How to Switch from Personal to Business Branding

Really good and useful post James. I go so far as to forget branding in my marketing agenda and should pay lots more attention to these details. I have copied this list and intent to start immediately following these directions. They make good sense and seem like they should be second nature but with everything else popping up you tend to forget the important stuff.

Thanks for the reminder!

Nice post, James — particularly well-timed for me, as I’m starting to shift from ‘Rob Barrett Design’ to ‘Nice Hot Cuppa’ (almost put the old URL in the field above!). Thanks!

Hi James,

This post reminded me to re-visit your previous one here on FreelanceSwitch, about the ‘dangers’ of personal branding. I’ve answered the questions you asked (sorry for the delay).

Bye for now.

Rob,

Good luck with the new venture! I hope it works out great for you.

Great post and thoughts. It is timely for me, also, as I am in the process of starting my own business. As far as sites go, the site I linked to is a “subscribe to receive updates on our status” type of a site. Do you think this is a good thing to have? I plan to have the official website launched in one month and wanted to use the current one to draw attention…

Thanks again!

One of the first things I considered when deciding to freelance was whether to do it under my own name, but it always seemed obvious that if you wanted to grow then using your own name was not the way to go.

One example of where personal branding has worked is Troy Lee Designs. Admittedly he does have a slightly unusual name, but the principal is there as lots of other people have joined his team over the years.

I guess this shows that there are no hard and fast rules!

Thank you! This is a timely post because I have been thinking of moving to business branding soon. My only problem is finding a business brand that I love and will want to keep forever. I guess I’m having a commitment problem right now. But I’m bookmarking this post for when I overcome it.

@ Craig – There are very few hard and fast rules, to be honest, and there will always be exceptions that break the norm. I say more power to them!

@ David – Good to see you, and I appreciate that reply.

@ Rob – Ah, see, perfect example – your name displays, but I don’t see ‘Nice Hot Cuppa’ there… Start using them in conjunction!

@ Scott – I’m terrible for glossing right over what’s immediately obvious or most common sense. I think that’s an entrepreneurial quirk we all seem to have. “No, there MUST be something more complex! I’ll find it, hang on!”

@ James: Yeah, I realised that in one of those “Spotted it just after I clicked Submit” moments! Slap on the wrist, given what I’m commenting on… (And yes, a gravatar update is in the to-do list )

@ David: Thanks — your success is actually one of the reasons I held off on business branding for so long.

I really need to this article later on today, when I have some more time!

This is exactly what I have been looking for and never found — but now it is. Great content when building your career as an freelance designer.

James, as usual, you make a compelling argument in favor of business branding–you’re constantly making me think hard about this. Must you?

But, this particular problem you mention:

“You want better jobs and contracts from other businesses, but no one seems to think the solo guy can handle it.”

The reality is, for many freelancers, they are the solo guy or girl; to advertise themselves as bigger than that seems disingenuous, thus harming their credibility more than if they were upfront that it’s just them.

For an individual freelancer to pose and posture as if they were a much bigger company could end up making them look foolish–does it really help them to speak to clients as if they had others working with/for them if they actually don’t?

I can certainly see the value in business branding so that down the road a freelancer can hire others and outsource, in which case, too much personal branding could be detrimental.

But, at least while one is a solo worker, shouldn’t they be clear and honest about that?

This has been particularly relevant for me. Though I’m very apprehensive about changing my business name from my personal name to something else. Thanks for all the insight and I hope to implement at least some of it :0)

@ Jesse – I don’t encourage dishonesty in business – the more transparency you have, the better it is. But that doesn’t mean you have to shout, parade and promote that you’re alone, does it?

Perception is everything, and impressions are made in the first instant a client lands on your site. If a client lands on “ReallyGreatStuff”, they’ll say, “Nice!” But if they land on “ReallyGreatStuff” and the first thing they see is a popup flash animation warning that says, “I’m a solo!!! I’m not a business!!!!” they’ll think, “Wow. Just some loner guy. Okay, forget it. We wanted a business professional.”

