When you’re running a start-up business, your current set-up is probably very small; very few employees, a limited budget and you may not even have an official office.

If that sounds like your current situation, you really need to consider virtual office space. If you’re not familiar with virtual offices, they function very much like full-time office space – except on a part-time basis.

Here are some of the ways a virtual office can help your start-up grow:

Improve your credibility

When you’re running a new business, the last thing you want is to seem unprofessional. If you don’t have a proper office address, how will that make you look to potential clients or business partners? But that’s not enough of a reason to lease a full-time office. This is one area where a virtual office can fill the void.

Virtual office buildings regularly have conference room space available if needed, and they come fully equipped and ready for you to use for important presentations or meetings. You can rent out conference rooms on an hourly basis, or if you’re already a virtual office renter, conference rooms will sometimes be available at no additional cost.

Rental terms that fit your needs

Depending on the virtual office package you choose, you can rent a virtual office for long periods, or just a few days a month. And a virtual office address doesn’t require a long-term commitment – you can rent on a monthly or even weekly basis.

Give your business a proper address

Few things look worse for a new business than an unprofessional business address. A PO Box makes your business look bad, and PO Boxes have long been associated with shady dealings and scams. Plus, most post offices have limited PO Box hours, so you don’t always have immediate access to your business mail.

With a virtual office, you can have a virtual address. Not only does this give the business a proper address, it also ensures that your mail will always be safely delivered to a virtual office building. And many virtual office lenders provide 24-hour access.