Previously, we’ve seen some of the privacy concerns that people could have when they do business on the internet, either as an affiliate or an e-commerce site owner. But what about ways to reduce these privacy risks? There are a few very easy strategies that can be employed by online entrepreneurs and which will allow you to get a better control over what information you give out to your online business partners.
The first thing you would want to consider doing is registering a business that will be used for all your online activities. There are various legal forms that a business can take, such as a sole proprietorship, limited liability company, or a corporation. Rules and regulations regarding business registration will vary depending on the jurisdiction that you reside in, so it would be best if you read up on applicable laws and regulations. By having a registered business, you can receive payments under that name and list it as owner of the websites that you operate. This also has the advantage of making your online operations look a lot more professional.
One of the other privacy issues that arise when you do business online is giving out your home address. But there is an easy and relatively inexpensive solution for this. You can get a PO BOX or a mail forwarding address for about $10 per month. You can either use the post office, a company such as Mail Boxes Etc. or an online company that receives all your mail for you and then forwards it to you. This will allow you to do business online without revealing your home address to your partners, vendors, clients, etc. You also won’t need to pay extra for WHOIS privacy for each domain that you buy, as you can simply use your company name and “virtual” address when you register websites related to your online marketing activities.
Another thing that you need to consider is your phone number. Again, many wouldn’t want to give their personal home or cell phone number out as they don’t want their phone number to end up on dozens of marketing lists and get calls every day soliciting them to buy things. Once again, the solution to this is simple and rather inexpensive.
You can get a cheap cell phone on a prepaid plan and use the number as the contact phone number for your online business. This could be a good solution if you’re not going to be making or receiving a lot of business related calls each month. There are some other solutions as well. You could use a VoIP phone number and phone service that you can get for around $15 per month. There are also services which provide you with fax to email, voice mail, call forwarding, as well as numerous extensions. If you’re looking for a second phone line to use for your business, then you will definitely find a solution online for this.