They are looking for someONE to do the work. A business does not mean there MUST be 12 pros at work. It means whoever operates this gig is a professional.

The argument always reminds me of the site http://www.wearenotfreelancers.co.za/ These guys are SCREAMING that they’re business pros, simply because of the limiting perceptions people have of freelancers.

Your thoughts?

Awesome Post you have here James, I have been contemplating with the question “Should I use my own name?” For quite some time…

Every sense I came up with Voted against it, reason being its a bit strange and a bit long..

Thus is why I use An1ken(My Creative Id) ; An1ken Clothing (Clothing Range Launching soon) and most of the people I encounter tend to agree with me that using An1ken in my different sections will help me with exposure as well as being in conjunction with one another.

Thanks once again for the post.
Jacques

Interesting thoughts, even so I don’t agree with the author!

Thank you for the tips James. I recently became “free” after losing my developer job, and decided to start a business after reading The Ultimate Freelancer. I started using my business name with my personal name, making sure that people see me as part of ikywim and not the other way. However, how do you politely tell people that come looking for “you” that you are not doing work through this other entity that is not exactly just you? I noticed that some people get this look on their face when I tell them that I’m not just a solo guy anymore, that I work with a partner and that we run a business. You get what I am asking?

Again, Thank you.

@ Jacques – While I think you have a great name, it’s a perfect example of the, “How do you spell that again?” syndrome that can harm business. However, that said, the business name may also pose the same problem, especially when numerical symbols are involved.

“Is it Anken?”

“No, An1ken.”

“Oh, right. Anone. Wait, that’s not bringing up anything if I type in the URL.”

“An-1. You know, the number one. An, number 1, ken.”

“This is complicated. You type it in, okay?”

@ Luiz – If the person wants *you*, then you have the choice of doing it yourself, refusing the job or mentioning to the client that you’ll work together with your partner on it.

Basically, the client is asking for reassurance more than anything else. He or she wants a great job up to your standards, so you need to stress that you hired your partner because this person meets your standards and expectations highly, and that you’ll be working in concert, managing or supervising the work. Once they know that you’ve still got a close eye on the results and are involved in the process, not just passing it off, they’ll feel comfortable. They trust *you*. They want to know you trust this person you work with too, and that they’ll get the results they expect.

Make sense?

Oh, exactly! Thank you, that makes sense to me.

James,

You’re right that business transparency “doesn’t mean you have to shout, parade and promote that you’re alone.”

I’m thinking, though, of the solo freelancer who does that same dance in the opposite direction: giving the impression that they’re running this much larger company.

Constantly referring to themself as “We”, as in, “We will do great work for you, on time, and on budget…We can meet all your design needs.”

If there’s no “We” there because it’s actually an “I” venture, how is that being honest or even viable–folks will realize that only one person is answering emails, taking phone calls, and also that there’s not a list of bios and names of others in the company on the website. They’ll start to think, “Well, who is this “We”? And that ultimately could have negative consequences in terms of perception.

…

“Wow. Just some loner guy. Okay, forget it. We wanted a business professional.”

Isn’t it possible to be a business professional as a solo freelancer? I definitely get perceptions, but do we really have to present ourselves as a bigger enterprise than we are in order to look and be professional?

Perhaps, but I’m not so sure.

Ultimately, and I think you do agree on this, what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Whatever works best for us is really what matters.

Already commented on the older post, but this post confirmed that I’m doing the separate business branding stuff right, overall. (It helps that my business name is much easier to spell, pronounce and remember than my personal name!) Another great post, James!

not bad

Just the kind of advice I need right now James…as if you didn’t know Thanks mate, for all your help and advice to date.

This post seems to repeat a lot of what you said previously, and I can’t say I agree with the tone behind these two articles. I don’t think that there’s an absolute here; a business brand is better for some and a personal brand better for others.

