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small business Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Business E Suites

February 1, 2021
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7 Reasons to use a Virtual Mail Address

By | Business, Tips

Over the past couple of years, businesses have become increasingly virtual and remote by nature- serving and communicating with customers, coworkers, and partners from around the globe all via the internet. This movement was accelerated by the events of 2020 and has ignited a work-from-home revolution where millions of small businesses are conducting their work from a home office. While these changes have presented many challenges, they have also brought about innovative new solutions for entrepreneurs looking to expand their reach and build their brand nationwide all from the comfort of their home. Virtual Mail Addresses and Virtual Offices are one the best resources available to you and will unlock a new level of potential for you and your small business.

  1. Privacy
    • Don’t list your private home.
    • Phone numbers available.
    • Keep work and personal life separate. No walk-ups!
      • Everyone wants to keep their work and personal life separate, but it is no small task for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Working out of your home can pose many challenges but using a Virtual Mail Address can help solve them. Using a Virtual Mail Address to list your business will minimize the number of people googling your home address or even showing up at your door looking for you (yikes!). Enjoy the perks of working at home without having your home be where your business is listed. Most Virtual Offices also offer Phone Numbers, so you do not have to give out your personal number to everyone or post it online or on your business cards. These extra layers of privacy can make a world of difference and help you maintain a proper work/life balance.
  2.  Professionalism
    • Customers see a building, not a house.
    • Use the space for meetings
    • Receptionist, good for walk-ins.
      • Listing your business with a Virtual Mail Address adds a great deal of professionalism to your appearance. When a customer plugs in your address, they see an office building with multiple small businesses as opposed to seeing a house in a subdivision. This simple detail can be the difference between closing a deal or letting a lead slip away. You do not want to give the customer any reason to doubt you, so make sure you are giving off a robust and professional appearance by using a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office. Most of these locations will also have a receptionist and meeting spaces available on-site, which is the perfect place for you to go meet with a client if you do not want to meet at your house or the local coffee shop. Plus, the receptionist will be able to properly handle any unexpected walk-in leads who might be seeking you out.
  3. Image/Brand
    • Customers see a beautiful new building- Makes you look legit!
    • Customers do not know if you are one person or 10, home or office.
      • One of the biggest challenges for small businesses and start-ups is establishing a quality brand that customers can trust. Your services might be the best in town, but customers can be deterred if they do not feel you are legitimate and can trust you. Listing with a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office helps you dispel these concerns. Customers like seeing a nice office building when they search for you. They won’t know if you are just listing virtually or having an enormous corner suite in the building. Still, the simple fact that you are tied to a quality location will give them added confidence when deciding to do business with you. Taking advantage of the Meeting Rooms provided at most places will also demonstrate to your customers the quality of your brand and that they are essential to you and your company.
  4. Marketing/Google
    • Can give you access to Google My Business, which will greatly increase your reach.
    • Easier for customers to find you (online & in-person).
    • One of the most powerful tools available to any small business is Google My Business. Listing on Google will help you exponentially increase your brand awareness and generate more leads. While listing using your home address is undoubtedly an option, you will get much more traction by listing using a professional business address. With work-from-home becoming much more mainstream in 2020, Google has become stricter on who gets to list their businesses on Google My Business. Many Virtual Mail and Virtual Office locations will have certain requirements that must be met for you to list on Google, but it will be well worth it.
  5. Networking
    • Find other small businesses listing at the same building, connect with them.
    • Attend events at the building.
    • Advertise your services at the building.
    • Virtual Mail and Virtual Office providers often act as a sort of small business hub. Many will even host networking events or let you advertise your company on-site with signage or an online directory. These types of networking and marketing opportunities can be invaluable to entrepreneurs who are looking to find new clients or partners and to establish their brand. Many of the other small business owners will have gone through the same struggles you are going through, so don’t be afraid to use them as a resource.
  6. Cost/Value
    • Minimal start-up cost.
    • Avoid regret renting space.
    • Stop wasting time or hesitating!
    • Probably the most significant selling point for a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office is the price. You can find them for as low as $15 or $20 per month. This is a steal when considering the value you will get out of using a Virtual Address. You don’t have to commit to the high overhead of renting an office but can still enjoy the benefits of having a professional business address and listing or registering your LLC somewhere other than your home. If you have been wavering on deciding to move your company out of the house and into an office, this is a no-brainer baby step in that direction. You can avoid any potential regret from moving into space you cannot afford or don’t want to commit to.
  7. Scalability
    • Get started, build momentum.
    • No long term contracts, scale up or down as needed.
    • At some point along the journey, all entrepreneurs reach a point where they feel stuck. They are mentally prepared to start scaling up their business but are wary of the costs of hiring new employees and/or moving into a larger space. Affordable options like Virtual Mail Addresses and Virtual Offices are the perfect solution for you to start taking steps in that direction without overcommitting your capital. You can start building momentum by listing at a business address, improving your footprint with Google My Business, and beginning to expand your marketing efforts and lead generation. This momentum will help you gain the extra support and cash flow to be able to confidently move forward into the next phase of your business plan.

