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Business owner vs business partner

The differences between business owners and business partners 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 owner, becoming a business partner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business partner has an average salary of $96,324, which is higher than the $50,934 average annual salary of a business owner.

The top three skills for a business owner include customer service, payroll and financial statements. The most important skills for a business partner are analytics, project management, and customer service.

Business owner vs business partner overview

Business OwnerBusiness Partner
Yearly salary$50,934$96,324
Hourly rate$24.49$46.31
Growth rate6%10%
Number of jobs107,663106,251
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4439
Years of experience610

What does a business owner do?

Business owners, also known as Entrepreneurs, are responsible for their company and brand's success. There are many areas of responsibility when you're a business owner, such as in the aspects of planning and budgeting, arranging finances and legal documentation, and even hiring the workforce essential for the business to grow. However, these responsibilities will vary according to how a business owner will uphold them. Moreover, building a business from the ground up requires dedication and a vision and mission for the brand.

What does a business partner do?

A business partner is an individual who is involved in a legal business partnership with other individuals to manage a business as co-owners. Business partners invest their money into the business, and each partner benefits from any profits and sustains part of any losses. They must file with the state in which they do business and are governed mostly by state laws. Business partners can also be either liable or not for the actions taken by the company.

Business owner vs business partner salary

Business owners and business partners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business OwnerBusiness Partner
Average salary$50,934$96,324
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $94,000Between $66,000 And $140,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyBDZS
Best paying industryRetailTechnology

Differences between business owner and business partner education

There are a few differences between a business owner and a business partner in terms of educational background:

Business OwnerBusiness Partner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Georgia

Business owner vs business partner demographics

Here are the differences between business owners' and business partners' demographics:

Business OwnerBusiness Partner
Average age4439
Gender ratioMale, 51.4% Female, 48.6%Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between business owner and business partner duties and responsibilities

Business owner example responsibilities.

  • Manage the budget and insure operations run smoothly.
  • Create, own and manage a LLC for grind pet transportation.
  • Establish and manage a beading boutique via the Internet by utilizing Photoshop to post designs on a personal website.
  • Manage sales, customer service, billing, A/P, A/R, vendor relations, negotiations, repairs, and maintenance.
  • Manage end to end business operations including hiring, scheduling visits, conducting customer consultations and performing pet visits.
  • Handle all aspects from A/P to A/R, payroll, ordering and dealing with all distributors and city officials.
  • Show more

Business partner example responsibilities.

  • Manage publicity online, in medias such as Facebook and Instagram.
  • Negotiate and manage vendor relations using SLA's and metric management.
  • Lead the establishment of key ERP, database and java applications environments.
  • Implement and manage social media strategies and blog content as well as customer relationships on Salesforce.com.
  • Lead all operational, financial and customer relationship aspects of MMI's largest global OEM customer, IBM.
  • Plan, manage, supervise and lead the development, QA, UAT and deployment efforts towards on time delivery.
  • Show more

Business owner vs business partner skills

Common business owner skills
  • Customer Service, 31%
  • Payroll, 12%
  • Financial Statements, 9%
  • Business Plan, 7%
  • Business Model, 3%
  • Real Estate, 2%
Common business partner skills
  • Analytics, 8%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Human Resources, 5%
  • Performance Management, 5%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

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