I’ve always presented myself as a professional individual who gives personal attention to clients. I never bring in other people on any project without permission from the client, and I know my clients appreciate that kind of transparency.

In Canada, I am legally a sole proprietor under my name without formally registering as a business. I will not change to a business name that I have to formally register unless I feel it’s truly right for how I want to present myself as a professional and as a business.

Also, I am an illustrator in addition to being a graphic designer. Illustrators tend to vary in style, so I think it’s very appropriate for illustrators to represent themselves as professional individuals.

And in response to the idea that a woman getting married would have to change her name anyway; who says that she can’t continue using her maiden name professionally? Plenty of actresses are credited under a maiden or stage name, it’s not like it can’t be done.

I’m aware that my surname is somewhat uncommon and I do deal with that. But you don’t see Rob Gonsalves (no relation) hiding from his name, do you?

I’ve also been thinking of making the jump to a separate company name, this post is helping me make that decision. I’ve often wondered if I should keep my own personal branding at the same time, but I like the points brought up in the last part about pairing up the two.

@ Hollis – Sure, you can place value on both and have double the benefits – and you can also stay that way for as long as you like, too!

@ Catherine – You’re welcome!

@ Jesse – I know exactly where you’re coming from, and I understand fully. Personally, I think people who put “we” even though they’re an “I” should do so if they do have auxiliary staff (a supporting partner who helps with books, someone who might answer email only, a person who does odd tasks) or in the case of a freelancer who plans to cross-source and expand down the line. Making the move from “I” to “we” after “I” has been established can cause problems.

I hear you, though – that’s not what you’re saying. And I think that using “we” heavily to promote an impression of being a large company isn’t great. (Besides, any website copy that talks “we” isn’t tuned in to the customer, who would be “you”. )

For the second point, yes, you can be as professional in appearance when you’re a solo freelancer. But you *will* limit your potential, because like it or not, what you believe doesn’t matter. It’s all about consumer perceptions, and consumers *will* believe that one guy can’t do it all.

@ Emily – Of course there are no absolutes, and I don’t think I wrote, “Personal branding is wrong,” anywhere in my post. I simply know that general business practice suggests avoiding personal branding for expansion, growth and eventual vacation. If what you’re doing works for you, great!

For Canadian business, I’m not sure I understand the point. I’m Canadian and a sole proprietor myself, but that has no effect on branding or business operations? I own a business and work with a team. You feel that registering your sole proprietorship prevents you from doing the same?

The reference to married women came from having my knuckles wrapped elsewhere for forgetting that women who marry in the U.S. often take on their husband’s last name. In Quebec, Canada, doing the same is actually not permitted by law

@ Marc – You’re always welcome. Let me know progress and the differences, considering you’ll be operating two businesses branded differently – a case study!

@ Everyone – I think I may have missed a couple of comments, as I see there seem to be new ones in between old ones, so if I did, feel free to holler at me!

What if you’re going in the opposite direction? Say you started a business that was doing just *OK*, but decided you wanted to give the freelancing thing a try…? How should one go about that?

Thanks for the Post!
This post has come when i am going to re-brand my business with the launch of new site soon. This will definitely help for growing the business further.
Thanx again

James,

Fair points.

And thanks for this one especially:

“Besides, any website copy that talks ‘we’ isn’t tuned in to the customer, who would be ‘you’.”

That’s where the arteeste thing seems to come in–we can’t stop talking about ourselves and how qualified we are, and how good our work is–whether it’s us as an individual or our company team.

If we’re selling something, our focus should be on the reader, the potential client, the customer.

I didn’t say that you wrote “Personal branding is wrong” – but I got the impression that you feel it hurts a freelancer to use personal branding more often than not. I don’t think that’s true.

I don’t feel that registering as a sole proprietor prevents me from working with a team. But in Ontario, I don’t have to register if operating under my own name. I don’t want to register a business name just because some people expect it. If I decide to register a business name, I want to be sure that I’ve chosen the right name for my business. Perhaps I will register under a business name later; but it’s not something that I feel is necessary for me currently.

