Do you use your real name in your business or did you create a separate brand identity?
Topic summary
The discussion explores whether entrepreneurs should use their real names or create separate brand identities for their businesses.
Arguments for using real names:
- Builds trust and personal connection with customers
- Works well for service-based businesses, consultants, coaches, and thought leaders
- Reduces distance between seller and customer
- Creates foundation for personal branding
- Helps differentiate in competitive markets
Arguments for separate brand identity:
- Provides more professional and polished appearance
- Enables easier scaling beyond the founder
- Makes business sellable and transferable
- Better suited for group/joint ventures
- Allows flexibility for team expansion and multiple offerings
- Separates business operations from personal identity
Key considerations:
The choice depends on business type and long-term goals. Personal names suit individual expertise-based services, while separate brands work better for scalable operations or partnerships. Some participants note that group businesses typically require neutral branding that satisfies all stakeholders.
The consensus suggests no single right answer—the decision should align with whether the founder wants to be “the product” or build something independent of their personal identity.
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Using your real name in your business will always help you create trust with your users
When it comes to service, yes. But, many ventures created separate entities, some because of personalities that didn’t match mine in real life and some were just joint operations. So, we decided to create a new brand as a group.
I decided to create a separate brand identity. Using my own name felt too limiting since I’d like the business to grow beyond just me one day, and a brand makes it easier to look more professional and scalable. That said, I know people who use their real name successfully — it can work really well if you’re building a personal brand or offering services that are very tied to your individual expertise.
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Using your own name works best if you want to be seen as the product — like a consultant, coach, artist, or thought leader. It builds personal recognition, trust, and authority. But it can feel limiting later if you want to bring in a team, sell the business, or expand into multiple offerings.
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I use a separate brand identity for the business. It gives a more polished and professional feel, and makes it easier to scale things without everything being tied directly to me.
I still stay close to clients when needed especially on strategy or high-touch work, but having a brand makes collaboration, marketing, and long-term positioning much more flexible.
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If it is a group business, it is better not to use a real name, as the name is usually originated from the idea after discussing and needs to be satisfied with all the people.
If it refers to personal business, the real name is definitely a good choice, as it can reduce the distance between customers and sellers, also will be good for brand building.
i think if personal business going with name is preferable as it can be used as personal brand in future
In my view, using your name for a personal business is preferable since it lays the foundation for building a lasting personal brand later on.
I always want to use my real name in my business. I want my brand to reflect my true self, and it starts with my name
For a group business, the branding goal is to resonate with the customers expectations.
For a personal business, you will want to personalize the shopping experiences.
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Honestly, I’d say I’ll use my personal name with the possibility of building a personal brand. People like to buy from people they feel connected with, and that’s a real differentiating factor in 2025. In my opinion, it can really help you stand out from the competition.