The ultimate guide to launch a remote business

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that we can do business from almost anywhere in the world. With a laptop and internet connection, CEOs can run their boardrooms from beaches and creative professionals can design the next big app from their bedroom. 

If you want to launch a business, you probably have read stories of major brands like Apple and Amazon working as startup companies out of the founders' garages. Today, the garage is virtual and anywhere you want to be.

By working in a remote environment, startups are able to lower costs by eliminating the need to pay for office space along with reducing overhead and automating tasks. The result is the ability to focus on growing your business.

Yet, the concept of launching a fully remote startup, while more common than ever today, is still a daunting task. Where to start? Entrepreneurs have to do a little bit of everything but need to focus on growing the business. 

The good news is there are some basics that almost every startup company goes through . Follow some of these basic steps and before long your startup could become a major business. 

Step 1: What address do I use for a remote business? 

Just because your business is operating remotely does not mean that you still don’t need to have a business address. While many business owners start out by working from home and using their home address, that can jeopardize your privacy and tie your business to your personal information. 

You’ll need an official mailing address for business paperwork and marketing materials, and having one address you use for the life of your business ensures you don’t have to make the transition later as your business grows. In most states, you’ll need a real street address and not a po box. 

For this purpose, you can select a virtual business address or virtual mailbox service. The virtual mailbox service collects all of your business mail received at the physical location. Then, operators open,  sort, scan, and process the mail at our secure sorting facility. It is basically an online P.O. Box.

Step 2: How do I form my startup’s LLC or incorporate?

This is a good place to start for any new small business — forming a limited liability company, or LLC. In addition to locking in your company’s name to ensure it is protected, an LLC also guards your personal assets and unlocks the ability to open new bank accounts, get licenses and permits, hire employees and enter into contracts. With Earth Class Mail, you can keep your personal address and information safe by using a virtual address to register your LLC. 

If you opt to incorporate as opposed to form an LLC, then Earth Class Mail has you covered with a recent partnership with Stripe Atlas. For just $500 Stripe Atlas will incorporate your company, arrange the registered agent, create your federal EIN and open a bank account for you. It takes all the pain out of the process and allows you to move toward the next step of starting your business more quickly.

Step 3: Set up remote tools and get to remote work

Now that your company is set up it’s time to get down to business in your remote work world. The good news is that as hard as working life might get afor a business owner, running remote-first companies makes life a little easier. For one, there is no office or office supplies to pay for. As you start to scale and grow with more employees it’s estimated that remote employers save about $11,000 annually per remote employee in terms of onboarding, office tools, space, etc. Hiring talent will also be easier in a remote environment because there is no commute and you can recruit talent from anywhere.

To keep your team connected, you should explore various tools for communication, document sharing, and collaboration.  

Pick the Earth Class Mail Plan that’s right for you. 

Launching a startup remotely still comes with a lot of challenges, but it also comes with a lot of benefits. Fortunately, Earth Class Mail is here to make that move of starting a remote business a little easier. Select your plan today, or connect with us to learn more about how we can help your company go remote.