Can I use title of Director if I'm a sole trader?

GHER

Hi, I'm putting some business cards together and I'd like a bit of advice please.

I'm a sole trader for an estate agent and I'd like to know if can I put the title of Managing Director or Director on the card without breaking any laws or be deemed to be misleading anyone or misrepresenting myself?

I have also thought about "Proprietor", "Principal", "Principal Surveyor" and "Manager" but none of them have the same weight in my opinion as Managing Director or Director. I'm honestly not being snobby about it if that's how it's coming across, I just want to have as much gravitas as I can when trying to get business.

Am I breaking any laws by putting Director or Managing Director on the cards?

If so, has anyone any suggestions as to what I could put on the card or should I just stick to one of the options above?

Thanks in advance to any advice given.

Gloomtastic!

I believe you are not allowed to call yourself a Director if you are a sole trader. A Director indicates a Limited company.

Proprietor or Principal is usually the norm.

Andrea B.

Not sure about legality of what you can not use however, you can use a title such as "Director of Sales......./operations.......etc".

seosamh1980

I always think when I see Director/Managing Director for a small or very new business that the person just really wanted to give themselves a fancy title. This probably stems from one of my old jobs where a couple owned it, she flitted in and out when it suited her, he did all the actual work in the shop, they had no other staff for the first year, and her business card that she shoved in everyone's face said "Managing Director". Of a company that was her and her husband. :rolleyes:

I think Proprietor sounds good.

OU812

CEO

Atomico

'Owner'?!

Hanley

"Da Boss"

hardCopy

If I had my own company and wrote my own business cards I'd style myself as 'Ninja'

Or 'Chief Ninja in Charge of Sales'

The Corinthian

Proprietor or Principal, as Gloomtastic suggests. Director and any kind of executive officer, implies a separate legal entity to be a director or executive officer to. I remember the IT Director of a former employer of mine had to be renamed CTO because legally he was not a director.

When consulting as a sole trader, I'll generally use the term Principle Consultant.

Gloomtastic!

The Corinthian wrote: »

When consulting as a sole trader, I'll generally use the term Principal Consultant.

FYP!

Mark Zuckerberg's first business card stated 'I'm CEO, Bitch!' :eek:

The Corinthian

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

FYP!

Upps. Good thing I'm not a literary consultant then.

Tigger

i refer to myself as emperor
or bbm
(big boss man)

sandin

Just your name - nothing else should be needed.

There is some big shot in usa that just has the company name and his direct line - his attitude is that the person should already know his name.

Basically, the simpler the better and be confident.

srsly78

OP if you setup a company one of the things the CRO will post out to you is a booklet about "the responsibilities of directors". This is scary stuff, so I would be disinclined to represent myself as such fraudulently.

Using the title director implies you have a limited company so I wouldn't use it.

Do a Homer Simpson and call yourself Junior Vice President.

Peterdalkey

It is not clear from your original post as to whether you are the owner of the agency or just working for them on a freelance self employed basis. If you are not the owner, you need to be extremely careful as to how you portray your role, as one has to assume you will be using their company name on the card. If you are the owner, why not something clear and simple but not pretentious, like Agency Principal?

GHER

Peterdalkey wrote: »

It is not clear from your original post as to whether you are the owner of the agency or just working for them on a freelance self employed basis. If you are not the owner, you need to be extremely careful as to how you portray your role, as one has to assume you will be using their company name on the card. If you are the owner, why not something clear and simple but not pretentious, like Agency Principal?

I had actually toyed with the idea of Principal Agent but thought the better of it. Agency Principal would have been a good one too, but alas, I ordered the cards last night using the title Principal. Like you suggested, I was trying to avoid coming across as pretentious. Hopefully what I've chosen will do the trick. I'll keep your suggestion for the next batch! Thanks again.

morewrong

because

Bandara

sandin wrote: »

Just your name - nothing else should be needed.

There is some big shot in usa that just has the company name and his direct line - his attitude is that the person should already know his name.

Basically, the simpler the better and be confident.

This

The Corinthian

GHER wrote: »

Agency Principal would have been a good one too, but alas, I ordered the cards last night using the title Principal.

My reading of your OP is that you are working as a sole trade, under contract, for an agency. The agency is a separate company.

If this is the case, principle is confusing as you're certainly not the principle of the agency. All you are is a contractor - so calling yourself a sales consultant or something that is relevant to what you do makes more sense; that you're a sole trader really is immaterial.

I've used principal consultant, in the past, but generally only for things like registering for things like networking events. My business cards will have had instead my academic qualifications, where a title would normally go.

