If you own and operate a business, it can be difficult to keep your personal life distant from it. Likely, you won’t avoid talking business in your home. However, there are things you should be doing to establish boundaries to separate the two.
You need to think about not only your business but personal information too. Have you separated your bank accounts? Do you use the same email address for personal and business? Do you do the same with your physical mailing address? Is your home address what is placed on your business cards?
These are key things to think about when you are trying to keep everything safe. Including cybersecurity with XDR. Not only does it make things safer, but it helps you establish a business identity and it can showcase more professionalism among your clients. You want them to take you seriously and having these things mixed with your personal life can give the wrong impression.
Here’s a comprehensive checklist that you can use to let you know some of the areas you need to separate to keep your personal information secure.
1. Establishing a Business Identity
This may seem obvious to some, but it’s not often the first thing people do when they start a business. A lot of freelancers don’t establish an identity for years. By establishing an identity early on, you can grow as a business much easier. You want to set yourself up for long-term growth. If you don’t do it early on, you can lose out on a lot of prospects because they lose your business’ contact information or it gets mixed up.
To do this, you’ll want to register your business with your local government. Come up with a legal business name. You will also want to consider setting up a specific business structure like a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Finding the right business structure is key. You want to choose the right one from the start because getting it changed is a hassle that could be easily avoided. You’ll want to look at tax implications and liability concerns.
2. Keep Finances Separate
This is a big thing every business should be doing. You need to keep all of your finances separate. Everything should be separated including your checking accounts and your business accounts. You also want your credit cards to be separate too. This can make tracking expenses much easier. If you are mixing up your cards with business, it can get very difficult to see what’s a personal expense and what’s a business expense.
A good way to ensure that everything gets done properly is by hiring a professional accountant or by using accounting software. A good accounting program can handle everything from self-employment taxes to Form 1099K, and everything in between. Keeping track of your finances can make or break your company. You want to have access to accurate records for tax reasons and to ensure your business stays cashflow positive.
3. Separate Your Address
You do not want to be doing business with your home address as its primary address. This is not only a safety concern, but it’s not professional at all. You can easily do this by getting a virtual mailbox. This can help you separate the two without having to get a physical office. You can use AtEarth Class Mail which will allow you to choose your desired address and receive all of your mail digitally.
4. Establish an Image
It’s essential that, as a business, you present yourself as well as possible. You want to position your business as being professional and if you are constantly using your name, you’re not doing that. You want to have a professional image across all platforms. You don’t want yourself representing your company. It makes your company look small and unprofessional.
Ensure that you optimize your business profiles for your company. You want them to showcase your business as being professional. Don’t have them linked to your personal LinkedIn or anything else. Have a professional presence across various platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. A business profile is not only going to position you better, but it will also give you access to a lot of analytics you don’t get with a personal profile.
Creating a Google presence is also going to help you leverage Google Maps and local searches. You want customers to find you and adding business profiles is a good way to ensure they do.