources and benefits of a professional corporate image.

If you are searching for a virtual office, consider one that includes the following:

• Dedicated business phone number
• Professional live receptionist answering calls in your business’ name
• Corporate mailing address
• Business fax number
• Fax forwarding to email
• Voice mail forwarding to email
• Corporate voice mail boxes
• Call forwarding to multiple phone numbers

While there are many companies offering virtual office services that can accommodate your business, it is important to utilize the most cost-effective solution as a start-up company. There are companies that offer this type of service at an affordable price so you can establish a corporate image with all the resources already in place.

Keep in mind that if you decide to set up a virtual office, make sure all of the information you supply is identical to the information you have on your corporate documents. This includes things like the spelling of your company name to the description of your business operation. Remember, there should be no differences in your company information across all business documents, registrations and listings. Give your business the professional image you require to get ahead of the competition while you meet the compliance demands from creditors, suppliers and lenders.