Trust me, I work for @hotmail
Tell me what you think about this Master Gardner now? Would you be happy paying him at his "Master Gardner" rate or does his email scream, "AMATEUR"? Joe has the education, the truck, the team, but lacks the branding and great first impression. Now many folks are independent contractors. You work for companies and then move on to the next project. Perhaps you don't want to use the company email for most of your freelance or "on-the-side" endeavors, but you want to still encourage people to hire you and trust you.