
Ever hear of “Cedric the Entertainer”? While he’s certainly a funny guy, his name was a bold statement of intent that helped him stand out from other similarly funny guys. You could benefit from a similar approach. How? (OK, deep breath.) Change your last name to “the Optician” (or “the Optometrist”). You’d definitely get tons of local news coverage for your bold choice. If you’re not willing to go so far as legally changing your name, then do it informally: print it on your business cards, use it to answer the phone (“Hi, this is John the Optician”), etc.
This article originally appeared in the April 2015 edition of INVISION.