What's your personal job title when you do multiple things?
Hi everyone, this is my first post on IH and excited to learn from everyone.
I'm going to make some bizcards and was wondering what I should call myself. I thought some of you might be in similar shoes since you've probably wearing multiple hats building something.
For my client work, I design websites, videos, and help a bit with branding/content creation. My friends think of me more as a marketer. I don't call myself a developer because I'm just really taking templates and finding a way to fit a design into them.
The majority of my work/income is web design, but I feel that is wrong b/c I'm sort of a marketer who just knows how to put sites together. Also, I feel I have a good chance to get more involved in video.
If I worked in corporate, I was recommended to call myself "web solutions consultant", but I feel that means nothing to a small business. It feels fluff to me..
And so I'm thinking something like listing a couple words instead of a job title like websites - videos - marketing strategy.
I was wondering if some of you run into this issue and how you labeled yourself.
I like to just use founder. Or nothing.
Here is the hard truth. No one cares about your title. Seriously.
If you left your title off the business card, do you think people would think less of you? Or more?
The question really becomes, when you leave your card with them, will they already be in a position to REMEMBER you? When you are just starting out, you wear too many hats. Saying a title related to your marketing prowess may or may not get the respect you need of the clients that want to know someone is in charge.
Years ago a mentor of mine suggested two things:
If you are hustling to grow as an entrepreneur to build a serious business where roles WILL eventually be broken up, have you considered acting that way now? There is a good story about the history of IBM where when they first started, they wanted to ACT and THINK big. In doing so they grew big. Morale of the story is how you think and act will make up where your polarity of effort is. Are you really the marketer in your business? Or are you the "CEO, Bitch"? (https://youtu.be/P276gkvL_YE).
Some people want to stay small, to be a solo-preneur. If that's you, saying Founder / Owner etc is sufficient. Expect to grow your team, and run it? Founder & CEO. Plan to have someone else run it while you take control of marketing? Founder & CMO. (Or whatever).
Crafty titles don't win business. Attitude and effort do. But how do your customers see you? That is what matters.
What's on my card? Nothing. Just my name. As a SaaS play though, I don't give out a lot of cards. How do I position on LinkedIn / emails etc. Founder or Founder & CEO. Depends on the audience. But it doesn't honestly matter. What matters is the growth in MRR, the reduction in churn and CAC, and the expansion of markets.
YMMV. Don't stress about it right now though. Get a card without it... you'll be fine.
Pumped me up Dana! Thx! Great advice and just focusing on creating a great business. I felt the biz card exercise was tough in that I was trying to find the perfect tagline, which doesn't exists. I'm just going to put my name and some keywords I want to be remembered by. Thanks for sharing your mentor's tips.
One day I want to be able to put 'Octopus' because of doing so many different things. Got a few more things to learn before I earn that title though.
@channingallen amirite?
🐙
ha! Maybe Millipede describes us better
Possibly Senior Marketing Manager.
It is hard to describe what you do in one job title.
It would be:
Web Developer and Marketing Consultant, or something like it.
I had a problem like that and got many big names suggesting, that you should add "Senior" in front of your main trade. Senior is a person that can create things on his own, help out team, put a viable strategy and vision, and have experience in accomplishing (and failing) projects. So you put "Senior Marketing Manager" and then add in your specialization all your skills.
But be wary - "Senior" is reserved for people that are not afraid to be judged, and have in-depth knowledge of their main trade -yourself claiming being a "Senior" can be dangerous if you do not think you are more experienced than your peers.
Thanks Bart. To me, this sounds like a job title if I was applying to a larger company or tech. But working directly with small businesses, I can't imagine most of my clients understanding this.
A client once described me as like a Creative Director, but yeah, my experience isn't there yet.
I've been calling myself a Web Designer and Content Creator just so I don't get boxed into being a coder, which tends to happen from what I've heard from some peeps.
I wrestle with this exact same thing. And I realise now, the interest/talent in multiple things / failure to commit to one probably stretches back to my school days.
My current situation is: journalism background, latterly with a dose of long-form analysis writing, sprinkle in a current load of content strategy and writing for tech companies, now also book author, extending to branding work and tinkering hard on building stuff.
Anyway, there are two books on this subject:
Me, then? Er, "editorial consultant".
I like "Proprietor" because it makes me sound like I run a 19th century saloon.
speaking of, is the new West World episode out? ha!
Tell people, "It's easier to describe myself with verbs than nouns." And then tell them all the things you do. For a business card, maybe list a few. "I make websites. I do marketing. I get things done."
Similarly, when people tell me what they do with a noun, a good way to get to the bottom of things is to ask them what verbs did you do yesterday.
"Anarchist Factotum", as in you don't belong in a given hierarchic position, and also you are able to do anything.
Really? 😂😂
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You know I'm thinking just to go with Digitial Services next to my name. Thx so much!
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OH I like that one. Or digital experience creator. Just vague enough to cover everything but narrow enough to convey your value.