Brand Your Name!

Have you ever thought about branding your name? Does the idea sound too egotistical for you or does it make good business sense? Let's examine personal name branding and how it can help you achieve the recognition you need for your business and put you quickly on the path to success!

Promptly upon receiving my layoff notice from my position of nearly eleven years, I decided I needed to venture out on my own. I formed a limited liability company and named the concern after my name. Why? Because my name was more known than what I did. I possessed a lengthy work history as an accomplished technical writer but mostly everyone I dealt with in and out of my company knew me more by my name than by what I did for a living.

It also helped that I did a lot more than technical writing including public relations, creative writing, resume writing, etc. Usually when someone needed any type of writing project done, they contacted me first even if it was outside of my realm of responsibilities. Hence, for me, keeping my name "front and center" has been invaluable as I grow my business.

Think of some other names that transcends what these individuals do for a living. Martha Stewart is one of the most famous people -- or infamous depending on how you define the category -- that has used her name wisely over the years. KMart carries a line of her name branded products, a magazine is named for her, and popular books bear her name. Indeed, while Martha was in jail, her company's stock tripled in value. Investors knew that the success or failure of her company depended chiefly on her direct involvement with the company. What a valuable name!

Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources and markets men's and women's sportswear, jeanswear and childrenswear under the Tommy Hilfiger trademarks. You may not know what Tommy looks like, but you know the name.

Donna Karan, a/k/a DKNY, is another pervasive name that has been popularly branded as has Louis Vitton [fashion handbags]; Michael Dell [computers]; Alexander Graham Bell [telephones]; Estee Lauder [cosmetics]; Dr. Atkins [diets]... the list goes on.

No one is saying that your name will become as well known as any one of these esteemed names. Few people reach the pinnacle of pervasive name recognition. However, in the overall scheme of things, your name may have more value in marketing your products than would an unknown generic name. Consider your options and weigh them intelligently!

Matt branded his name -- Matthew C. Keegan, LLC -- and has successfully launched a pair of websites off of his business at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.aviationemploymentboard.com

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