11 Things Self-Employed People Can Do to Look More Professional

Self-employed people are involved in many different types of industries and businesses. Web designers, personal trainers, running your own hair salon, owning a restaurant, or working in the building trades like construction, plumbing, or electrical can all fall under the self-employment label.

Working as a self-employed person can come with a lot of perks. If you work as an independent contractor, sole proprietor, freelancer, or own your own business, you may enjoy setting your own schedule, having control over how you perform your work, and setting your own prices or rates. However, being self-employed also comes with its own unique challenges. People who work for themselves are responsible for their own income taxes, health insurance, retirement plans, and generating enough clientele or business to support themselves.

Since self-employed people are ultimately responsible for their own marketing, branding, client communications, and relationships, some can struggle with building a professional image and reputation. Most likely don't have large marketing or PR firms behind them polishing their company image, and many are one-person operations. This can also cause trust issues with clients, as they may be perceived as random individuals without all the bells and whistles a larger company might have.

As we all have become accustomed to dealing with large successful companies, in one way or another, we notice things they do that communicate credibility to us. And when smaller companies or individuals lack these sorts of things, whether warranted or not, this can convey a lack of legitimacy to clients and consumers. So, in this article, we will explore 11 things self-employed people can do to look more professional. Some of the items discussed here may seem like small minor details, but when added together, they can paint a bigger picture that illustrates a more professional and responsible business.

• Form a Separate Legally Recognized Business Entity
• Start a Separate Business Bank Account
• Get the Appropriate Business Insurance
• Build Your Website
• Testimonials
• Branded Email
• Business Cards
• Custom Logo
• Google Business Profile
• Active Social Media Accounts
• Create a Personalized Voicemail Greeting for Your Business

Form a Separate, Legally Recognized Business Entity

If you are self-employed, one of the best things you can do to appear more professional is to register your business as a separate legal entity, such as a corporation or an LLC. Not only will creating a separate business entity provide you with important liability protection and certain tax benefits, but using a formal business structure will make your company appear much more legitimate and trustworthy to customers and clients.

While you can legally and legitimately operate a business as a sole proprietor in a professional manner, there are many sole proprietors who don't fall under this category. Most of us know someone who's had a bad experience hiring an independent contractor who either disappeared or did an inadequate job. Since these types of self-employed people aren't connected to a separate business entity registered with the state and with a public reputation to uphold, they have the ability to fly by night, often leaving clients with little recourse to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, this kind of scenario has left a negative mental association with many in regard to self-employed people who operate as sole proprietors. Therefore, registering your business as a separate legal entity can legitimize your business in the eyes of potential customers, clients, and other businesses. As opposed to being viewed as someone who may be unscrupulous, this will allow you to be perceived as someone who has taken the necessary steps to protect themselves and form a legitimate company.

Start a Separate Business Bank Account

After you have formed a separate legally recognized business entity, the next thing you should do to help make your business appear more professional is open a business bank account. Having a separate business bank account and using it properly not only has benefits for you as a business owner, such as simplified taxes and protection of your personal assets, but it can also lend credibility to your business. Being able to process certain types of payments, using credit cards and checks, and issuing receipts or refunds that all have your business name on them instead of your personal name makes your company look more serious and established, not only with customers, employees, and other businesses but with the IRS as well.

Get the Appropriate Business Insurance

You will want to get all the required insurance your particular business needs. Being properly insured will be a huge benefit and selling point for your company. It can build trust with clients, employees, and those engaged in business with you and let them rest assured, as they know you have all of your bases covered.

Build Your Website

Having a good website is an essential building block in cultivating a professional business image. Your website is where people can learn more about your company. This is where you can show how you've established yourself as a business, such as having a separate legally recognized business entity and being a fully insured company. Any other professional certifications, credentials, or awards you have received can also be displayed on your website. Your company mission statement, contact information, and any photos or videos showing what your business does can all go a long way in allowing customers to find out more about and access your company while positively building your business image. Simply put, you will look more professional if you have a website than if you do not.

Testimonials

Asking some of your previous clients to write testimonials that you can use on your website is a great way to show that you are a real and trustworthy business. Adding a photo of the person or logo of the business you worked with can help make the testimonials more relatable. Testimonials detailing the positive experiences others have had working with you provide social proof that helps establish that you are an actual company with satisfied customers.

Branded Email

Using a branded email is something many self-employed people may easily overlook. For example, suppose you emailed Bank of America about your mortgage and received a reply from steveharrington@gmail.com as opposed to steveharrington@bankofamerica.com; this might raise an eyebrow. Using a branded email featuring your company website name shows that you are a representative of a legitimate company and not just a random person.

Business Cards

Business cards are a convenient way to promote your company and can help show that you are an established business. You can show that you have a official business entity, such as a registered LLC, and that you have all the proper business licenses and insurance to do business legally.

Custom Logo

Creating a custom logo is a great way to visually emphasize that you are an actual business. A logo gives your customers a way to recognize you and can create a sense of personality for your company. You can feature it on your website, business cards, packaging, company vehicles, and buildings. This can help establish your brand identity and communicate professionalism, consistency, and stability. Getting a unique custom logo designed is easy enough and can be done relatively inexpensively through sites like Fiverr.

Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is a free online listing that self-employed people can use to list their businesses so that they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. Google Business Profiles are what you see when you type a business name or category of business like "restaurant" into Google Search or Maps. When customers search for your business name on Google and your Google Business Profile pops up, it can make your company look professional and established. Google Business Profiles are relatively easy to set up, and you can customize them with photos of your business, hours of operation, contact info, and other details about your business.

Active Social Media Accounts

Creating social media accounts for your business is a simple process. It's another place where customers can find you, learn about your business, and contact you. But, if you decide to set up social media accounts for your business, it's important to maintain them, post regularly, and gain a following. If your page is up and there are no new posts or interactions, it can give off an unprofessional vibe because it may seem no one from your company is taking the time to make a reasonable effort. It can appear that your business is not that active, in general, and isn't generating much interest from people. By regularly updating your accounts and growing your social media presence, your company can seem much more up-to-date and actively engaged.

Create a Personalized Voicemail Greeting for Your Business

Creating a customized and professional-sounding voicemail greeting for your business is a great way to show your customers and other companies that you value your interactions with them. Things you should record in your business voicemail greeting could include some of the following items:

• Give a Short Greeting
• State Your Name
• State Your Business Name
• Explain Why You Can't Answer the Phone at the Moment
• Provide a Time Frame When You Will Return the Call
• Give an Alternate Contact Number for Someone Else in the Company
• Ask the Caller to Leave a Message or Reach Out Through Other Means
• Provide Another Way to Communicate (such as email address or text)
• Close With A "Thank You" And "Goodbye"

This can be the first point of contact you have with new customers, and a good business voicemail greeting will communicate to them that you are indeed operating a legitimate business.

Final Takeaway

Taking these steps will not only make your business appear more professional to others, but, it will, in fact, make your business more professional. The items listed here will improve your customer's experience with your company, create more accessible points of contact for your company, and provide you with critical legal protections, all while helping establish your brand identity and professional image.

Do You Need to Register Your Business as a Separate, Legally Recognized Business Entity?

Are you a self-employed person operating your business as a sole proprietorship and want to register your business as a separate legally recognized business entity? If so, InCorp can help with our business entity formation services. We can help you form a separate entity, such as an LLC or corporation, that provides the legal protections you need for your business. In addition, we also offer registered agent services, and business owners can use our entity management system and iOS app to help maintain their business entities, letting them stay on top of important due dates and providing a way to access essential business documents easily.