Should I use my own name or branded one?

If you are not sure you should use your own name, or a branded business name, you’re most likely not seeing clearly into your business and your own goals. The lack of clarity makes you search for a definitive answer online, and hence you are here reading this.

If you type in the title of this article on Google, you are going to find many different answers from many different gurus and specialists. And while they all have their reasons to think the way they do, you should know that there isn’t a cookie-cutter solution to this. There is a right answer, though, and it is the one that best aligns to your needs and expectations.

Illustration by Lucas Iemini

First Things First

Let’s take a moment to understand your business and how your brand is going to behave. This will give us more clarity on which path to take, for it all depends on your goals and business model.

Ask yourself:

• What kind of business do you have?
• Is it based completely around you?
• How do you interact with your clients?
• Do you want to sell your business in the future?
• What kind of reputation do you want for yourself?

If you’re a blogger, podcaster, coach, consultant, author, or speaker, your business is based completely around you as an individual. So doing business under your own name is your best choice. But if you intend to sell this business in the future, keep in mind that no one ever buys a business with someone else’s name on it.

Also, think of how you interact with your clients. Is it a 1–1 conversation? Or do you pass them by a process with many people involved? This is a good question because if you are want to have your name tied to this process, you want to control as much of it as you can. So if you talk directly to your client, use your own name.

A personal brand is built around you — your personality, your lifestyle, and your interests. It means you brand your business with your name. There are positives and negatives to this, and we’ll review them in this post.

Illusration by Lucas Iemini

Personal Name Pros

1. Personal brands are flexible. Some peolpe think that using their own name limits their business potential, but it is actually the opposite. Your name allows you to pivot and change niches because the context on which the brand is inserted is less important than the person behind it. Think of brazilian-american youtuber, Alex Costa. 8 years ago he was making gaming videos, but under his own name he was able to pivot to Men’s Fashion & Lifestyle, and even has his own product line, Forte Series, which I had the pleasure to help him build.
2. They are perfect for 1 person business (solopreneurs). If you are not willing to hire a team in the future, or if your business is only viable under your own name and image, using your name is the absolute best choice. Consultants, actors, photographers, lawyers, freelancers, writers, they can all benefit from using your own name to build up their reputation and control the entire process. “Hiding” under a branded name can limit your personal reputation, as people will look at your brand and associate your quality service to it, instead of you.
3. They are relatable and more human. Sometimes having a human face instead of an abstract symbol pays off. People will recognize you as a human person with your own opinions and particularities, which makes for a more relatable and approachable character in comparison with a cold hard brand. Social media can be a gold mine if you can connect and relate to your clients.

Personal Brand Cons

1. It may lack clarity. Sure, we talked about how flexible your own name is, and that can be a great feature to embbed into your business, but it can also be tricky and confusing if you don’t know where your focus is. A brand called “Dental Professionals” is very clear on it’s purpose, and people don’t need an extra second to understand that, but under “Marisa Heller” they can see a million different things. So it is crucial that you define your business and purpose very well before going live. You can pivot over time if you feel the need to, but just don’t do a million things at the same time, otherwise people will not know how you are and what you do.
2. Harder to build memorability. It’s not that it is impossible. Branded businesses take just as much hard work to build as a personal one. But the thing is, unless your parents brainstormed a name for you, chances are your name doesn’t ring as well and easy as “Coca-cola”. So you’ll need more exposure and focus on making your name stick than a regular brand. It takes effort and time, but eventually it will work, the important thing is just to not give up when things don’t initially go so well.

Conclusion

It all comes down to what you want for yourself. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the right answer is the one that fits you well. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it for a while, and keep in mind there is not reason why you can’t build your branded business AND your own name simultaneously if you think that this is the best way to go.

Ask yourself the right questions, gain clarity on what you want, and you just might have the right solution pop up your head!

And whatever you decide, you can always count on me to help you create and strategize your business! You just need to send an e-mail to me at lhciemini@gmail.com, or slide a DM on my instagram account.

Thanks for reading! Good luck on your project!