Is a Virtual Office in Texas Right for Your Business?

Using a virtual office is a great option for business owners who need a physical address in Texas or who don't have a brick-and-mortar location. A virtual office can provide an address to go on your business documents, so your remote business won't have to use your personal address. When you sign up for a Texas virtual office space, you'll likely receive a unique address where you can receive mail, a local phone number you can use for your business, and free mail scanning and forwarding. It’s important to note that virtual office services may vary among service providers.

When you use a Texas virtual office, common benefits include:

• A Professional Address: When someone searches for your business online and the result is a UPS store, that doesn't reflect well on your business. With a virtual office, they'll see the address of an actual office building with a unique suite number where your business gets its mail.
• Documentation of Your Local Presence: Virtual office service providers may give you a lease agreement showing your virtual office address, which you can use to show that you have a physical presence in the state and open a local bank account.
• Protection for Your Personal Information: The address and phone number for your business that are on file with the state will be those of your virtual office, not your home.

Choosing a location for your virtual office is an important task that can set up your organization to receive the benefits of working in a specific state. When choosing a Texas virtual office service provider that can handle the needs of you and your business, the amount of transparency a vendor provides is tantamount. Your preference should always be to go with a service that is clear about what they are providing you for what you are paying and has no hidden fees and unexpected costs surrounding different services.

Another important consideration should be the responsiveness of the service provider, especially when you need hands-on assistance. If you’re in contact with them before you’ve signed anything and they consistently take too long to answer your questions and phone calls, it could be a bad sign about how they handle communication when you’re a customer. Consider, if you need a virtual office to assist with mail forwarding, will they send your mail to you in a timely manner if they take several days to respond to a simple phone call or email?

If you require legal documents, such as a business lease, while talking to potential virtual office providers, ask to see a sample document that can be reviewed with your legal team to see if it fits your needs.

At a minimum, a virtual office service is required to provide a unique business address and a mail forwarding service. However, some providers are able to offer extra options as well, but these additions may come at a higher price point. Important benefits to consider when evaluating a virtual office in Texas or any other state include:

• A Unique Virtual Office Address: If you use your personal address for your business, it will be in all of your public business documents, so anyone can access it. When you have a virtual office, you'll be able to protect your personal information by using the office's address instead.
• A Local Phone Number: A phone number with a local area code that you can use for your business is important when trying to build up a local presence. Whether you choose to have calls to this number forwarded to a different number or you prefer to set it up with a VOIP application and use it as your regular phone number, the local number will help establish the local connection needed to succeed. A fax number may also be available to you.
• Mail Forwarding and Scanning: When you receive mail at your virtual office address, it is important that mail gets to you in a timely manner. Mail scanning or forwarding should be included in the cost of your virtual office.

If in your research you find that Texas isn’t the right state for your business, there are many options and locations still available to you. wWe're well-equipped to help you  set up an LLC,  form a corporation, or get a registered agent. When you work with us, you're more than a number: Our team truly cares about your business, and we want to help it thrive in any way we can. Contact us to get started today!