Establishing a business comes with many challenges, especially for first-timers looking to escape the corporate rat race and enter entrepreneurship. You have so much to consider, and how you establish the business’ foundation now will impact how it serves you in the long term. 

One crucial aspect often overlooked is the importance of protecting personal information. While most business owners never experience violations by customers, it only takes one incident to highlight the necessity of strategic privacy measures. 

To help us out, we connected with the private intelligence firm Reveille Advisors and their Director of Operations, Wes Anderson. Reveille’s privacy experts help individuals rebound from online harassment and stalking, establish businesses anonymously, and more. He shares various steps to develop your business privately, safeguarding your personal life, family, residence, and social activities from public exposure.

1. Use a Registered Agent for State Documents

One of the first steps in protecting your personal information is to use a registered agent to file all State documents. A registered agent acts as an intermediary between your business and the State, handling legal documents, annual filings, Good Standing reports, and official correspondence on behalf of your business. This means the agent’s address and name are listed in public records instead of your details, keeping your residence and ownership confidential.

Benefits of Using a Registered Agent:

• Privacy Protection: Keeps your home address, name, phone, and email address off public records, which are usually free to search and then spam.
• Do Business Outside Your Local Market: You shouldn’t be limited to commerce based on your home address, but some states require a local mailing address to do business within their jurisdiction. Registered agents can usually solve that and allow you access to new markets.

Registered agents offer a buffer, protecting your personal information and ensuring you maintain a clear separation between your business and private life. There are many capable vendors available to explore for your specific needs. Anderson uses Northwest Registered Agent, but many offer similar services and guarantees. 

Please note that not all states allow registered agents, and some states don’t allow every business type to use registered agents, so research your particular state and business structure (LLC, LLP, Sole proprietorship, etc.) beforehand. 

2. Establish Public-Facing Contact Methods

Another effective strategy is to create separate, public-facing contact methods for your business. Trust us; you often share your mailing address and phone number as a business owner. From vendors to customers and spammers, you need a way to keep those touchpoints isolated. Two of the best options include obtaining a PO Box for mail and using call forwarding numbers for phone communication.

Using a PO Box:

Serving a purpose similar to that of a registered agent, using a postal box (PO Box) service is a great choice. Whether it’s the USPS, a UPS Store, or your local option, offsite mailboxes like these are essential.  

• Protects Your Home Address: Keeps your residential address private. Nowadays, digital spam bots crawl the internet for phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses. Since your home address won’t be online, you can’t fall victim to their schemes.
• Local Community Presence: Frequently, registered agent services are only available in the larger metropolitan markets, which is acceptable for government filings, but what about your day-to-day mail, customers, and vendors? Securing a PO Box in a community you frequent, even your own, will make everything more accessible than visiting your registered agent in the State Capitol.

Using Call Forwarding Numbers:

Anderson is a big fan of call forwarding services such as MySudo, but many options exist. “You will get so many spam calls daily that you’ll begin to wonder if customers even exist. It improves as you grow, but the initial months felt like all inbound calls were spam.” Having these spam calls not clog up your real phone line is a blessing. 

• Multiple Touchpoints: You can have different phone numbers for sales, customer support, and general inquiries, all routed to your primary phone. For example, MySudo offers users nine (9) phone numbers of their choosing for $150 annually total. Each line has unlimited WiFi text and calls, so you can use these numbers aggressively. “I’ve even taken MySudo calls from my SUV using data; it’s great!” Anderson shares. 
• Enhanced Privacy: Apps like MySudo allow you to create multiple phone numbers that all forward to your cell phone, ensuring your number remains private.
• Flexible Communication: Easily manage and organize calls from different numbers, enhancing business operations.

By utilizing these methods, you protect your personally identifiable information (PII), such as your home address, phone number, and full name, thus maintaining a higher level of privacy. Plus, it’s cheaper and offers more value (accepts texts, and emails) than setting up new static phone lines from the local telephone company.

3. Use a Pseudonym Online

If your business is public-facing but doesn’t require a professional license (such as those for medical professions, legal, financial, etc.), consider using a pseudonym online. A pseudonym can be an abridged version of your name or an entirely new name, functioning like a personal “Doing Business As” (DBA).

Advantages of Using a Pseudonym:

• Privacy: Keeps your specific identity private, protecting you from potential harassment or unwanted attention. Anderson shares an example, “Avoid using your personal Facebook account to run your business account. Create a new account; otherwise, the connecting points between the two will become too easy to identify. This makes it easy for bad actors to learn your lifestyle patterns and family details.”
• Consistency of Branding: Establish a consistent online presence separate from your personal life. This allows you to create a distinct brand identity tailored to your business without the same concerns you may have had if you were using your real name. 

This method helps shield your true identity and personal life from the public, providing another layer of insulation.

4. Utilize Website Privacy Protections

When creating your business website, using the privacy protections most hosting providers offer is essential. These protections help shield your domain registration information from the public ICANN database, which lists the personal details of domain owners.

Privacy Protection Services:

• Domain Privacy: Replaces your personal information with information about the privacy service in the WHOIS database.
• Enhanced Security: Reduces the risk of identity theft, spam, and phishing attacks.
• Professionalism: Presents a professional image by keeping your contact information private.

By enabling these services, you protect your personal information from being easily accessible online, enhancing privacy and security.

It’s Never Too Late to Implement

Protecting your personal life while running a business requires strategic planning and using various privacy tools. You can effectively safeguard your personal information by employing a registered agent, establishing separate public-facing contact methods, using a pseudonym online, and utilizing website privacy protections. These steps protect your privacy and contribute to a more professional and secure business operation.

Remember, while most business owners may never face significant customer issues, it only takes one incident to make you regret not taking these precautionary measures. Implementing these strategies ensures that your personal life remains private and secure, allowing you to focus on growing your business with peace of mind.