Nomad entrepreneurs attempt to pursue their love of travel while simultaneously managing a business. It’s not a lifestyle that works for everybody, but it could lead you to both personal and professional fulfillment.
The catch is, you’ll need a variety of services to help you manage your business effectively while traveling, and one of the most important is a virtual mailbox service.
What exactly is a virtual mailbox service? And how does it help you as a nomad entrepreneur?
The Basics of Virtual Mailbox Services
Let’s start by talking about the basics of virtual mailbox services. These types of services are offered by many different companies, so as you might imagine, the details of each plan are unique. The virtual mailbox services offered by one company aren’t identical to the services offered by another, and you may have access to many different types of plans with each prospective provider.
Still, most virtual mailbox services include some combination of the following:
· Business addresses. When you sign up for a virtual mailbox service, you’ll be able to choose your own business address from a pool of available addresses. This can help you avoid using addresses personally associated with you and increase the perception of your business’s legitimacy. You may also be able to choose different addresses for different needs.
· Mail holding and forwarding. Virtual mailbox services receive and hold mail for you, and they can forward mail to you, wherever you happen to be, usually for an extra fee. This way, you can review all your mail, and only forward the most important pieces to your current address.
· Package storage. If your business is going to receive a package, but you’re currently away, you can take advantage of package storage. Your package remains secure and you can pick it up at your leisure.
· Mail scanning and online storage. Virtual mailbox services usually offer mail scanning and online storage as well. You’ll get access to high quality PDFs, so you can review your mail at your discretion and respond when necessary.
· Onsite receptionist. In some cases, you’ll get access to an onsite receptionist, who can help answer your questions and handle your mail appropriately.
· Mail management. Some services offer advanced forms of mail management, allowing you to remotely sign contracts, cash checks, and more.
· Secure shredding and recycling. And if you don’t need the mail items, you can direct them to be shredded and recycled, so you don’t have to deal with them.
The Benefits for Nomad Entrepreneurs
As you can see, there are many benefits to this service for nomad entrepreneurs:
· A consistent address. With a virtual mailbox service, you’ll have a consistent address. If you plan on moving frequently, or traveling most of the time, this is an absolute necessity. Even if it’s not a necessity, it’s highly convenient to have all your business mail going to one location.
· Time savings. As an entrepreneur, time is your most valuable resource, and a virtual mailbox service has the power to save you lots of it. Instead of running to the post office every time you receive a package, or cutting your travel plans short so you can get back to your mail, you can focus your efforts on more important things.
· Remote mail viewing. Sometimes, it’s critical to be able to view your mail remotely. If you’re waiting on an important contract, or if you’re eager to read a response, but you’re on the other side of the globe, a virtual mailbox service is practically your only hope for seeing these items consistently. Even better, you can view your scanned mail from anywhere, at any time.
· Contract and check access. With a virtual mailbox service, you should have faster access to contracts, checks, and other materials that keep your business running.
· Higher security. Most virtual mailbox service providers take security very seriously. You’ll never have to worry about someone intercepting your package, stealing your mail, or reading your scanned items. You also don’t have to worry about your mail being disposed of securely.
· Flexible plans. What exactly do you need from a virtual mailbox service? And what are you willing to pay for? Since most providers offer multiple plans and some degree of flexibility, you can likely find a perfect fit.
· A (relatively) low cost. And compared to the benefits you get, most virtual mailbox services are relatively inexpensive.
As a digital nomad, you’ll have innumerable challenges to overcome – but managing your mail shouldn’t have to be one of them. With the help of a virtual mailbox service, you can have a consistent address, a mail manager, and a much more streamlined way to manage your physical mail items.
If you plan on moving between locations frequently, it’s a practically necessary part of your business service arsenal.