Many times, those establishing a start-up don’t realize the importance that their business image plays in the minds of potential online customers. Even worse, they may blindly go with ‘what’s available’, which can add up to business suicide.

Let’s take your e-mail box as an example. Many a start-up business owner has cut corners by using a free e-mail box, such as Yahoo, paired with their business name. So Joe’s Landscaping would become This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The problem with this is that it doesn’t look very professional to the consumer and it is a potential 'red flag' to some, alerting them to a fly-by-night business.

When consumers are looking for a business to receive a service or order a product from, they want to find a company that they believe they can trust, is reliable, and puts forth a professional image. While you may have all of these qualities, the consumer does not know that. All they have to go on is the feeling that they get from your image which, on the Internet, is your website and e-mail domain.

Other benefits to having your own website and e-mail domain include:

• You can create multiple e-mail boxes with one account and even have all of the messages forwarded to the same e-mail box. For example, you can create This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it You can then have all of the messages that are sent to these four boxes forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
• No annoying advertisements from your web hosting company that irritate customers or take their attention away from your own products or services (this is often a condition of 'free' web hosting companies).

Avanti Hosting offers two different web hosting packages that are the perfect choices for both small businesses and home office businesses: AvantiPark and AvantiStart.

With our GreenPark web hosting package, you can register a domain name, "park" it on our servers, and have your visitors directed to a different website. You will also receive 5 e-mail addresses to match your website domain name.

Our GreenStart web hosting package is for those who don’t have a main website elsewhere and want to start off small. You will receive 25 customizable e-mail addresses to match your website domain name, 500 MB of disk space to store all of your products, pictures, and files, and 1 GB of data transfer to accommodate your web traffic.

Both of these options are a smart choice and a cost-effective alternative for  those just starting out. They will help you present a professional image, without "breaking the bank".