Budget-Friendly Custom Email Addresses for Personal Branding

Oct 10 (edited) • Main Forum

Great session today! The question about creating a professional custom email address really resonated with me since it’s something I’ve been wanting to work on, so I decided to do some research and wanted to share what I found.

For those of us building our personal brands and attending networking events, having a custom email (yourname@yourbusiness.com vs. yourname@gmail.com) makes a huge difference professionally. Here are some budget-friendly options:(thanks to AI)

Cheapest Options:

1.Domain + Free Email Forwarding ($10-15/year)

• Buy a domain from Namecheap, Porkbun, or Google Domains

• Use free email forwarding to your Gmail (most registrars include this)

• Send from Gmail using “Send mail as” feature with your custom address

2.Zoho Mail - FREE

• Free plan for up to 5 users

• 5GB storage per user

• Custom domain email (you just need to buy the domain separately)

• Very reliable for personal branding

3. Google Workspace ($6/month)

• Professional Gmail with your domain

• 30GB storage, Google Drive, Calendar, Meet

• Most polished option if budget allows

4.Microsoft 365 Basic ($1.99/month)

• Custom email through Outlook

• 50GB mailbox

Budget-Friendly Recommendation:

Buy a domain ($12/year) + Zoho Mail’s free plan = roughly $12/year total (that’s $1/month for a professional email!)

Domain Tips:

• Keep it short and memorable

• .com is still the gold standard

• Consider yourname.com or yourname.co

If you have other ideas, suggestions, or resources, please share them with the group! Let’s keep lifting each other up by sharing what we learn along the way.

When one of us grows, we all grow. Together we rise ✨

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