

Ask HN: Job Titles for Sole Operators? - esonica

I am rebranding my business at the moment, and trying to decide what job title (if any) I should put on a business card.<p>I am a sole operator, I do web design,coding, hosting, but am trying to focus more on the music industry, working with bands to promote them through the web via websites, facebook, twitter etc. Ideas are welcome :)<p>Also, as sole operators, what titles do you use?
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jcrocholl
I call myself "Founder" in the context of my current solo project, even if
that project is not really a "startup" or "company".

As the legal term I use "Sole Proprietor":
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_proprietorship>

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anactofgod
I don't put a title on any of the cards for my consulting or startup
business(es). They tend to be over- or pre-loaded with meaning, frivolous,
meaningless, and/or limiting, esp for a solo/small operation.

Try this: On the face: Name, pho no & email addr. On the back (opt): Company
name & catchy, descriptive tagline. Use an interesting, legible font. Keep the
color scheme simple.

A well crafted tag-line is much better than a title, and gives you a lot more
freedom to market yourself, your services/products and your business.

I get a lot of complements on the simplicity of my cards, I save # on printing
costs, and there is plenty of room for potential clients & customers to make
their own notes about what they want to follow up with me on.

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apowell
I've used "Consultant". It's not really what I am (my main business is
advertising/subscriptions), but if I'm handing you my business card, then I'm
probably a consultant to you.

Consider "Web Dev Consultant" if you want to be ever-so-slightly quirky while
still being informative.

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soyelmango
It depends who you're targeting - suits, techs, artists? If you choose quirky,
make sure it's _smart_ quirky, and not _glib_ quirky. "Your web guy" sounds a
bit... bland. It sounds too average, like "Mr Site". Come back and let us know
what you choose! And let's see your business cards too :)

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faramarz
How about 'Without Title' ?

Good conversation starter and unique.

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esonica
Interesting idea, I did consider "Your Web Guy"

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eliot_sykes
I've pondered the same thing and ended up going with Founder. Sometimes I'll
use Developer or "Developer Founder". Tried out Creator for a bit but I
thought that sounded uppity.

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brk
The Dude.

