Q's and feedback for people trying ideas from the Top 10 Class

Thanks Chris. I'm leaning in that direction too, although the "coach" is more clear in people's minds. One solution:

The Mood Wizard: Coaching for Emotional Mastery

What do you think? And would it be a mistake to incorporate some version of "pointy hat and robe" into a visual logo? I can think of arguments for and against.

Thanks Andrew.

I hear you. I'm sitting here just now wrestling with the appeal of "mood wizard" as a branding icon, against the whimsy of it that seems to undermine a professional image.

One of my challenges is that my work is out-of-the-box different. In some ways I'm not a "professional" as much as I am a disciplined rebel. I have no formal training in either coaching or therapy. What I have is a deep dissatisfaction with the limited options available to people who struggle with moods, and ten years of hard work coming up with a better alternative.

So is it more important to communicate that up front, or better to find a handle that fits the expectations for professionalism in the general category of service I provide (counseling/coaching/?)?

This is getting at the core of my struggle to create a cohesive marketing message. I welcome any thoughts, challenges, ideas, etc.

Thank you all. I too have been coming back to wondering why not stay with being a 9JOYS practitioner. The reason I strayed from that is, it feels like selling 9JOYS is to promote an entire methodology. I think the time will come for that. The fact is, at the moment, while that methodology is what I do, it's just me doing it, and what I really have to sell is just li'l' ol' me.

I'm going back to Chris and Dominic talking about how it doesn't work to say "we" when there's just one of you, for example. I am wondering if I am overstating my position when the brand I'm promoting is 9JOYS vs. something more personal and individual.

Dan and Lara, your input about not taking the first thing does resonate -- it took me about 8 years of trying one name and then another before settling on 9JOYS as the name of my work. It does fit. I like it. It appeals to people.

So I'm shifting back to finding a way to combine 9JOYS with something more personal/individual. Here's what I've got so far:

9JOYS Coach 9JOYS Mood Transformation Coach 9JOYS Coach for Emotional Mastery

Carey, I think you're right. Time to try these out with real prospects in my target communities.

Funny, I had to pull out my business card because I forgot what I put on there. Just had them printed for last week. I've got my title as "9JOYS Coach." Maybe I'll just take that and run with it.

Chris and Dom - this is so doggone hard, you know? Being so close to it means I have a hard time stopping the questioning and second-guessing. What if it's not the best choice, and what if I get stuck with it, or it turns people off, etc... More argument for getting out of my head and putting it in front of real prospective customers.

I'm sitting with "9 Joys Life Coach" and liking it. "Life Coach" is something everyone relates to, and "9 Joys" says this is life coaching that's different somehow.

One difference that might be useful to highlight: 9JOYS is great for people who use their feelings to know what's true, or what to do, etc. They say things like, "It feels right, so I'll do it," or "I know it's true because I feel it." For those people, (and I'm one of them), standard life coaching (and cognitive behavioral therapy a la Dr. Phil) doesn't appeal. We don't "just do it" or "think positive thoughts" as a way of creating what we want. Instead, we use feelings to navigate, and sometimes that gets us in trouble, because feelings have a way of getting stuck and obscuring our perception.

Perhaps there's a way for me to capture all that in a tag line.

9JOYS Life coaching for people who feel deeply

...or something like that.

I've got a lot to work with, though, and I'm feeling like I'm on track. Thank you for your contributions!