If you run a company, you’ve perhaps wrestled with the idea of giving yourself some kind of description.
I’m not talking about your business name, I’m talking about YOU.
Who did you become once you became your own boss?
Maybe you had to fill in a profile on social media. Or, maybe it was for a business card or website. Whatever it was, you must have come to a point of realization where you were no longer an employee, but a company. An entity. A business.
So what role did you give yourself?
Labels can seem frivolous.
Perhaps you find them limiting.
After all, a rose by any other name still smells… like a rose, right?
In any case, giving yourself a title has the potential to do two things:
One — it can affect your brand. That is, how your audience perceives you. In business, perception is reality. Your brand is your reputation, and the language you use to describe yourself and your business impact the way your product or service is perceived.
Two — the descriptor you give yourself will affect the way you see yourself. Giving yourself a label can be quite a soul-searching experience. If there is a title you are uncomfortable with, ask yourself why. If you’ve given yourself a label that is inaccurate or limiting, ask yourself why.
How you feel about your business is going to have an effect on the way you operate your business in the real world.
Here are 6 labels you can consider giving yourself if you run your own company, and what they imply…
1. Business Owner
When you call yourself a Business Owner, you set an immediate standard.
This role sets expectations that you own a legitimate business that does things to the book, and you expect to get paid the going rate for your product or service.
But, not everyone is confident with this title. Some feel it’s a bit grandiose if you’re a small operation, with just a few people working under you — or maybe you even work alone.
Some feel that they need to defend the title of Business Owner with a brick and mortar storefront or physical office, but this is old fashioned thinking.
In this modern day digital world, you should feel confident calling yourself a Business Owner from a laptop in your home, or even a coffee shop!
2. Entrepreneur
Being an Entrepreneur has slightly more zing to it than being a Business Owner.
Entrepreneurship implies that you not only run a company, but you embrace a certain mindset as well. You’re out to change the world.
Entrepreneurs are all about trying new things and thinking outside the box. Entrepreneurs are dreamers. They inspire.
And they don’t just stop at one business, either. Entrepreneurs are always coming up with new projects. They are innovators and big thinkers.
3. Freelancer
Some people who work for themselves are more at home calling themselves a Freelancer.
The term Freelancing implies that you’re the sole proprietor of your business enterprise — a one-man or one-woman shop.
You may have a full-time or part-time job on the side while you take freelance “gigs”.
Freelancing can be your side-hustle or your main hustle. There’s a flexibility implied with being a Freelancer.
Labelling yourself a Freelancer can work to your advantage if you seek contract work. There’s an easy-breeziness about hiring a Freelancer that some clients will prefer, because they won’t feel comfortable committing to someone full-time or long-term.
In the current gig economy, a LOT of people are calling themselves Freelancers, so the challenge here is to differentiate yourself from the amateurs so that you can charge what you’re worth.
4. Solopreneur
A Solopreneur is an Entrepreneur who works alone and handles all aspects of their business, without a team.
Being a Solopreneur implies that you are an established business, and that you can charge accordingly.
Although they work alone, Solopreneurs still embody a mindset that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. They are rebels, and are always innovating.
5. Mompreneur
The small business community can be somewhat hilarious when it comes to making up new words!
Mompreneurs have sprung up all over the place in recent years. These are typically mothers who have started home businesses so they can spend more time with their young children.
Being a good parent, having a balanced lifestyle, and enjoying the freedom of working when it’s convenient for them and their families is often a big part of Mompreneur branding.
Mompreneurs seek to empower women and show that women can indeed have it all on their own terms.
Calling yourself a Mompreneur — or even one of the many offshoot labels such as Femmepreneur, Womanpreneur, She Boss, Lady Boss, etc. can be inspiring, but is often only advantageous if you want to target working women.
You pretty much disregard anyone who falls out of this niche, and depending on your product or service, this could be a good thing or a bad thing.
6. Self-Employed
Just a quick word of caution if you choose to call yourself Self-Employed.
Yes, Self-Employed shows up on all sorts of legal forms you have to fill out in your day-to-day, but try to refrain from using it as part of your branding.
For one, it’s terribly generic and doesn’t tell us a lot about the spirit of your business or what type of business owner you are.
But, more importantly, Self-Employed has sort of become synonymous with Unemployed and that’s definitely not the vibe you’re going for.
Whether you’re a Business Owner, an Entrepreneur, a Freelancer, a Solopreneur, or a Mompreneur, what’s most important is at the end of the day, you need to be comfortable with the role you’ve given yourself, so that you can align your personal brand with your business brand. So, what have you decided to call yourself?