Why bobsmithplumbing@gmail.com costs you business.
It’s not a conscious thing with customers, it’s subconscious. Nobody thinks “these guys must be bad at plumbing.” They just quietly wonder if you’re really a business. A free Gmail address is low effort, and it reads that way. Your email is part of your branding. bob@bobsmithplumbing.com says you put effort into your business, you care, and you have pride in what you do.
There’s the other side too: everything that moves through a free account is being scanned and gleaned. You’re being farmed. Email at your own domain is your data, kept private. Yours is yours, your employees’ is theirs, and the only access beyond your own passwords is us, maintaining it and keeping it secure.