For free agents, independent professionals and freelancers, one of the most difficult yet important tasks is picking the right name for your business. In this article, I share some ideas and thoughts that should help you with this daunting choice.

You may want to choose a descriptive name. Think of names like Land's End, Hard Rock Caf, Holiday Inn, Guerilla Marketing, Convenience Stores, etc. My favorite marketing star is Robert Middleton, who calls himself an InfoGuru and his website, ActionPlan.com with Action Plan Marketing as his business description.

I think that when we started purchasing domain names we were forced to describe our businesses and/or ourselves as succinctly and descriptively as possible. Of course, with the rush to get an effective domain name, many were forced into obtuse or convoluted choices, but it did make us think about names for a change. I have a friend who calls herself the Really Good Technology Writer. She uses it on her website, business card and when people meet her and ask her what she does, she doesn't hesitate to introduce herself as a "really good technology writer." A memorable choice!

This takes us up to labels and names for what we do. I know a speaker who advises us to never, never use a label for our profession. When someone asks us what we do, we can turn them off immediately by saying, "I am a lawyer, a consultant, a speaker, a doctor, a writer, and on and on." What happens is that most people have a pre-defined notion of what that label stands for and they don't ask anything else. Whereas, if you answer like Robert Middleton does, "I help independent professionals who are struggling to attract more clients." Right away, we want to know how he does that -- especially if we are an independent professional.

Other naming to consider for our business is the phrase or tag line that we use to describe us and what we do. Some phrases I have found on business cards and websites that are catchy and make me want to know more are: "Keeping you ahead of the competition," "Wasted time is wasted money," "Building the skills that build your reputation," "Connecting through story," "More than a Presentation It's a Celebration," "Unleashing the promise of today's technology," and "We work with businesses to turn computer frustrations into solutions!"

As with your business name, it takes a lot of consideration and effort to come up with an effective tag line, but once you find the right one, you can use it on your business card, website and any marketing material you create. As you are working on it, try various phrases on others to see their reactions. It won't take long to discover what works and what doesn't.

So, what's in a name? Lots! And what does your name, and/or tagline say about you? If it isn't doing the job you want and expect it to, it is time to consider a new one. Take your time -- the name you pick is important to your future success.