Open Discussion: What Do You Call Yourself?

I was feeling a bit burned out so I took a little break from posting, but now I’m back and it’s Thursday and that means Open Discussion time!

I’m always concerned about how to best serve independent business owners, but I realize that we’re an eclectic and diverse group. People pay attention to what speaks to them, and nothing speaks to people like calling them by name.

Since I can’t put your unique name in a blog post headline, here’s what I’m wondering:

What do you call yourself? How do you “label” yourself? Here are some possibilities to get the ball rolling:

Business owner
Small business owner
Entrepreneur
Small businessman/woman
Blogger

I know we like to self-label in ways that make us feel good about ourselves. Does your self label make you feel good about what you’re doing? Does it make you feel inspired?

I can’t wait to read your thoughts!

Filed Under: Blogging

http://www.o-copy.com/blog Kathleen O'Connor

I was wondering where you had gone. Glad to see you back! I call myself many different things but I mostly use the term entrepreneur. I used to say, “freelancer,” but that sounds like something you do on the side, and I'm treating my endeavor as a business, not a side thing!
- remarkablogger
  
  Now this is interesting. The connotations of words matter. Who would you assume gets paid more, the freelancer or the consultant?
  
  Under the hood, there may not be too much difference in the work that takes place. But I betcha freelancers get treated differently and paid differently than consultants.
  
  I think there IS a difference in the kinds of work each does, and tons of people love freelancing and don't want to do anything else, so don't think I'm dissing on anyone here. Far from it. There are plenty of freelancers who command jaw-dropping fees–but is that the label they use?
http://blog.owengreaves.com/ owengreaves

I call myself a ” Futurist ” – I show you the future, then help create ways to adopt it.

Well, that's the mood I'm in these days, I get bored easy ask me again next week : )
- remarkablogger
  
  OK, we'll see who you are next week.
http://www.purplepawn.com David

Journalist. Our website is news in blog-style.
- remarkablogger
  
  When you're attending to the marketing or the business side of the site, are you still a journalist in your own mind? Are you a journalist who started a web business or a business person who started a news site?
http://frankdickinson.me/ Frank Dickinson

My title at Huckleberry Media Connection

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (seriously!)

I refer to myself as an Online Marketer
- remarkablogger
  
  I don't think you'll see too many headlines like this:
  
  Five Blogging Tricks Every Chief Cook and Bottle Washer Should Know to Get a Flood of Traffic
  
  But if you ever did, I don't think any force on earth could stop you from reading that post!
http://www.dcfemella.com dcfemella

I call myself either a “Freelance Technical Writer” or a “Technical Writing Consultant”
- remarkablogger
  
  See my response above for some thoughts about the differences between the words “freelancer” and “consultant.”
  
  What do you think about that?
http://ladygoodiva.ca Toronto Escort Service

The good ol' Online Marketer
- remarkablogger
  
  Yeah.
  
  Kind of off the subject, but if anyone should be doing video marketing, it should be you.
http://www.deutschland-pool.de/ Germany guy

I'm an ordinary blogger and an advance user of the Internet and the computer.
- remarkablogger
  
  Five Blogging Tricks Every Ordinary Blogger Should Know to Get a Flood of Traffic
  
  Hey, you know, that kinda works!
http://twitter.com/wendycholbi Wendy Cholbi

I call myself an entrepreneur these days — I've shifted away from “business owner” which in turn came after “freelancer” (which, as Kathleen points out, sounds like a part-time thing, and for me also carries the connotation of merely working for hire rather than managing or self-directing a business).

When I have to fill out forms that ask for “employer” I write “self-employed.” If it asks for job title or position I write “owner.”

But (and) I'm also a blogger, also a writer, also a teacher, also a tech geek, also a consultant…and all of those can fit underneath the big entrepreneur umbrella, because entrepreneurship is a state of mind, not a thing I do.
- remarkablogger
  
  Very insightful response, thank you!
  