GHER

The Corinthian wrote: »

My reading of your OP is that you are working as a sole trade, under contract, for an agency. The agency is a separate company.

If this is the case, principle is confusing as you're certainly not the principle of the agency. All you are is a contractor - so calling yourself a sales consultant or something that is relevant to what you do makes more sense; that you're a sole trader really is immaterial.

I've used principal consultant, in the past, but generally only for things like registering for things like networking events. My business cards will have had instead my academic qualifications, where a title would normally go.

Hi, thanks for the post. I am the owner of the agency, not a consultant. Sorry for confusion.

dah

Proprietor sounds good

rainbowdash

The Corinthian wrote: »

Proprietor or Principal, as Gloomtastic suggests. Director and any kind of executive officer, implies a separate legal entity to be a director or executive officer to. I remember the IT Director of a former employer of mine had to be renamed CTO because legally he was not a director.

When consulting as a sole trader, I'll generally use the term Principle Consultant.

Can you point us to any evidence that you have to be a director, named on company documents of a legal entity etc. in order to call yourself a director?

It sounds absurd tbh.

I am thinking of people directing a movie or play or the musical director of a show, or even director of rugby or soccer in a sporting organisation. I doubt any of these are actual directors named on legal documents.

oregano

Hammertime wrote: »

This

I challenge this. You'd want to have a brilliantly memorable name to be so vain as to leave it off your card.

Principal is excellent.

Doubt it's against the law to call yourself Director on a card, but if its false why do so? You'll be caught out on white lies in business anyway, why advertise a complete falsehood?

The Corinthian

rainbowdash wrote: »

Can you point us to any evidence that you have to be a director, named on company documents of a legal entity etc. in order to call yourself a director?

I've been both a sole trader and a company director of a limited company, but will have to admit that I've never been too bothered about titles to ask my accountant what the story is in the past. To call myself a managing director, when operating as a sole trader, would also strike me as absurd, so the issue has never arisen for me.

However, I did offer some anecdotal evidence and this and this would indicate that the title has legal status and cannot be used by a sole trader.

I am thinking of people directing a movie or play or the musical director of a show, or even director of rugby or soccer in a sporting organisation. I doubt any of these are actual directors named on legal documents.

None of these are attempting to claim that they are company directors.

Bandara

oregano wrote: »

I challenge this. You'd want to have a brilliantly memorable name to be so vain as to leave it off your card.

Principal is excellent.

Doubt it's against the law to call yourself Director on a card, but if its false why do so? You'll be caught out on white lies in business anyway, why advertise a complete falsehood?

"Just your name - nothing else should be needed."

What exactly are you challenging there chief ?

oregano

Hammertime wrote: »

"Just your name - nothing else should be needed."

What exactly are you challenging there chief ?

I'm challenging the assumption that people, already perhaps inundated with business cards, should be asked to try and work out what you do. Unless you specifically work with hammers, or 90s pop stars, I'd suggest your own business card defined your job title. So I could remember why I have mr hammertime's card in the first place.

And perversely, perhaps the OP could indeed put the title Chief on his card. Or is it slightly mocking to do so?

hardCopy

oregano wrote: »

I'm challenging the assumption that people, already perhaps inundated with business cards, should be asked to try and work out what you do. Unless you specifically work with hammers, or 90s pop stars, I'd suggest your own business card defined your job title. So I could remember why I have mr hammertime's card in the first place.

And perversely, perhaps the OP could indeed put the title Chief on his card. Or is it slightly mocking to do so?

If you're Bill Gates or Donald Trump then anyone you meet has probably had to work hard to get close enough to get your card and won't have any trouble remembering who you are, otherwise I would think it's just pretentious and self-important to get a card like that.

I once got a card from a night-club security manager that had no title, it didn't even have his full name, it just said: "Steve The Greek".

I could maybe understand if you were a serial entrepreneur and wanted a card that wasn't associated with any particular venture.

Fridge

None of these are attempting to claim that they are company directors.

Neither would this person, directly - they would claim to be Director of a business, a sole trade, but not a company, unless they put Ltd at the end.

But I think the general consensus is that it should be proprietor or principal.
People will understand if they have any concept of sole trades and company law.

The Corinthian

Fridge wrote: »

Neither would this person, directly - they would claim to be Director of a business, a sole trade, but not a company, unless they put Ltd at the end.

True, but company law can be pretty strict where it comes to 'passing off' cases, so I wouldn't want to rely upon that technicality.

Stereomaniac

I'm sure there is probably somewhere better than Boards for our OP to get the correct answer?