Calling yourself a CEO AIBU?

[Namechange144]

Sorry I’ve name changed for this.

Went to a new local cafe yesterday with a friend I’d not seen since before Covid. She quit her corporate job at the start of lockdown and started a gym - think group classes and some personal training sessions. Not a gym you’d go to independently exercise.

We got speaking to the cafe owner about the cafe and other things and he asked us what we both did, friend said ‘I’m a CEO’, I looked slightly surprised and said ‘a CEO?’ in what I guess was a slightly questioning tone. She then responded ‘Yes it’s a chief executive officer’ , I obviously knew what it stood for but I didn’t say anything else and the convo moved on.

AIBU to think you shouldn’t really refer to yourself as a CEO unless you are one in the traditional sense? Am I behind the times here, can you be a CEO of exercise classes? Surely you’d just say I’m a PT and have my own gym.
Friend is really nice so I feel like a bit of a bitch but I can’t help but think it’s a bit of a weird thing to say and wondered if it was just me that found this a bit odd.

God, that's toe curlingly embarrassing!

DH and I run a small side business in addition to our regular jobs. We’re in the US so title-wise, I’m both the President and the Secretary; he’s the V-P and the Treasurer. 😄

Exactly. If you own a limited company, you are the director. I'm the director of my limited company - admittedly it's only me though😂 (and I would never describe myself in this way - I just say I'm a freelancer/contractor).

What sort of halfwitted muppet would actually want to? There could be no sane reason other than fraudulent.

It's quite interesting. Big businesses, with boards and large numbers of employees, and lots of revenues are usually run by CEOs. Who are men.

Small businesses, with very few employees and relatively low revenues are run by women. Small businesses are also, in fact, far more important to our economy. They just don't get the glory.

Now, of course, you can argue that CEO or Director or Managing Director or whatever title are only used in the context of these BIG companies, but I can't help noticing that it's mostly women who are accused of overplaying their roles.... God forbid a woman who runs her own business, has built it and staffed it etc should dare to call herself CEO.

I run a small business. I am a director (that's a legal reality as my company is a LTD company, listed at Companies House with two directors). A few years ago I started calling myself Managing Director. Because that's what I am. And because it was pointed out to me (by a male client), that a man running a small consultancy business would not think twice about calling himself the MD.

Having said that, if asked what I do, I certainly would never say, "I'm an MD". Usually I tell people "I run a small [Medical] consultancy business". Or if it's a very light casual type query, I simply say, "I work in [medicine]" (not Medical, I'm just providing an example).

Marsha
Anyone can call themselves doctor as long as not doing it for fraudulent purposes. So fill your boots Dr Potter.

Nah - people would expect me to be intelligent and talk sense. And where would that lead.....?

If you have a PhD then you are perfectly entitled to call yourself 'Doctor', it becomes your title when you are awarded your PhD.

I agree with you OP, also people who add 'Executive' into their job title for no good reason. But it doesn't affect me, just makes them look like they are trying to big themselves up. People who are genuinely CEOs / other Executives would only introduce themselves as such where it made absolute sense. If anything, socially they will downplay their job roles.

Yanbu

She sounds awful!

Firstly, I was correcting the misapprehension that the title doctor was protected. It's not.

Secondly, I think you're a half-wited muppet if you think that you understand everyone's circumstances enough to make judgement on them.

Yeah, that's pretty normal. I don't tell people my job title in social situations either.

She said that he would never say it out loud to another person, which implied that he wouldn't use it in a work context either. I don't really think that would work!!

You haven't met many people with PhDs then? 😂

Well they're perfectly entitled to call themselves Dr., because it's an academic title that they've earnt. PhD is Doctor of Philosophy.

My married friend often gets raised eyebrows from people wrongly assuming that Dr Smith must be her husbands name.

They may equally have qualified for an EngD = Dr of Engineering,

You can also gain higher doctorates in other disciplines such as DSc. Doctor of Science.

Dr. isn't a title confined to the medical profession. I bet you feel a bit silly yourself now having spelt PhD incorrectly too. 😜

😂
What circumstances would make a non doctor introducing themselves as one understandable? I'll try to understand it if you explain it properly, I promise.
.

I know it’s harmless and I’m not trying to take anything away from what she’s achieved. I was just a bit surprised as I’ve just never heard anyone say that before in this context. Surely factually it’s wrong, which most seem to agree with. Obviously I know she can call herself whatever she wants.
I just found it really strange and wondered if it was just me.
Cafe owner is male but she is married so doubt she was trying to impress. And she didn’t go into any detail other than CEO so cafe owner was none the wiser to her actual role.
I have since checked her company social media and she does have it written everywhere that she’s the CEO so I’m guessing she just likes the thought being a ‘CEO’

It reminds me of the plot of Dirty John.

CEO, obviously!

I run a small business but would personally never dream of calling myself a CEO/Director, like many in my industry do. But if it makes her happy, and all that!

I'm an internet media relations consultant.
For my cat.

Calling yourself Dr when you have a PhD is totally fine unless you have been awarded an honorary doctorate, in which case you should only use that title when corresponding with the establishment that awarded it to you. Using it any other time is considered bad form, and a bit insulting to those who slogged away doing the actual work for a PhD. I know of two honorary doctors who always use their title and it makes me think less of them but they were always blowhards anyway.

I know plenty folk with a PhD who don't call themselves Dr and plenty who do. Their choice. I also know plenty medical doctors who don't use the title Dr and plenty who do, again their choice. They've earned the right to call themselves whatever they choose. But the ones that get it handed to them on a plate, without doing the work and use for self promoting reasons know no shame.

Yes calling herself CEO is pretentious. So is using the title Dr when you have a PhD (unless you are at work) and calling yourself Dr when you are a medical doctor (unless you are at work). People get carried away with themselves - looking up work colleagues on LinkedIn is always good fun!

I get the CEO resistance - feels like an overblown title for a small business. But why not director? If you have an actual business, then you are a director. It is in my (legal) role as director that I can sign my friends' children's passport photos. As a customer, knowing that I am dealing with the director tells me that I'm dealing with the person who is in charge and who can make real decisions. That is helpful to me. Personally, I think that all small business owners should absolutely be clear that they are the "director" even if they don't want to use more hardcore titles like CEO or Managing Director.

I mean technically it’s her company and she can give herself any job title she wishes. In reality she should have just said “ I own my own business”.

I also think it's funny when someone works for their family's business and gives themselves a fancy title. I know someone IRL who's done this and mentions her title to others, but as her Dad's the boss, she hardly had to compete for the position!

Same here. My DH is a real CEO, but he never says it to anyone. If asked , he just says he is the manager of XYZ company.

I mean, for the purposes of Companies House I am a Director. But it is really quite a small business that otherwise wouldn't warrant me going around calling myself a Director to anyone else

My one employee would laugh at me if I referred to myself as a Director in casual conversation at this stage! Maybe one day