Although startup businesses have certain advantages over founding a company in the traditional manner, there are still many things you must do to make sure your startup company succeeds. This includes taking steps such as setting up a separate phone line. Below are just a few of the reasons why doing so is probably a very good idea.
1. Business and Personal Life Should Be Separate
Although a startup company is different from a traditional business in certain ways, you still need to keep a strong division between your personal life and your business. If not, you risk burning out. Having different numbers for your personal life and your company can help give you some of the separation you need.
2. It’s More Professional
One thing that negatively affects the reputation of startup companies is the sense among many that they are unprofessional side projects run by amateurs. To combat this notion, you should absolutely have a unique and independent phone number for your business.
3. You Won’t Miss Important Calls
One common problem with having the same phone number for business and personal calls is that certain things can get lost in the shuffle. You may not assume every call or text is business-related and important. This can be a huge problem that is solved by separating the calls and text into two different lines.
4. You Can Enforce Business Hours
If you are worried about getting business calls at all hours of the day, you should realize that it’s far easier to enforce business hours via a separate business phone line. This can be done through automatic call forwarding and voicemail after a certain hour every day.
5. It Protects Your Privacy
Businesses can sometimes produce negative publicity. While managing your PR is part of your job as a business owner, you don’t want your business’s reputation to ruin your own personal life or that of your family. Having a separate phone line can help provide some privacy you will lose without one.
6. You Can More Easily Manage Your Phone Bills
Having a separate business line means you can have options for how you pay for those calls. For example, if you use a prepaid cell service, you can keep tight control over just how much money you spend on business calls each month.
7. A Business Line Can Be Scalable
While your startup business may start small, you probably have hopes that it will soon greatly expand into a much larger operation. Having a separate phone line for your business will give you that option when the time comes. You’ll be able to easily add more lines for different components of your business. Sticking with the same number you have for personal calls will not give you this option.
Overall, a separate phone line is paramount for any business. Just because your company is a startup does not mean you can do without one. The benefits for your company, as well as your personal life, are simply too great. Having a dedicated business phone line enhances professionalism, as it helps establish a clear boundary between personal and professional communications.