Today marks 6 years since leaving my employer to run my business full time.
While I no longer talk about the ins and outs of running a business anymore, today is an exception.
Six years ago, I was more excited, more hopeful, less secure in whether this will work out, and restless.
Today, I’m more confident, more stable, pleased with how things have worked out, and still restless.
The restlessness comes in large part due to thinking about the future, what comes next, and how I want my business to live beyond me.
One of the most important tasks of starting a business is coming up with your business name. Since I wanted to focus more on what services I wanted to offer, I kept it simple: Nicole Clark Consulting.
Six years later, I’m considering changing my business name.
Much like a newborn baby, coming up with a name that resonates and speaks to your business’ mission can be daunting.
But what’s in a name? Here are my pros and cons for naming a business after yourself:
Pros
- It feels more authentic to me. Naming my business after myself allowed me to be more authentic about how I wanted to present myself to the world.
- It’s straightforward. There’s little room for clients or customers to question who owns the business, or whom they will be working with.
- It allows you to be recognize for your work. From the blogs and journal articles I write to the projects I work on with client organizations and partners, I do feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that my name (both personal and the business name) is tied directly to my work.
- It invites curiosity. When I come across a business that’s name after someone, I immediately think, “Who is this person?”
- There’s a stronger sense of connection. And this leads to the next point:
- There’s more determination to make your business successful.
- It connects your credibility. It’s hard to hide from the internet when your name is in your business. Before hiring someone, you no doubt look them up online, right? Having my name in my business helps potential client organizations and partners search for my qualifications.
- You’re at the heart of the business. With my name as the business name, it’s made my work more personal, not only for me but (I hope) also my clients and partners
Cons
- You’re at the heart of the business. There’s a psychological aspect of naming your business after yourself. While I’ve felt more determined to succeed due to my name being the name of my business. I’ve also noticed that it’s growing increasingly harder to disconnect when I need to. Last year, I made the decision to prioritize my personal life and I started to question, “Do I really want my name to be my business?” Which leads to the next point:
- You’re a reflection of your business. Because it’s easier to look me up, I find myself being more strategic on how I present myself as everything I say and do leads back to me, personally and professionally. Which also leads to the next point:
- I have to watch what I say. I don’t feel that I censor myself per se, but there have been many times where I’ve pondered on how I say things or share things, with the intention of sounding “on brand”. An example of that is when I shared a personal story on getting an IUD.
- It feels like I have to do everything. I do rely on partners to help shoulder the work depending on the project, but when your name is also the business, there’s the client expectation that they’ll be working directly with you. As you hire sub-contractors and staff, this expectation may still be present.
- I wonder how I’ve being perceived for project bidding. It wasn’t until a year ago that I started to question if potential client organization perceived me as not having the systems in place to lead a larger project. I know my capacity and my capabilities better than anyone, but when your name is the business and people see that it’s really you running it, they can question your capacity.
- Growth feels limited. This bring me back to the beginning of this blog post. When I started, I was so focused on getting things off the ground that I didn’t think much about what my business would look like with staff. Even if you start off as just yourself, do you want your business to remain a one-person show in the future?
Key takeaway
There’s no right or wrong to way to go about it, so my pros and be your cons, and vice versa. Consider where you want your business to be in the future, and decide from there.
Raise Your Voice: Would you name your business after yourself? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
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