School of Freelance Hard Knocks: Email

The Email Mistake You Don’t Need to Make

Funny thing happened today.  

I was researching to see how a process worked.  One thing led to another, then another.  I found myself in a quagmire and I hadn’t even started writing.  So let me tell you what happened.  Hopefully it won’t happen to you.

The topic of today’s post is about your email address.  It can hurt if you don’t take this seriously.  I dislike that it’s a thing.  Ignore at your own risk.  

So, I learned I had a problem.  When I started to take steps to correct is, I discovered I had a bigger problem.

Where It All Started

Last fall, I opened up my business entity, a sole proprietorship.  I wanted to have some business cards to hand out at the conference I was attending in Florida in October.

I remember getting overwhelmed and not understanding business entities very well.  What I did understand was that it was easier to start a sole proprietorship.  Cheaper too, which was a plus.  I could always change it later, right?

So I was still finishing my coursework.  Time got away from me.  More classes to take.  More ways to put off the big scary thing:  asking for pay in exchange for services.  But I digress.

The more I talk to other business owners, the more I’m convinced I need to form an LLC.

A Small Detail

Why is that an issue today?  I'm dealing with email, right?  

Well, I need a domain name to deal with the email issue.  Looking into the domain issue, I discovered someone else has my business name as an LLC.  

If I stay as a sole proprietorship, I’m fine.  However, I’d rather avoid the confusion, where possible.  

I haven’t done a lot of marketing yet aside from networking on LinkedIn.  If I’m going to change my name, now is the time to do it before I have stationery printed.   I need move forward meaningfully with my workshop in a couple of weeks.  

I would have been wise to consider this last fall, but here I am.   Moving forward, feeling farther behind.

Progress Killer

So … to get my email, I need my domain.  To get my domain, I need my new business entity set up.  Instead of simply getting a domain and getting my email set up this morning, I’ve been researching business names.  

Choosing Email Wisely

Like anyone pursuing a new career, I’m busy.  Focused on important details of skills growth, forming a business entity, bank accounts, etc. - who cares what my email address is!  It’s the quality of what I produce that counts, right?

People I’m currently working with don’t seem to be bothered in the least by my email address.  Then again, it’s a labor of love (otherwise known as pro-bono.)   

Why should I worry about what my email looks like?  Turns out it could be costing me clients.

Email as a Statement

Quite a few business owners and people with hiring power talk about this.   They don’t take someone seriously without a “professional” email address.

Late last week, my new computer guru echoed the sentiment.  He added that it’s cheap to get a domain.  You don’t even have to set up the website.  Just use it to create your email.  You can even use Gmail to do it. 

But his bottom line?  People aren’t serious about their work if they don’t have a professional email address.  An email address makes a statement about a business before opening the email.  That statement could cause it to be deleted - unread.

Unfair?  Sure.  Facing a full inbox, it’s not surprising someone looks for  dis-qualifiers to tame the monster.  You don't want it to be yours, right?

Getting Out of Email Purgatory

By now, you’ve already figured out your Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail address isn’t going to cut it.  You need to buy their business services to use the email client you are familiar with, while presenting your best professional persona to your business contacts.  

There are some freebies out there, but user complaints suggest non-existent customer service and terrible spam filtering make paying worthwhile. The technology might not be as helpful as you are used to.  Definitely worth the time to do the research if you want to use a free option.

Oh, and choosing your business name now might be better than changing it down the road. 

Weekly Challenge

I ended up getting a used laptop last week.  I was determined to buy new.  However, my husband asked me to give a local company a call.  Listening to the owner on the phone, I was convinced a used one he had was worth a look. 

Servicing local businesses for the past twenty years, it made sense to buy from him.  Next time, I’ll probably buy new from him.

Now I need to get it set up and start working tutorials.  I get to learn programs I’ve never worked with before.  That can only help me move forward more effectively.

I chickened out of my weekly challenge this past week.  I worked on other parts of the assignment but not the calls.  I decided I’d better get a professional email address first.  What I didn’t realize was I needed to call a lawyer first.  Isn’t starting a business fun?

My weekly challenge is to get the ball rolling for my new business entity so I can get a domain, email address …. logo, business card, etc.