  Although, if entrepreneurship is a state of mind, aren't you going to do the things (actions) that entrepreneurs do?
http://hotblogtips.com/ Keith Bloemendaal

I am a blogger, all the way. While some of my projects (where most of my income is) are e-commerce, my passion is blogging…. it's what I do, and I am proud of it!
- remarkablogger
  
  I started as only a blogger and became a business person, and now that part is just as strong as the blogging part (which makes what I do here a great fit).
http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

I'm a Creative Crusader, with the goal to illuminate the world.
- remarkablogger
  
  There are a million kinds of illumination, so I hope you have yours picked out.
http://simplytrece.wordpress.com Trece

I'm a blogger. I connect with the world this way.
http://evengrounds.com/blog Julius

I'd like to see myself as a blogger. It's good because it always becomes an interesting topic to talk about when I meet new people and they ask me what I do.
- remarkablogger
  
  I'll bet it does! I find the same thing. Usually followed by: “How the hell do you really make money doing that?”
Bruce Teague

Most of the time I just call myself crazy. My “label” depends on which hat I'm wearing at the moment. I reckon the two most popular hats in a business context are Worker and Internet Marketer. Sometimes I pull out the CEO label when I want an ego boost, but it just sounds glorious. It doesn't mean a lot when you're part owner in a company with only 3 people.
- remarkablogger
  
  What is the person who fills those roles? Identify that and you might have a stronger sense of self regarding this.
http://www.kaplancopy.com/blog Jodi Kaplan

I am a Clarity Driver and a Wizard of Words.

A fellow member of triiibes called me a goddess (?!?).
- remarkablogger
  
  Five Blogging Tricks Clarity Driver Should Know to Get a Flood of Traffic
  
  Hmm… You're not gonna see that one too much. But I bet this headline would get your attention instantly:
  
  Five Blogging Tricks Every Wizard of Words Should Know to Get a Flood of Traffic
SpiritSentient

Visionary
- remarkablogger
  
  I see!
KateNasser

Interesting question Michael. None of the general terms (entrepreneur, solopreneur, business owner …) ever made sense to me because I can't imagine a customer caring about that. So I always describe myself as The People-Skills Coach because it's a quick topic definition of my expertise.
- remarkablogger
  
  I love that you're thinking about your own customers and how to best help them! But you're my customer, so what I was driving at was what appeals to you out of a sea of headlines and subject lines crying out for your attention. What self-label calls out to you?
http://wpbloghost.com/ John Hoff – WP Blog Host

I once asked Darren Rowse that exact question on Twitter and he responded that he was a “Web Publisher”. I thought that was cool because I was thinking he'd of said, “Blogger”.

For me I suppose I'd call myself an online entrepreneur. I've invested in an online business and then I also do a little niche marketing as well. That might surprise some people because I'm probably best known for WordPress stuff.

Question: I don't recall reading what you call yourself..?
- remarkablogger
  
  Web publisher… now that is interesting!
  
  I call myself a trainer, a coach, and a consultant. More broadly I call myself an online or internet entrepreneur.
remarkablogger

Wow, such great responses! Language and the way we need to classify things is interesting. For some of you, how you really self-identified was more of a “job description” than a “career type.”

Let me use one of your examples: journalist. If I self-identified as a journalist, you can see which headline below would grab my attention:

Five Blogging Tricks Every Entrepreneur Should Know to Get a Flood of Blog Traffic

vs.

Five Blogging Tricks Every Journalist Should Know to Get a Flood of Blog Traffic

You can see why this question interests me (and you, too, I hope) because the more directly we can “whisper in the ear” of our ideal customer, the stronger the response will be.

And for the record, I consider myself an online entrepreneur or an internet entrepreneur, and even more specifically as a coach, consultant, and trainer. Any of these labels would get my attention, but the last three would get the strongest response from me.

And just because I've weighed in doesn't mean we're done discussing this! Anyone else have thoughts & reactions about how we self-identify? Let's hear them!
http://twitter.com/CopywriterMaven Roberta Rosenberg

The short phrase word is 'serial micropreneur' as I own a few different businesses. The longer phrase is Direct Marketing Consultant, Copywriter & Raconteur.
http://www.betterbloggingforbloggers.com/ Liane

I'm a blogger, small business owner, and is proud to be an entrepreneur in the near future
http://www.frugalupstate.com Jenn Fowler

Well, like so many things in life, what I call myself depends on who I am talking to. We all fill different roles depending on the situation we are in. My HS English Professor (yes, he was an actual PHD prof who taught at a HS) used to say “The faces we put on to meet the faces we meet”.

I have been known as a blogger, professional blogger, writer, consultant, social media consultant, Owner/Writer and of course “mom”. . . all depending on who I am speaking to at the time.
http://www.socialmediamercenary.com/ Leslie A. Joy

I'm a virtual assistant and do some side blogging, so I go with a Social Media Mercenary.
http://LisaMorosky.com Lisa Morosky

If I need to say something, I'll say Blogger and Virtual Assistant. Considering who I market my VA services to, the “blogger” needs to be in there to establish a bit more credibility.

