Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 21:15:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Larry Moss <moss@balloonhq.com>
To: Balloon Twister List <balloon@balloonhq.com>
Subject: Re: Mailing address???

On Wed, 17 Jan 2001, Jack Finch wrote:

> Hi Folks:
> 	I am making up brochures and new business cards and I was wondering what
> the rest of you do about an address on your printed material. Do you put
> your home address on your cards and ads or do you have a P.O. Box for
> security reasons? I see a lot of folks use a P.O. Box, any thoughts?

For the entertainer that works from home there are a number of reasons to
go either way.  Here's what I can think of:

In favor of a PO Box -
  Separation of work and personal material. It's nice to have things go
  to different places so there's no confusion of paperwork and bills.

  Permanance of an address - If you live someplace that you don't expect to
  be long, but you do expect to stay in the same city, you can use a PO Box
  and ensure that your business contacts won't have trouble following you.
  The box doesn'thave to move when you do.

  Security - Why take work home with you.  Your clients don't need to know
  where you live. If you have a problem with a client, they should only be
  able to contact you through your "office".  Also, if you have public
  performances that are actively promoted, you're telling people when you
  won't be home. If you give them your address and tell them when you won't
  be there, you may as well leave the key under the doormat as well.

  Address in a bigger city - If you live in a suburb, chances are people
  from out of town won't know where you live based on the name of the town.
  If you have a box in major city, people looking at your business card
  will get a better idea of where you're located.

In favor of using your home address -
  Mailing address different from shipping address - often you need to have
  packages sent to a different place than your mailing address since a PO
  box can't be used to receive non US postal service deliveries.  Having
  two address may lead to some confusion with some vendors.  And it means
  you're giving your physical address to some people anyway which may
  negate some of the benefits of a separate PO box.

  Convenience of picking up mail - you now have to make a trip to the post
  office to get your mail rather than have it come to you. (Some non-USPS
  box type services may allow forwarding to your home, but they introduce
  another set of pluses and minuses.)

  Cooler looking address - I almost bought a house on Mystic Lane.  As a
  magician, I decided right away that if I bought that house, I wasn't
  going to use my PO box any more.

Larry Moss
BalloonHQ.com