Postal Letter

Should you not use a free web based email for business?

I have a small side business, should I not use a free email such as Yahoo, Hotmail, etc for my business email...meaning that it does not sound "professional" to say something like yourbusinessname@yahoo, etc.?? Or does it really matter, I really don't want to pay for a fancy domain email. Any thoughts??

Public Comments

1. I wouldn't. I use my Comcast account for business and Hotmail for personal.
2. if this is your first time trying to develope clients then I think you should try to get a sub account with your current service at home but for your business usually it's free or very low cost,especially since your a small business.Using a free service could let someone hack into your files and try to mess with your system and all could be lost. Look into that whole sub account thing if you have a service at home it might be better than you expect.
3. I think it's fine...I know a lot of businesses that use free email.
4. I don't think it is very professional. Also, the email usually has an ad attached to the bottom of it. Having ads for other companies' products is kind of cheap looking. 1and1 has a .99 a month domain and email service. You could get your own domain and email from them. They also have a web console access in addition to the normal Outlook/Thunderbird access. I have used 1and1 for over 5 years and am very happy with their service and features.
5. I own a small plumbing company and honestly we gross close to two million a year and I use a yahoo account for my business. Its easy and free. If your business was based on the internet then you might want to consider getting a fancy domain email, but if it is just a side business then you really don't need the extra expense of an email account. It really does not matter unless you run a large business.
6. I think it would depend on your business. If you are a small contractor or retail store, or if you don't work with the general public much, then it shouldn't really matter what you use. If your business is something more on the professional side (i.e. insurance, lawyer etc.) then it would probably be a good idea to have a website as well as a fancy email address. Good luck!