But, in various places, I refer to myself as Master Implementer instead of Virtual Assistant.

Actually, I have fun with this when describing what I do to people who may not get it. Depending on the person's experiences and what I know about them, I'm a variety of things. To one person, I'm a freelancer. To another, I'm a writer. Whatever will make sense to them. I've found that sometimes it's easier to meet people where they are in terms of their knowledge of my industry, versus trying to completely educate someone in 5 minutes.
http://alidavies.com/ Ali Davies

You know Michael, I have to confess to not being a fan of labels. Yes, I know it is a way for others to identify us and what we do but still, there is a little part of me that is a label rebel!! So, no surprise that I flit a bit. Sometimes I would call myself a business owner, sometimes a home biz owner. But most of the time I would avoid using a label if I can get away with it.
http://www.riverwoodwriter.com/ Elizabeth H. Cottrell

I have, more often than not, called myself a business woman. On the community and corporate boards I serve, this seems to be more satisfying to the status quo.

Lately, I've been calling myself a Connection Specialist, because it invites conversation.

If I think the other person has a sense of humor, I tell them I'm the OEO of a writing and desktop publishing company. OEO? Only Executive Officer.
- remarkablogger
  
  Ha! I like that. OEO: that's good.
http://loosecanvas.com patrick

As an artist, designer, entrepreneur,…… I've had a hard time choosing a label that isn't a run-on sentence.
I've chosen 'maker' and define it from there. It's different. It's exciting. It describes what I do and leaves plenty of room for growth.
(I like 'creator', but I think it sounds too pretentious-like you're comparing yourself to God)
- http://theauthenticpath.com Pamela
  
  I like creator – because it does sound pretentious.
- remarkablogger
  
  In some circles “maker” is becoming a word infused with the geek/art/tech
  DIY spirit. There is Make magazine, for example, and science fiction author
  & Boing Boing writer wrote an excellent novel called Makers.
KateNasser

Oh I see … Entrepreneur and business woman…
http://www.TheSolopreneurLife.com Larry Keltto

I'm kinda locked in to solopreneur

The first time I heard the word, I thought, “That's it. That's exactly what I've been for the past 17 years.”
http://www.yourancestorsfree.com Janet mc

I would say to People , i have a Blog. So maybe that makes me a Blog Owner. I like the sound of that rather than a Blogger.
http://www.wrightplacetv.com Dr. Wrght

I call myself and Entrepreneur. I like that, it makes me feel inspired. I do much more than just blog. Also, I do not own all the ventures I take part in, even if I am making a large portion of the income from it.

This blog inspires me and teaches me how to stay on track with my blogging which is a large part of all the business I do.
http://www.casinofreund.com Tyler

In Germany, being a freelancer means you're doing consulting work for very less money and you have to do lots of paperwork. If you call yourself a consultant, people look up to you and are willing to pay much more money…
http://www.TheFranchiseKing.com The Franchise King

King.
- remarkablogger
  
  All hail the King!
bill horton

Small Business Owner or Small Business Consultant
I like to focus on the potential customers I can assist, not only their size.
remarkablogger

All hail the King!
bill horton

Small Business Owner or Small Business Consultant
I like to focus on the potential customers I can assist, not only their size.
http://www.pariuri-x.ro/ Pariuri

ATM I'm just a blogger. I am not making any money from my blog , it's just for fun. Also , I'm not planning to make money from blogging.
http://www.roger-hamilton-news.com Roger Hamilton

I call my self psychiatrist………because i think i can read the mind of people………..
- remarkablogger
  
  Oh, I thought that was “psychic.”
Anas Haykal

An entrepreneur is not something you call your self but people observe about you. I call myself a consultant.
http://www.sevinduer.dk Thomas

Hi Michael, its an interesting question you have here. Im a small business owner myself, althought not a blogger (i have a construction company). For myself the answer to the question depends mostly of who I talking to, if I'm talking to a company I use the title Director, in comparison to my customers where I usually just present myself as the owner. The main reason to use a title such as the Director is not to have my company seem larger then it really is (since its not so difficult for the other companies to discover this), but more so to ease the communication with the company. There is also the question to use “we” or “I” when you have a 1 man company, but that is a different question to answer
Good Boy323

fu
http://stormywriter.com/default.aspx Robert Medak

Small business owner, although “Freelancer” is more accurate.

I write, edit, review, and am trying to learn marketing.
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http://www.lottolotto.org Lotto Lotto

I would say: A business inspector
Probably the online guy with a casino industry related website and no affiliate links LOL