Run your business from your couch without compromising your privacy.
You’re not alone.
Home based businesses are booming. Actually 19 million home based businesses are operating in the US right now — and half of all businesses begin at home.
Here’s the problem:
Most home-based entrepreneurs use their personal home address for everything:
- Business registration
- Google Business Profile
- Customer invoices
- Shipping labels
- Marketing materials
And that’s a massive privacy risk.
With this guide, you will learn step by step how to establish your own business mailing address to keep your home address private. PERMANENTLY.
Let’s jump in!
Here’s what’s inside:
- What Is A Business Mailing Address?
- Why Your Home Address Is A Bad Idea For Business
- The Best Ways To Get A Business Mailing Address
- Tips For Keeping Your Privacy Locked Down
What Is A Business Mailing Address?
A business mailing address can be any address that you use for your business that is not your home address.
It’s the address you put on:
- Your website
- Your business cards
- Your LLC paperwork
- Your tax documents
- Your shipping labels
The cheapest (and most common) method of doing this is to get a po box. Having a PO box will give you a legitimate business mailing address from the post office, ensuring your home address never appears on any individual business paperwork.
Pretty simple, right?
The challenge is choosing the appropriate form of business mailing address for your needs. Some are inexpensive and simple. Others are more professional. Some are available only to certain businesses.
Let’s break each option down…
Why Your Home Address Is A Bad Idea For Business
Having your home address as your business address seems convenient… until you become vulnerable to countless risks.
Here’s why:
When you put your home address on business records, it becomes public record. That means just about anyone can look it up — including:
- Customers (good and bad)
- Competitors
- Marketing companies
- Scammers
- Identity thieves
That last statistic is particularly alarming. 24 million Americans had their identity stolen in one year. Small business owners are particularly vulnerable because their personal and business identities can often be linked.
But it gets worse…
Once your home address is published there is no taking back. It will be forever:
- Scraped by data brokers
- Listed in business directories
- Cached on search engines
- Shared with third parties
And the safety side of things? Even scarier.
Mad customers, off-the-wall trolls or a disgruntled competitor — they all know where you live. No home business owner should have to take that risk.
The Best Ways To Get A Business Mailing Address
There are 4 main options for establishing a professional business mailing address. All have advantages and disadvantages. Choose what works best for your business.
A Standard PO Box
The least expensive and easiest PO box to obtain is through your local post office. Prices on most boxes range from $10-$30 per month depending on size and location.
Here’s why a PO box works so well as a business mailing address:
- You never share your home address
- Mail stays secure at a real location
- You can use it on your website and business cards
- It works for most small businesses
The only problem? Regular USPS PO boxes don’t accept packages from UPS or FedEx. A virtual mailbox fixes that issue.
A Virtual Mailbox
A virtual mailbox is like a PO box on steroids.
You are provided with an actual street address (not a PO box number). This looks much more professional on your business mailing address label. Your mail is delivered to this address, scanned and uploaded to your account.
You can:
- View mail from anywhere in the world
- Forward packages on demand
- Shred junk mail with one click
- Deposit checks remotely
Virtual mailboxes are ideal for ecommerce stores, online businesses, and digital nomads. They’re especially helpful if you want a high status city address but don’t want to rent real office space.
A Registered Agent
If you own an LLC, then you already have a registered agent address filed. A registered agent is someone (person or company) who can receive legal documents for you.
The big benefit?
The registered agent’s address is on the public LLC filing — not yours. This means even if your business mailing address is a P.O. Box, your home address will never appear in state records. Most registered agent services are $100 to $300 per year.
A Coworking Space Address
Many coworking spaces have a “business address” plan you can sign up for. You don’t even get an actual desk — you just purchase the privilege of using their street address as your business address for mail.
This option works well if you:
- Want a prestigious city address
- Need occasional meeting space
- Have clients who visit in person
However, it is also the most costly solution on this list. Coworking spaces typically cost $50 to $150 per month.
Tips For Keeping Your Privacy Locked Down
Obtaining a separate business mailing address is step number one. There are some additional steps to take to keep your home address off the internet.
Here are the most important ones:
- Display your business mailing address: On every business profile, social bio, domain registration and contact page.
- Make your domain private: Enable WHOIS privacy upon domain registration. This will keep your information from appearing in public WHOIS searches.
- Delete your address from data brokers: Data broker websites like Spokeo, BeenVerified and Whitepages source your home address from public records. Remove yourself from each site.
- Revise outdated directories: Scroll back through old business directories and change your home address to your business mailing address.
It’s a bit of work upfront. But it is absolutely worth it.
Why? Cybersecurity is difficult. Becoming easier to hack is not. The less personal information you have online, the smaller your criminal target surface.
Final Thoughts
Operating a business from home doesn’t require you to give out your home address.
To quickly recap:
- Pick a business mailing address that fits your budget
- Use it on every business document going forward
- Lock down your domain privacy
- Scrub your home address from data broker sites
A professional business mailing address is one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to guard your privacy as a home based business owner. After setup, you never have to think about it again.
Peace of mind knowing your home is still your home.
