Branding. To be or Not to be The Face of The Company
Maureen Considine
Are you the face of your company? Are you the face of your business?
When many people first start their business, it is a natural place to start, especially if you are a solo entrepreneur and the only one working in the business. It’s an easy place to start. There are so many things to consider that can keep people from actually moving forward, this one is an easy one.
It’s a natural decision to have the company name be connected to your name, for your website to also be in your name. Sometimes this can be helpful especially if choosing a name is causing confusion or a roadblock.
However, down the road, when the business is more established it may no longer be the best approach.
As the business grows, and you begin to hire more employees or independent contractors to help you run the business and especially grow it, you might find yourself reconsidering this idea, that it no longer reflects the vision you have for your business.
Let’s take a look at how to make that change.
As your business becomes more proficient and successful, you as the leader might find yourself wanting to change it or perhaps your role in it. With both of these considerations, being the face of the company can be a deterrent or a complication.
Here are some things to consider. These are all pieces that came into play when I recently did this in my own company.
1. As your team grows, and the business is running well, you might decide you want to step away from it a bit or you want to change your role in it. It’s still your company and you are still the owner and primary leader, though you may no longer be interested in doing the day-to-day managing of it, or you may only want to work with clients.
Changing the focus of the business name and marketing from your name can make this easier.
2. It is important when building a team for you as the leader and owner to be clear on your brand, your direction, as well as the vision for the company. I think it is a good idea to build unity and to quickly bring the team together and excitement to get moving, to work on the mission statement and the direction moving forward.
It’s your company and now you might want it built around your team rather than just you. And. It can be so much more fun this way. It was for me.
This is actually something I’ve been thinking about for a couple years, and it recently came up within my company and my team. I wanted their input, I wanted to value their input and to hear their ideas.
3. You want the company to grow, you want the opportunity to do other things both in it and outside of it. I thought it was a perfect time to not be the face of the company and shift a focus. Your business could be experiencing great and sustainable success, which is a perfect time to bring other elements of the business into the spotlight.
It’s important to me for my team members to be excited by the vision I have for the company, to be a part of that and to feel like they can contribute to it. In consideration of that on a foundational level, I didn’t want to be the face of the company and I wanted the vision to reflect that. I wanted to have it be something they could be part of.
4. The details play a significant part too, such as a name change or a change in marketing approach. It can be a logistical headache on many levels to achieve that transition. It can be much simpler if your name is not the company name, all the way down to small details like your email address.
5. Many entrepreneurs are building businesses and then having their spouse or significant other come into the business. It is an exciting time, and it is also amazing to watch the role these partners take on and grow into. If the company is in your name, are they going to feel an integral part of it, or will it feel like they work for you rather than with you?
How do you go about changing that in your organization? How do you decide what to change it to?
* Take a look at your company, what your values are. This is for you to consider, and you can ask your team because their feedback is important and valuable. You can still have a personal connection with your community, friends, and followers, that does not have to change.
* Take a look at the major results or what the core results you provide your clients are for some ideas.
* Asking who you are and what you do will provide answers that will be foundational to the business.
This is what I did when I recently changed the name of my website and how we do business. We went back to the original name and the roots of where it started. We looked at some of the results that we provide and have been providing since we began.
We wanted to change the website and everything that goes along with it to one of the best results we provide to clients. We also wanted to make sure that we maintained the personal engagement we’d built with our clients and have that continue.
* Think about any awards you’ve received, or certifications, even a registered trademark.
A trademark is a significant honor for a company and achievement too. The recent registered trademark we received provided the direction we were looking for and it was time to focus on it, which we hadn’t yet been doing. It was very exciting to be able to do that.
It is the perfect thing to tie into the business, it also fit the vision and was an uplevel for us. All good things. That was an easy choice for the new website URL. My team was excited about it and was happy to help make that transition.
For a while, especially in the beginning, using your name as your business name can be the way to go and for some it still is. And for good reason. It is personal too, which many business owners still like.
I have shared some things that you can consider when you want to shift from being the sole face of the company, to grow to the next level. When you’ve created a team who shares in the excitement of your company and wants to be a part of it, it can be very rewarding and inspiring to include them in your plans and your vision. Transitioning your business in this way can feel both exciting and challenging. I am here to help you navigate the changes and develop a strategy for moving forward.
Maureen Considine is Founder and CEO of Finding Your Way Coaching. A Master Coach with expertise in Income Acceleration, Business Development, Sales and Mindset, she is the Wealth Health Creation Strategist for entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers. Maureen has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. She has helped hundreds of clients grow their businesses and reach their true potential using her unique, intuitive, and holistic approach. Maureen has a B.A. in Psychology, with training in mindset and the Psychology of Sales.