Image is everything in business. When you’re involved in a startup, you get the extra stigma that comes from the label of ‘entrepreneur’ and that can create a lot of trouble in growing and scaling your business to get a respectable audience. After all, if you’re like the CEO of Under Armour, you don’t want the world to know you’re starting a business in grandma’s basement. Yet, you still want to build your brand and succeed.

If you really want your business to appear larger than it is, here are some pointers:

• Use a virtual office. Any business without a proper business address is going to struggle with reputability and customer trust. A virtual office gives you the space you need for professional meetings and the corporate address that your customers demand the peace of mind. 
• Pay for your domain. It can be tempting to save by using free WordPress or Wix sites, or other online free website creators, but this is not going to scream “professional”. Make sure that you have a dedicated dot-com with your business name in the title so that everyone knows it’s a business. 
• Splurge on social media marketing. This doesn’t mean spending a lot of money, of course, but that you should be investing the time and money in building a strong social following in order to get the most out of your business. Create a bigger follower base so that people see you as a solid brand. 
• Use professional branding tools and materials. Again, it can be tempting to take the cheap way out, but professional branding materials give that professional image that your business demands. Even a small business can appear quite large with the right branding materials. 
• Automate where you can. Automation tools are great for handling larger responsibilities when you don’t have a lot of time, people, or resources. You’ll get things done and your audience will assume your small business is much larger and more successful than it may actually be.