In business, first impressions count, and a company's address is part of that impression. Does an address in an office part of Warsaw really make a company more credible? In this guide we look at who pays attention to an address, what an address in an office building actually gives you and what it cannot replace.
What does a “prestigious address” mean in practice?
An address is usually seen as “prestigious” when it is clearly associated with business: an office building in an office district rather than a flat on a housing estate. In Warsaw this mainly means Śródmieście and Wola, where a large share of the city's new office buildings has been built in recent years. VBIURO's address is in Wola, at ul. Marcina Kasprzaka 31/119.
What does such an address give you in practice? Your invoices, email signature and register entry (CEIDG or KRS) show an office building, not a flat. Letters are received by the staff of an office open Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00, not by a neighbour or a mailbox in the stairwell – during these hours you can also collect them in person. You can invite a business partner to a meeting room in the same building, and it is easy for guests to get here: the “PKP Wola” stop (bus, tram, train) is right by the building, and the M2 Płocka metro station is approx. 1 km away.
Thanks to a virtual office, even a sole trader can have such an address without the cost of renting an office.
Who pays attention to a company's address?
Different audiences look at a company's address differently.
Business clients (B2B)
When assessing a potential partner, they often pay attention to details, and the address is one of them. An address in an office district can subconsciously raise trust – along the lines of “if they have an address in an office building, they take their business seriously”.
Individual customers (B2C)
They analyse the address of a service provider or online shop less often – reviews, price and the product matter more to them. Still, an office address in Warsaw looks more serious on a shop's website than a home address.
Investors and financial institutions
If you are looking for an investor or applying for a business loan, image can be part of the first impression. A professional address on your materials may help how a presentation is received, but it will not replace a real assessment of the business or secure financing – results, the plan and creditworthiness decide.
A company's real strengths matter most: quality of service, results, references. The address is an additional factor – it will not achieve anything on its own, but between two comparable offers it can tip the scales in favour of the company that looks more serious.
What you gain from an address in an office building
Credibility on documents and online
An address in an office part of Warsaw on your website, business card or invoice presents your company as operating in a business environment. This helps especially when you compete with larger companies and don't want your address to reveal the size of your business straight away.
You show the address on documents and online – in the building itself, VBIURO does not put up nameplates, logos or any other signage for client companies (not even temporarily) and does not help with Google Business Profile verification.
Meetings in a meeting room
If you invite a business partner to a meeting, you can rent a meeting room in the building at ul. Marcina Kasprzaka 31/119 (PLN 100 net per hour or PLN 500 net for a whole day; the PRO package includes 1 hour per month). The room has a TV with HDMI and Wi-Fi. A meeting in an office building comes across as more serious than a conversation in a café.
Standing out from the competition
In many industries small businesses register at home addresses. An address in an office building helps you stand out – e.g. an IT freelancer bidding for a larger contract who wants to look more like an established company.
Protecting your home address (sole traders, e-commerce)
This matters especially for sole traders and online shops. For a sole trader (JDG), the delivery address in CEIDG is public. If you enter a virtual office address there, your home address will not appear in the public entry, on invoices or in your shop's terms and conditions. You still give your residential address in CEIDG, but it is not published.
For an online seller this is a double benefit: customers see an office address instead of a flat, and you don't reveal where you live.
A good location doesn't have to be expensive
Just a few years ago, an address in an office building meant paying rent for a physical office. With a virtual office you pay for the address and mail handling, not for square metres. At VBIURO the STANDARD package costs PLN 59 net/month with monthly payment (PLN 49 net/month with annual payment, PLN 39 net/month with two-year payment).
Such an address is useful for a consulting firm, a freelancer and an online shop alike – you don't have to choose between a low price and a good image. See also what is worth knowing about an address in Wola – tax office, court and transport and what to look for when choosing a virtual office.
You can also combine the address with accounting (OFFICE + ACCOUNTING package: the address for PLN 29 net/month with an accounting contract billed separately) or with online company registration (S24) – at the same address.
Summary
An address in an office building can raise the perceived credibility of a company – especially in the eyes of business partners – although it will not replace the company's real strengths. For a sole trader it also protects the home address, which as a delivery address would otherwise appear in the public CEIDG entry. More about the address in Wola itself – tax office, court and transport – can be found in our guide virtual office Warsaw Wola, and the scope of services in the description of the virtual office at ul. Marcina Kasprzaka 31/119.