Should You Name Your Health Coaching Business After Yourself?
Your health coaching business name is often one of the first touchpoints a potential client will have with you. This is why choosing it thoughtfully is important. But, if you’re wondering if you should name your health coaching business after yourself, here are some important points to consider.
Reasons to Name Your Business After Yourself
You want to be a well-known author or speaker: If your goal is to go more of the author/speaker route, then naming your business after yourself makes sense. As long as you have a clearly defined niche, your name can become synonymous with your niche, positioning you as a sought-after expert for media interviews, speaking engagements, and more.
You are not sure of your niche: If you’re unsure of your niche, starting out with your name makes sense, because it gives you the fluidity to change your services. If you start out helping people with weight loss, but then switch to focusing on diabetes prevention, you won’t have to change your business name/ website URL, social media handle, etc. That said, it is important to get clear on your niche because without clarity, it will be hard to grow and scale your business.
Reasons to Choose a Separate Brand Name
Your name is hard to say or spell: It will be harder for people to find you if they are unsure how to say or spell your name. If it’s not catchy, it’s easy to forget.
Your name could change: Personal names change sometimes. If you anticipate any personal events that will cause a change in name, then you may want to steer clear of going with your name.
You don’t have a big marketing budget: If you don’t have a big marketing budget, then choosing a descriptive name makes more sense, as people will immediately know what you do without asking. Many health coaches add a descriptor to their name, like I did, when I changed it from Maria Marlowe to Healthy by Marlowe. Or you can make up a completely separate name, like “Nutrition Stripped.”
You want the business to grow beyond you: Sure, there are brands built on a personal name that grow to many employees and products (like Tracy Anderson fitness) but you still limit yourself, because everything is built around YOU.
The choice is ultimately yours! Personally, I started off with using my name as my brand name, as it was very popular to do it at the time I started back in 2012, but since then, I’ve changed it to Healthy by Marlowe, as I feel it better reflects what my business is about.
If you’re struggling with naming your health coach business or building it from scratch, join my Health Coach Business Bootcamp to get crackin’ building the foundation for a scalable, long-term business.
