To re-brand or not to re-brand, that is the question. Many entrepreneurs struggle with the decision of how to brand themselves and while there are times that one or the other choice is obvious, it’s not always an obvious or easy decision.
For years, I was branded under Providence Coaching, the name of my coaching/consulting business, but a few years back now, I re-branded under my name and here’s why.
Initially, upon starting my company, I identified strongly with the name and it was a big part of the vision for what I felt called to do, however, I noticed over time, that it slowly evolved into something different and more diverse and I wanted the flexibility of my brand to follow me wherever it was that I was going.
There are times when a name brand is not fluid or flexible and although I could have continued to use my old name, I realized that using my name was beginning to make more and more sense as time went on.
I thought of several well-known entrepreneurs and although I knew them by name, in almost 100% of the cases, I had no idea what their company name was. Try it yourself – what’s Marie Forleo’s company called? How about Fabienne Frederickson or Gina DeVee? If each of these entrepreneurs were branded by their company, in each case, I would have to remember not only their names, but their company name as well and that’s asking alot of people drowning in information overload these days. Steve Jobs and Apple were unanimous, but in the case of most coaches, consultants and other solopreneurs, it’s TMI for most people to remember.
Obviously, as I said, in some cases it makes sense to use a company name, like if your name has more than 26 letters or is extremely difficult to spell. I know of one woman who changed her online name but today, transparency and integrity rule, so without some kind of explanation, that might not be the best move.
At any rate, I made the decision because I’m at a point in my life where I’m no longer afraid to put myself or my name out there. I have experienced cyber-bullying and harrassment which kept me playing small for too many years so now, I’m ready for whatever comes my way. Most importantly, I’m ready to help the people I’m meant to serve and if I can make it that much easier for us to connect, then it was worth the pain in the tech it took to make the transition.
If I had it to do over again, I would start with my name and let things evolve naturally from there. I’m at a point where my name is my name and that won’t be changing anytime soon, so here I am, interwebs – love me or leave me ????
Have you thought about this question before? If so, what was your decision and why?