The Coaching Identity

One of the things that we as humans use to identify and conduct ourselves in this world (and often take for granted) is our name.  A family name bears within it a sense of respect, helping us establish our roots and our sense of belonging.  First names are a more liberal expression of what our parents may have been thinking or feeling at the time of our birth, or someone our parents admire or idolize.  Sometimes we are named after a revered family member and other times we are given a name because we “just looked like an Emily or Kevin” (or whatever the name may be).  As you can see there are so many ways to choose a name, and all of them move towards a common goal – an identifiable moniker that allows us to establish an identity all our own.

Choosing a name to identify one’s coaching business is very similar to choosing the name of a child.  For example, a name is usually selected before the business is up and running (or before the child is born).  Also, the name has a special meaning to the creator of the business (or the parent of the child).  There is a fundamental distinction between the two that has a heavy bearing on the choice of a name for a coaching business (or any other business), and this is where the two diverge.

The name of a business can influence engagement even before the shopper or client considers engaging the business.