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The differences between business executives and small business consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a business executive, becoming a small business consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a business executive has an average salary of $63,101, which is higher than the $47,982 average annual salary of a small business consultant.
The top three skills for a business executive include customer service, customer satisfaction and revenue growth. The most important skills for a small business consultant are customer service, business clients, and outbound calls.
| Business Executive | Small Business Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $63,101 | $47,982 |
| Hourly rate | $30.34 | $23.07 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 138,097 | 116,476 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
The duties of a business executive depend upon their position and industry of employment. In general, they are in charge of spearheading and overseeing business operations to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically have the power to make corporate decisions, set goals and budgets, establish guidelines and timelines, negotiate with potential business partners, and develop business strategies to optimize overall operations. Moreover, a business executive implements and promotes company policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.
A small business consultant specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize the daily operations of small businesses. They typically meet with clients to identify their needs and preferences, determine their short and long-term goals, perform market research and analysis to find business or client opportunities, determine the strengths and weaknesses of current processes, and implement solutions against problem areas. They may also conduct risk assessments and help address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, a small business consultant must devise a plan to implement the establishment's policies and regulations, suggesting new ones as needed.
Business executives and small business consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Executive | Small Business Consultant | |
| Average salary | $63,101 | $47,982 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $135,000 | Between $34,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albany, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a business executive and a small business consultant in terms of educational background:
| Business Executive | Small Business Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between business executives' and small business consultants' demographics:
| Business Executive | Small Business Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.9% Female, 40.1% | Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 9.7% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |