VIRTUAL OFFICE SERVICES AND THE BUILDING OF CORPORATE CREDIT FOR YOUR
SHELF COMPANY
Virtual office companies provide a commercial
mailing address. Once too many companies share the same address,
banks tend to feel nervous about that address. It happens at the
point that there are numerous failures in loan payments over a number of
companies that used the same address. They flag the address and
increase scrutiny of any business that shares that address.
How do I know if the virtual address
if flagged?
Expect every virtual address and mail
drop to be flagged by the banks.
If I can't use a virtual office
address to apply for corporate credit, what am I to do?
Make a list of everyone with whom you
do business. Consider your auto mechanic, dry cleaner, insurance
agent, real estate agent, etc. Tell them that you're starting a
new business and you're looking for a commercial address. Offer to
pay them $50 a month to receive mail at their business address and that
it's no trouble for them. You'll pick up the mail twice a week.
Most people say "Yes."
A home address won't serve as well as a
commercial address. Banks aren't excited about lending money to a
home based business; despite what the commercials present. The
banks like a commercial address that's not a virtual office.
Do they prefer a home based business
to a virtual office?
That's hit or miss. We don't have
a definitive answer.
Do you offer a virtual office
address?
Yes, we provide virtual office services
in Wyoming. We don't know if our virtual office address in Wyoming
is flagged or not. If you're seeking to build corporate credit,
don't use any virtual office address; even if it's our address in
Wyoming.
What about the phone number?
Can I use a virtual phone number I obtained through Skype or other
service?
The key is whether the phone number is
permitted to be verified as a physical line. Banks haven't caught
up to 2012. They remain committed to brick-and-mortar type models
of business, and hesitant to lend money if the phone number is virtual.
They prefer phone numbers that are registered with 411 information, and
all of those lines are physical phone lines. A virtual phone line
cannot be registered with 411, and not respected as a legitimate phone
line. Whether a virtual line work, such as VOIP, is immaterial to
the banks and DNB. They only respect what they can see and touch.
If they can't verify it, it doesn't exist to them. As a result, I
suggest you focus on obtaining a physical telephone line.
What about the convenience of a cell
phone with a physical phone line?
This is not a problem. You are
able to forward calls from a physical phone line to an answering service
or your cell phone.
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