So many coaches will recommend running your business from your own domain name URL. They suggest skipping the torture of picking a clever URL and instead, register and run everything under your own name, building a personal brand that will grow with you over time.
In fact, I even wrote an ecourse on the topic in 2011, believing it was the right thing to do. You’re reading this right now on mine, and yet I completely disagree!
One of the biggest problems with trying to create a business running strictly with my own first and last name is that it took much, much longer to gain momentum (read: make a profit). Painfully slow.
It’s not just me… I see this trend across the web in general.
The business identity doesn’t take form as it would normally.
Its similar to having a child for a full year and just hoping it will tell you it’s name along the way. And a year in, still calling it “baby”, because you have no other name. We need to name them.
The act of choosing a name for your business (or your baby) creates form & structure.
That’s what all my yammering on about NEEDING to have a name was all about earlier this year.
I want to still be me. To have my own unique identity that isn’t muddled with my business persona.
I don’t want my business to be me, and me to be me. yes, we’re intertwined, but when I’m having a shi**y day, I need my business to stand up and be strong on it’s own.
That’s why, more than anything, I need to properly launch the Biz Training Club (or Her Portable Biz) instead of trying to exist purely as a sole proprietor under my own name.
It’s why I probably should stomp my feet down to the registrars office and buy the trade-name today. Feel the ownership certificate in my hand and turn her into a business.
Allow Loralee to have a bad day, and still be “Loralee from the Biz Training Club”, not “Loralee from LoraleeHutton.com” (It still feels weird, 4 years later).
Please don’t get me wrong. I think owning the domain name of LoraleeHutton.com is the right thing to do – just that trying to build a personal brand was a big mistake for me.
I’d love to hear from you. Have you created a personal brand website? Have you struggled or found it easy?
And, because a post from me wouldn’t be complete without a few resources or tools…
Resources for Picking a Business Name
While creating my portable biz on an incredibly lean budget (less than $30/mo) wasn't easy, it's the foundation piece I love to share with other solopreneurs. Creating your own passive & leveraged income doesn't need to be hard, or expensive. 
Wow! This puts things in a totally different perspective. I feel the same way, always trying to make things work with my name (yes it is unique and I feel branded at birth) but have I grown out of being just me? When I try my business naming though, I get overwhelmed with keywords, etc.. I agree, that being able to write more freely on a personal blog would be almost a blessing while keeping my biz site more well, business with an occasional moment of self-ness. Time to think and thank you for this post.
Loralee, your post came in at a right time for me. I needed this badly. I didn’t know it would be conflicting as the years go by. I’m planning to have my identity become my business, but I have to think more about it. You’ve enlighten me. It’d better settle for two. One, for personal and the other for my business persona.
I agree there needs to be balance between your personal self and your business self. My business name is K. Gaskins Consulting but over the past year I have been working through my re-branding efforts. Just over the last month or so I have decided to brand a DBA (Doing Business As) to handle my none “one-on-one client” work and turn K. Gaskins Consulting into a client membership site and a place where those interested in working with me can get more information about me and my work. To help me come up with a name for the DBA I have solicited help from family and friends and I am thinking of reaching out to Fiverr for some brainstorming help. The process is continuous and it may take a left turn tomorrow but I have decided to go with what feels right rather than what I am told is right. No two businesses are the same and as a business owner we have to do what feels right for us.
Wishing you productivity and prosperity,
Kim
Interesting perspective. I went to my name for everything early last year and it was one of the best things I’ve done for my business. I still use custom names for different programs and I often buy domains for those. My tag line is living inspired by design and all programs have inspired in them so there is consistency.