Creating a Unique Personal Brand Name

If you are an observant individual, you may have picked up on the fact that Erik is now referring to himself as Erik J. Olson. On episode 165 of Journey to $100 Million, listen in as Erik explains why it is important to differentiate yourself from others for the sake of personal branding. Erik’s name has actually deviated quite a bit over the years. Sometimes he would just say Erik, sometimes Erik Olson, and he has always signed his name as Erik J. Olson - but he rarely referred to himself that way. The reason he uses his first name, last name, and middle initial is because he needs to distinguish himself from the other Erik Olsons in the world. Ironically, just down the street from Erik, there is an owner of a construction company by the name of Erik Olson. Not even a week ago, someone asked if Erik ran that company. Erik realized that when it came to his name, there was brand confusion. Erik has been referring to himself this way on this podcast, as well as social media. Even though the spelling might not be exactly the same as his name for some people, it is close enough to confuse people. If you have a name that is somewhat common, or other well-known people in the world have the same name, think about using your middle initial - some people actually use their middle name and don’t use their first name at all. The point here is to stand out. Refer to yourself in a name that is as unique as possible. What you want to do is narrow down the number of people it could be a match to. There are hundreds of Erik Olsons running around, but far fewer Erik J. Olsons. Think about how you refer to yourself, what your personal brand name is, and refer to yourself in a name that people will remember and won’t get confused about. — Erik J. Olson is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. The Founder & CEO of Array Digital, he is also the host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups. — Kevin Daisey is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was just 23, and is the Founder & CMO of Array Digital. Kevin is the also the co-host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the co-organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups.