Having a side business is great for bringing in extra money, especially in times where the traditional day job may not be working out as you plan.

Being prepared with a side business is a great way to add to the consistent income you get from your regular job, but it also comes with challenges of how to ensure that your customers or clients will see you as a legitimate business. Here are four things that you can do to make your side business more legit.

Forward Mail from a Virtual Office Address

Ensuring that you receive all of your correspondence sent to you for your business is not to be overlooked or underrated. Post mail will never be outdated because there’s still things like contracts and packages and physical goods that you can get delivered to your specific location. There are also exclusive coupons that come in the mail to you as a business owner.

Be sure to utilize a forwarder from a virtual address in order to get your mail. This is especially great if your business runs out of your home or a location that you'd like to keep private. By using a virtual office address, you can ensure that you'll receive all the mail that comes to you.

Hire a Virtual Receptionist

Not only will a virtual receptionist convey the legitimacy of your business, but they can also help take a lot of mundane tasks off your plate. A virtual receptionist can screen your calls and sometimes help you with other administrative tasks like email management and client management, depending on the type of receptionist you hire.

Have a Professionally Designed Website

Having your website done at a professional level will increase the legitimacy of your business. Since your website is your digital home, it's important that you put your best foot forward with it because you never know who may be looking at it.

While you don't have to go out and hire a designer, make sure to find a website option that works for your business and ensure that it has a good design and strong copy.

Create Solid Social Media Profiles

Having a strong social media plan is just as important as your website, a virtual receptionist, and a mail forwarding service for your side business. Ensure that your social media profiles are set up in a way that engages your clients and makes them want to follow you and interact with the content that you post.

Part of this process will be creating consistency with your posts and scheduling them so that you can automate the process and not have to worry about forgetting to post daily.

All of these tips are excellent places to start when you're establishing your side business and ensuring the people see it as a valuable and viable entity.

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