How To Become A Business Owner/Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a business owner/operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Kim Roberts

The average business owner/operator salary is $33,361. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a business owner/operator. Business owner/operators with a International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 189,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a business owner/operator?

Dr. Kim Roberts

Professor of Operations Management, Website

Business-related occupations offer attractive salaries and offer a variety of disciplines, such as accounting, contract management, cybersecurity, finance, human resources, logistics, marketing, management, operations, sales, and more. However, business careers are often demanding, requiring long work weeks and travel.

Skills
leadership
communication
innovation
adaptation
critical thinking
problem solving
emotional intelligence
empathy
teamwork
cultural competence
conflict management
ethics and social responsibility

ScoreBusiness Owner/OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,361

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.32%

Black or African American 6.12%

Hispanic or Latino 15.00%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.76%

Gender

female 40.97%

male 59.03%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a business owner/operator

Explore business owner/operator education requirements

Most common business owner/operator degrees

Bachelor's

46.3 %

Associate

24.1 %

High School Diploma

13.8 %

Start to develop specific business owner/operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	36.15%
Payroll	14.01%
Financial Statements	8.79%
Residential Properties	4.10%
Business Operations	3.16%

Complete relevant business owner/operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business owner/operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business owner/operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business owner/operator resumes.

Research business owner/operator duties and responsibilities

Manage end to end business operations including hiring, scheduling visits, conducting customer consultations and performing pet visits.
Provide installation of siding and windows.
Receive and close payments on all paid invoices, through QuickBooks.
Certify and license LLC business owner and operator in accordance with Ohio regulations.

Apply for business owner/operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a business owner/operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do business owner/operators rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Business owner/operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Meeting achieving and surpassing any goals needed to catipult a company that I can stand behind.

Cons

Lazy Phonies

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019