⏱️Quick Win: How to get your business emails for free

In 5 minutes and save a tonne of money on your inbox

May 27, 2025

It’s been six years since I bought the Mane Hook-Up domain.

And I have never paid for my business email.

I quickly found out that setting up a professional email (like you@yourdomain.com) doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you’ve already got a website, you can often create custom email addresses for free — and access them using the Outlook mobile app via IMAP (also known as an internet message access protocol).

Here’s how to do it in less than 5 minutes.

🛠 What You’ll Need:

A domain name and website hosting (e.g. Namecheap, Hostinger, GoDaddy, etc.)
Access to your hosting control panel (usually cPanel or similar)
The Outlook mobile app (free on iOS & Android)

P.S. Here’s a quick video of how to set the emails up in Outlook once you have all the details…

Step 1: Log In to Your Hosting Dashboard

Go to your hosting provider and log in.
Look for “Email Accounts” or “Email” in your dashboard. Most shared hosting providers include free email creation.

Step 2: Create a New Email Account

Click “Create” or “Add New Email Account”
Choose your custom address (e.g. hello@yourdomain.com)
Set a secure password
Save the details — you’ll need them later

✅ Note: You don’t need to pay extra for Google Workspace or Outlook 365 to use a professional-looking email.

Step 3: Get Your Email Settings (IMAP/SMTP)

Still in your hosting dashboard, find the manual configuration settings for your email account. Look for:

Incoming server (IMAP): usually mail.yourdomain.com
Outgoing server (SMTP): same or similar
Ports: IMAP (993), SMTP (465 or 587)
Username: your full email (e.g. hello@yourdomain.com)
Password: the one you set earlier

Step 4: Download & Open the Outlook App

If you haven’t already, download the Outlook mobile app from the App Store or Google Play.
If you have Microsoft Office on your desktop, download Outlook there too.

Step 5: Add Your Custom Email via IMAP

Tap “Add Account”
Enter your full custom email (e.g. hello@yourdomain.com)
Tap “Set Up Account Manually”
Choose IMAP
Enter the incoming and outgoing server details from Step 3
Use the password you created earlier
Save & finish setup

Now you can send and receive emails using your business address — for free.

👀 Bonus Tips

Want desktop access too? Just add the account in desktop Outlook or any email client using the same IMAP details.
You can set up multiple custom emails (info@, support@, etc.) depending on your host’s limits.
Add an email signature in Outlook to add a professional look and feel to your emails.

And there you have it, my quick hack to get business emails for free. Enjoy and share with other Founders who may appreciate it!

Ciao for now,

Jade

P.S. Got stuck or want help setting this up? Drop your question in the comments or DM me — happy to help!