The honest answer: it depends. Here's how to decide in two minutes.
If you're self-employed or just starting out, this question comes up fast. Do you give customers your personal mobile? Get a second phone? Set up a landline? Pay for some app you'll never use?
Here's a straight answer.
When you don't need one
If you're in the very early days, testing the water, taking on the odd job, and not sure yet if this is going to stick, using your personal mobile is fine. No point adding costs before you know there's a business to run.
Same if all your work comes through word of mouth and you're not advertising anywhere. If customers only get your number from people they already trust, the number itself matters less.
When you do need one
Once any of the following are true, a separate number starts to earn its keep.
Your number is going anywhere public. On a van. On a website. On a Facebook page. On a leaflet. The moment your personal mobile is visible to strangers, you've lost the ability to separate work from personal, and you've handed your private number to anyone who wants it, permanently.
You want to look established. A mobile number is fine for a mate giving you a call. For a customer who found you on Google and doesn't know you yet, a local landline number, like a 0161, a 0117, or a 01273, signals that you're a proper business. It's a small thing. It matters more than it should.
You're working across more than one trade or area. If you want a number that reflects where you work, not where you happen to live, a separate number gives you that control.
You're getting calls at all hours. A separate number means you can divert it, mute it, or hand it over to someone else, without touching your personal phone. You can't do that if work and personal are the same number.
You want to be findable on Google. Local search favours businesses with local landline numbers. If you're trying to show up when someone searches "plumber in [your town]", a local area code helps. A mobile number tells Google nothing about where you work.
What kind of separate number do you actually need?
You don't need a second phone. You don't need a landline installed at your house. You don't need a complicated VoIP system.
A virtual landline number, with a local area code that forwards calls straight to your mobile, does the job. It looks like a proper business number. It rings your phone exactly like your mobile does. You manage everything online.
The decision tree is simple:
- Just starting out, no public advertising yet? Use your mobile for now.
- Number going on a van, website, or anywhere public? Get a separate number.
- Want to look established and rank locally on Google? Get a local landline number that forwards to your mobile.
The bottom line
You don't need a separate number. Plenty of tradespeople run perfectly good businesses on a single mobile.
But once your number is public, whether that's on signage, online, or anywhere a stranger might find it, a dedicated business number pays for itself quickly. You get the separation, the professional appearance, and the local presence. Your personal number stays personal.
If you're at that point, a virtual landline is the simplest way to do it. No contracts, no second phone, no hassle.
ProperLine gives you a local landline number that rings your mobile. Pick your area code and get set up in minutes.