What’s in a name, you ask? Should you name your business after your personal name? Or a studio name? Unfortunately, most of us do not think of the long-term implications of either. If you are starting a business or reinventing one, then you should think long and hard about the way you name it. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Your name or brand is what you represent and what your company stands for, among other things.

The sensibility of a name can be the life or death of your company. Of course, if your work precedes you, it doesn’t really matter what your business name is—you should be busy regardless—but there are other implications you probably haven’t considered yet.

Most photographers name their business after their personal name and work from home. But is your name salable? Most prospective business owners start a business to sell it. Why, then, don’t we as photographers think like regular business people? I truly believe there is more art in business than in photography.

Think about it: Your growth as an artist is usually slow, but one simple decision can affect your growth as a business overnight. It’s not impossible to sell your business if it is named after your personal name, but it does prove to be a lot more difficult. Year after year as your business grows, so does your business equity. What good is your business equity if you can’t take advantage of it? Are you able to sustain the lifestyle you have been accustomed to once you retire? Would you not like to sell your business one day for $50,000? $100,000? $200,000 or more?

When I started my business in 1997, I deliberately did not name it after my personal name, as I knew that I had a better chance of selling it one day. I always promoted the company brand rather than the individual. If I was the business, then I really had no business. It was much easier to promote my associate photographers without my name being on the door. I knew that perhaps one day I would start a business after my personal name (when my goals changed) and I ended up selling my business in 2007. In 2008, I started a new business venture after my personal name. I know that I will never be able to sell it, but my intention is to make more money since I am charging more for my services and promoting the “artist” rather than the “company.” An individual artist’s signature should garner more money than a company brand. Yes, the expectation is that I have to photograph all the assignments, but I am happy to do so for the right price. As I approach the later years of my business, I could potentially reinvent my current business to include associates and move my business out of my home.

If you are operating your business after your personal name, are you at least charging a larger amount for your services as the exclusive artist? I certainly don’t have the most creative name, but it is a decision that I have made and am content with. If your name is not creative or sexy enough, you may want to modify it a little so it has the prestige of an individual but the broadness of a salable name. If you want to change your name to a salable name and don’t know where to start, think of a short, sharp and sexy name that rolls off the tongue. If you want inspiration for those kinds of names, go to the perfume counter at Bloomingdale’s. The fashion and cosmetic industry have spent millions of dollars to understand what attracts the female audience (which is usually the target market for wedding photographers).

Think seriously about the steps you need to take to make your business salable and maximize the lure of how much an individual artist’s signature is worth.

Jerry Ghionis is widely regarded as one of the best wedding photographers and educators in the world, is a USA Nikon Ambassador and was WPPI’s very first Grand Master.

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