Regarding married women, in Ontario I think women tend to assume a new surname, but the maiden name is still their legal name. I’m not sure about other provinces/territories. I was trying to indicate that a woman could retain her maiden name professionally if she really wants to, even if that means registering her maiden name as a business.

Good stuff here! I am already a bit of a mix of both personal and company branding, but am looking to take it more in the direction of full-blown company, so that eventually I can take on the bigger projects that some clients don’t think I am capable of doing “on my own”. These were very practical nuggets of wisdom for that in-between transitional period. Thanks!

I’ve struggled with this for years, and I may not fit in here re a discussion about freelancer vs. group business, but there seem to be some parallels to what I’ve gone through, so I thought I’d jump in with a comment.

My situation is that I work for a large corporation as a salesperson. I currently can only sell to a select portfolio of clients, so I’m not able to just call on anybody as a potential customer. I don’t freelance with anything that could be considered a conflict of interest to the corporation.

But even while working for the large corporation, I still want my own Personal Brand in that industry space, in order to do a few things: a) differentiate myself…from both my competition and my peers, b) be able to put that Personal Brand online, vs. just the offline “reputation” that becomes one’s personal brand; c) helps establish me as an authority (part of differentiation, I suppose); c) create an identity that could be “portable” so I can move my “self” to other ventures, should the need arise – whether from my own choosing or from the corporation making that choice for me.

Here’s maybe the boring part: I’m in the document management business. So I created a site (www.documentmania.com) that lets my clients see the corporation I work for through MY eyes (though I have a ways to go still in crafting my own “voice”), in addition to the corporate site that exists for them. In doing so, I’m creating (I hope) a Personal Brand that meets the goals I set out for it.

My goal next is to help others like me create their own Personal Brand, too – whether within the confines of a corporate culture, or on their own as an individual entrepreneur. I’ve done that for a few people, and it’s been pretty successful for them. I strongly believe that a Personal Brand is a MUST, whether you work for a “we” or just “you.”

Great tips, I actually went the other way – from a business brand to a personal brand and feel like it works better for me in my current situation.

Hi James
Thanks for a great article – this is actually the first I have read from you and have found it really helpful.

I started my business with a business name 2 years ago and have always tried to look at it as something bigger than just me. Even at times (this may sound strange) but standing outside the business and looking in and asking what will best suit it.

I have at times had people come and do work with me under my watchful eye and have subcontractors for certain components etc so have always used the term ‘we’ in general and ‘I’ if it is a personal email or more specifically required.

I do also use my name a bit on my website as it gives that personal touch.

Now I am at a stage where I am taking on new permanent staff it is exciting to be able to introduce them as part of my business and share the fabulous qualities that they bring.

Running a small business alone is full on and exhausting and it is a great relief to know that there will be times that it can survive without me.

Thanks for your tips. I’ll definitely keep them in mind with my marketing.

Belinda

@James
well yes it can be something difficult to remember, the actual branding behind it is AN(any) 1 (one) KEN (can)

I have launched http://www.creativeoverflow.net lately and it has been going really well with traffic etc.

I am going to be connecting my portfolio to the site as well.. Creativeoverflow a design blog for anything creative.

I have been using An1ken for a while now and everything has been going pretty smoothly, decent amounts of traffic. I have thought of rebranding but that will happen when i open my studio..i will keep my creative identity as is but my clothing range and extensions will have different branding, thats easy to remember as well. Ex my blog, creativeoverflow.

Shot for the post, sorry for the couple months late reply haha

Great article, very helpful read considering my current dilemma. I’m about to start my own online business of selling my art, and I can’t decide which path is smarter, braning me the artist, or the studio/blog name I sometimes go by. As an aspiring artist, I wonder if it’s more important for my name to be recognized first, before the studio name.