Running a business from home is one of the smartest ways to start. There's no lease, no commute, and every dollar you don't spend on rent can go back into the work itself.
But sooner or later a practical question comes up. You're ordering business cards, setting up a website, or sending your first invoice, and there's a blank line that says "address." For most people who work from home, the only honest answer is their house, and that isn't an address everyone is comfortable sharing with clients, vendors and anyone who visits their website.
Apollo Business Centers has provided virtual offices to Beverly Hills businesses since 2005. Here's how a virtual office lets you keep working from home while your business gets a professional address, a professional phone presence and a real place to meet.
Why your home address doesn't belong on your business cards
Privacy is the first reason. Once an address is printed on a card, a website or an email signature, you no longer control who sees it. Many people would simply rather keep the place where their family lives separate from the place their business can be found.
Perception is the second. Fair or not, a residential address can make a growing business look like a side project. A business address on Wilshire Boulevard tells a prospective client that you've invested in your company and plan to be around.
The third reason is stability. If you move, a home address changes on every card, listing and document you've ever handed out. A business address can stay the same while your living situation changes.
A Beverly Hills street address, not a P.O. box
A P.O. box solves part of the privacy problem, but it also tells people you don't have an office. Our address, 9100 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, is a street address in an office building, with staff on-site during business hours to receive your mail and packages.
Our Mail Package is $85 per month and includes use of our Beverly Hills mailing address, an on-site private mailbox, and mail and package handling. You can put the address on your business cards, website and correspondence, and let us take care of what arrives.
What happens to your mail while you work from home
Letters and packages addressed to your business are received at our office and held in your private mailbox. With your permission, we also receive and sign for packages delivered to you, so you don't have to wait at home for a delivery.
You, or someone you designate, can pick up mail and packages from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you aren't nearby, we can forward your mail to an address you choose for an extra charge.
If you'd like to see what has arrived without making the trip, mail scanning is available as a month-to-month add-on on any package that includes our address. Envelope scanning, where we scan the outside of each envelope, is $25 per month. Open-and-scan, where we open your mail and scan the contents, is $50 per month and requires a signed release giving us written permission to open your mail.
Keep your personal phone number personal, too
An address is only half of looking established. If your cell phone number is on your website, every business call reaches you wherever you are, whether you're in the middle of focused work or picking up the kids. A separate business line helps keep work and home apart.
Our phone options build on the address:
- Basic Package, $135/month: everything in the Mail Package, plus a private phone number with voicemail. Calls are not answered live.
- Standard Package, $155/month: address and mail, plus a live receptionist who answers in your company's name from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Pacific Time, then takes the caller to your voicemail so you can call back.
- Transfer Package, $175/month: everything in the Standard Package, plus live transfers of your calls to one U.S. number of your choice.
If you already have an address and only need phones, Live Answering is a standalone package at $145 per month. Calls are answered live and transferred to one number of your choice, but it doesn't include a mailing address, a mailbox or mail handling. You can read more about how our live answering service works, including our 310 area code numbers.
After hours, on weekends and on holidays, calls go to your voicemail. If you'd rather have after-hours calls transferred to you, the After-Hours Direct Transfer add-on is $25 per month.
A real room when you need to meet in person
Some conversations go better face to face, and few people want to host a client at the kitchen table or a noisy coffee shop. With a virtual office, you can meet clients at the same address that's on your business card.
We have two rooms you can rent by the hour, each $45 per hour:
- The large conference room seats 8 to 10 comfortably, up to 12, and has Wi-Fi, water, tea, coffee, a speakerphone and a 60-inch TV.
- The private office comes with a desk, an office chair and Wi-Fi, in an office with a view. It's a quiet place to work, make calls or prepare for a meeting, and it's available by the hour only when it isn't leased.
Rooms are booked by the hour during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Packages do not apply after hours, on weekends or on holidays. The building has a paid parking lot, and there is plenty of street parking nearby. To check availability, call us or book a room.
Which setup fits the way you work?
Here's a simple way to think about it:
- You mostly work by email and just want your home address off your materials: start with the Mail Package.
- You want a separate business number but are happy to return calls yourself: the Basic Package adds a private number with voicemail.
- Clients call during the day and you'd like a person to answer: choose the Standard Package to return calls from your voicemail, or the Transfer Package to take calls as they come in.
- You already have an address and only need phones: Live Answering covers that on its own.
You can compare all five side by side on our virtual office packages page. There are no setup fees on any plan, and all plans are month-to-month. To cancel, simply give us 30 days' written notice. If you have questions about how your business address should appear on registrations or other filings, your accountant or attorney is the right person to ask.
Ready to give your home business a Beverly Hills address?
Working from home doesn't have to mean putting your home on display. With a Beverly Hills business address, mail handling, a professional phone presence and meeting rooms by the hour, you can keep your personal life private and give clients every reason to see you as the established business you are.
Call us at 888-709-0210 to talk through which package fits, or get started online in a few minutes.