It’s not uncommon for “one-man brands” — like me and massivemouse.com — to refer to themselves and their business with “we”. Some think that this is an unnecessary facade; a vain attempt to make a small company sound bigger than it is. I disagree.

It does depend on the speaker’s motivation, and yes, if it’s an attempt to make the company sound bigger than it is, then there’s not much point. However, a good motivation for using “we” instead of “I” is when, in the owner’s mind, the business is thought of as a separate entity from him or herself; something that has a different list of needs and wants from that of the owner. Good business decisions usually come from such a distinction.

Too often, small business owners — while simultaneously playing the roles of CEO, VP of Sales, manager, technician and janitor — confuse their own wants with business needs. For example, I’d love to buy a new laptop. I could easily rationalize it and justifiably make it a business expense, but, from my business’s perspective, it’s unnecessary. My current laptop is old, but it works just fine.

Thinking of your business as a separate entity — like a sapling in the backyard that needs watering and weeding if it’s going to grow large — can help from making this mistake.

A simple reminder of that distinction is to refer to yourself and your business with “we” rather than “I”.

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