Co-owner/operator vs general manager

The differences between co-owner/operators and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a co-owner/operator and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $32,256 average annual salary of a co-owner/operator.

The top three skills for a co-owner/operator include co-op, patients and data analysis. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Co-owner/operator vs general manager overview

	Co-Owner/Operator	General Manager
Yearly salary	$32,256	$71,581
Hourly rate	$15.51	$34.41
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	95,615	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a co-owner/operator do?

A co-owner/operator is responsible for delivering goods and services for the companies using their trucks and vehicles. Co-owner/operators ensure timely merchandise deliveries, check the quantity and quality of the cargo, and follow routes accordingly. They also inspect vehicle conditions, identify any inconsistencies, and perform troubleshooting for malfunction for immediate repair or replacement of components to prevent deliveries delays. A co-owner/operator must have clean driving records, adhering to the road's safety regulations.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Co-owner/operator vs general manager salary

Co-owner/operators and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Co-Owner/Operator	General Manager
Average salary	$32,256	$71,581
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $49,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	Rahway, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	BorgWarner	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between co-owner/operator and general manager education

There are a few differences between a co-owner/operator and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Co-Owner/Operator	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Co-owner/operator vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between co-owner/operators' and general managers' demographics:

	Co-Owner/Operator	General Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between co-owner/operator and general manager duties and responsibilities

Co-owner/operator example responsibilities.

Manage shipping and warehousing for the entire U.S., as well as A/R & A/P.
Manage end to end business operations including hiring, scheduling visits, conducting customer consultations and performing pet visits.
Perform renovations and finishing work, roof work, windows, siding and much more.
Developed/Maintain Facebook page for marketing/advertising.
Developed/Maintain Facebook page for marketing/advertising.

General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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Co-owner/operator vs general manager skills

Common co-owner/operator skills

Co-Op, 35%
Patients, 10%
Data Analysis, 7%
PowerPoint, 6%
Python, 4%
C++, 3%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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