Take your Business to the next level with Business E Suites. We have Virtual Mail, and Virtual Office packages starting as low as $15 per month. All our services are offered on a month-to-month basis, minimizing the risk and maximizing flexibility. We have a community of over 40 small businesses and regular networking and educational seminars offered for free to all our members. This is the perfect place to grow your small business and find all the resources you need to succeed and start your journey to new heights!

 

January 29, 2020
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Social proof and reputation matters

By | Business
Business

Social Proof and Reputation Matters

Do you ever guess or wonder what your customers are thinking?  I think that is a question we ask ourselves each day with the purpose of increasing our sales and growing our business.  Marketing specialists know that social proof is a new tactic for conveying a message of trust and confidence to the high-maintenance, worry-like customers.

In the last decade, social proof has become a very vital part of any business and this is simply because everyone has the tools to stay in touch, Google something, view a review and so on and this social proof comes along with the reputation that a business builds overtime, because that reputation is no longer a word-of-mouth strategy but it’s a public voice everyone speaks out in an environment, free to express, free to say anything we want.  I also call this Google.   Profit Industry estimated that over 70% of people in the United States look at the reviews prior to making a purchase and that number clearly shows how having a positive social proof online and a great reputation will make a difference for your business.

As we look for strategies to grow our business, we learn that what you have to say does not really matter, it is what others say about you in the public eye.  For example, Search Engine Journal says that nearly 65% of consumers show signs of purchase from a site after analyzing ratings and reviews in search engines.  So overall, social proof and reputation does matter.

January 29, 2020
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How does co-working benefit the local economy?

By | Industry

How does co-working benefit the local economy?

Co-Working is the new trend in business settings. That might be hard to believe to those that prefer a traditional working setting, but vital to know as we try to grow our communities.

Co-Working is certainly not for everyone but it serves as a model to boost our economy by enhancing the productivity and growth of many small business and startups.   It is important to keep in mind that if you’re on the verge of joining the big co-working industry, here a few pointers to create a positive outlook.

Co-Working Brings the Best of the Local Talent

Co-working spaces are an affordable option for the small business owners, the individuals that want to start their own thing in a competitive economy.   Think about it, without a co-working environment, it is impossible for the local accountant to afford an office setting, and therefore these people are pushed to go work in the big city for the big companies.   Co-working helps these talented individuals stay in town, maintain and save their money, talent, and enthusiasm for use in the local economy.

Co-working Brings the Best of Small Businesses

Small Businesses are an important part of job creations, although you hear in the news that ABC Corp or XYZ Inc. create many jobs, that’s not entirely true.  Big companies create jobs to create more services or products, but not because they want to boost the local economy.  Small businesses on the other hand are the light of a local economy.  A small businss owner lives, work and shops in the local town and do care about the personal lives of their employees.

We’ve learned through this co-working journey that 92% of the co-working spaces are usually occupied by small businesses.  Anyone from a simple freelancer, to a tiny DBA or a mid-size LLC are the responsible parties for this co-working growing trend.

Co-working Boosts Collaboration and Networking

Since it’s a shared space, a co-working environment does allow you to interact with other tenants and share professional expertise and really get personal because each person sharing a space is not just a neighbor, he or she becomes part of your day to day.  Versus a neighbor you may see every now and then.  We’ve learned that when a co-working community exists, it stays connected and pushes to preserve and help each other’s businesses by learning new skills, saving money and reducing the need for unnecessary “things”.  It is a true workforce.

  • New Business Setting Trend
  • Local Talent Exposed
  • Fishes Out the Small Businesses
  • Creates Network Opportunies