Quick answer
An email address with your business name in it.
A business email uses your own website address, like hello@sprintstart.co.uk, instead of a Gmail or Hotmail address. Customers can see straight away that a quote or invoice really came from your business.
We recommend Google Workspace. It works just like the Gmail you already know, on your phone and computer, and comes with a business Google Drive and Calendar. You pay Google directly each month, so it's always yours.
Why bother?
Why it's worth a few pounds a month.
- It looks professional. It matches your website, your signage and your quotes.
- Customers trust it. A matching address is harder to fake, so your quotes are less likely to be mistaken for spam.
- Work stays separate. Customers, suppliers and invoices stop getting mixed up with personal emails.
- It grows with you. Add an address for a new member of staff, or an accounts@ address, whenever you need one.
You need your own domain first. If you haven't got one, read How to Buy Your Domain and Give Us Access.
What it costs
What it costs.
Google charges you directly, per email address, each month, plus VAT. You'll see the exact price on Google's screen before you pay, and the first 14 days are free. One address is enough for most one-person businesses.
Setting it up: it takes about 10 minutes if you're comfortable with DNS records and settings. If you'd rather not, we'll do it for you for £49. Taking a Google Business Profile as well? The two together are £100 instead of £118, and your feedback page is included free (see The Google pack).
Step 1: Sign up
Step 1: Sign up with Google (about 10 minutes).
This part has to be you, because it's your account and your card. Have your card and your phone to hand. If you're a Sprint Start customer, we can stay on the phone with you while you do it.
- Go to Google Workspace and select Get started.
- Enter your business name. For the number of people, choose Just you (or how many will need an address). Choose United Kingdom.
- Enter your name and your current email address (your Gmail is fine).
- When it asks about a domain, choose the option that says you already have one, and type your website address, like ours: sprintstart.co.uk. Don't buy another one.
- Choose your new email address (for example hello, info or your first name) and a strong password. Keep the password to yourself.
- Choose the plan (Business Starter is enough for most small businesses) and add your card. Google shows the price before you confirm. You're not charged until the 14-day free trial ends.
Step 2: Send the code
Step 2: Send us the verification code.
Google now asks you to prove the domain is yours. You'll see a code that starts with google-site-verification=.
- Tap Copy next to the code (or take a screenshot of the screen).
- Send it to us on WhatsApp. This code isn't a password: it only proves the domain is yours, so it's safe to send.
- Leave that screen open. We add the code to your domain for you (we already have access if we set up your domain).
- When we message “done”, tap Verify. It can take a few minutes to go through, sometimes longer.
Step 3: Add us
Step 3: Give us our own login (no passwords shared).
Google only lets people with a login inside your business account help manage it, so you give us our own temporary login. You keep full control and can remove it any time.
- Go to admin.google.com and sign in with your new business email.
- Select Directory, then Users, then Add new user.
- First name Sprint, last name Start. For the email address, type sprintstart.
- Select Add new user. When it offers to send the sign-in details, choose to send them by email to the address we give you.
- Now open that new user: select Sprint Start in the list, then Admin roles and privileges. Next to Super Admin, turn the switch to Assigned and select Save.
That's it. We'll always message you our email address privately, so you know the request is genuinely from us.
What happens next
We finish the setup, then remove our login.
We set up everything else: the email settings on your domain so messages arrive and don't land in spam, your mailbox, and the Gmail app on your phone if you'd like a hand.
When it's all working, we delete our login, usually before your free trial ends, so it never costs you anything. You can check it's gone under Directory, then Users.
The Google pack
The Google pack: email and Google Business Profile for £100.
Most customers look a business up on Google before they get in touch. A Google Business Profile puts you on Google Maps and search, with your photos, your phone number and your reviews.
- Business email setup, normally £49.
- Google Business Profile setup, normally £69.
- Together £100, and for Sprint Start website customers we add a feedback page free: one link you send after every job that makes leaving a Google review quick for your customers.
Google's own charge for your email is separate and paid to Google. The Business Profile itself is free from Google.
Sources
Where this guide comes from.
The Google steps were checked against Google's help pages on 30/09/2026. Google changes its screens from time to time; if something looks different, send us a screenshot and we'll talk you through it.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Can I keep my Gmail?
Yes. Your Gmail carries on as normal. Your business email is a separate account, and the Gmail app can show both on your phone.
Do I need a website first?
No, just a domain. You can set up your business email before your website is ready.
Why can't I just give you my password?
You could, but you'd be handing over the key to your whole business email. Google also often blocks sign-ins from a new place and texts a code to your phone. Our own temporary login avoids all of that, and you can see and remove it yourself.
Does your login cost me anything?
Not if it's removed during the 14-day free trial, which is our plan. If it stayed longer, Google charges for extra users only for the days they exist.
What if I stop paying Google?
Google suspends the account and your email stops working, so keep your card up to date. The account is yours, so nobody else can let it lapse.
Rather we did it?
Business email set up for £49, or £100 with your Google Business Profile.
You do the three short steps above. We do the rest and tell you when it's working.
