General manager vs owner

The differences between general managers and owners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a general manager, becoming an owner takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, an owner has an average salary of $90,334, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.

The top three skills for a general manager include customer service, cleanliness and food safety. The most important skills for an owner are customer service, payroll, and financial statements.

General manager vs owner overview

	General Manager	Owner
Yearly salary	$71,581	$90,334
Hourly rate	$34.41	$43.43
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	442,690	86,486
Job satisfaction	4.25	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	52
Years of experience	6	-

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.

What does an owner do?

Owners, in the most basic sense, own the business, company, or organization. They are responsible for building the business. They create business plans and the general vision and mission of the company, set goals, work on these goals, and ensure that the business keeps running. They manage all aspects of their business, from finances to marketing to people, etc. When the business becomes stable, owners eventually hire more employees. As such, owners also become overseers who would ensure that the organization remains afloat.

General manager vs owner salary

General managers and owners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Manager	Owner
Average salary	$71,581	$90,334
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $126,000	Between $60,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New Jersey
Best paying company	NVIDIA	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between general manager and owner education

There are a few differences between a general manager and an owner in terms of educational background:

	General Manager	Owner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General manager vs owner demographics

Here are the differences between general managers' and owners' demographics:

	General Manager	Owner
Average age	44	52
Gender ratio	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	12%

Differences between general manager and owner duties and responsibilities

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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Owner example responsibilities.

Manage web content and a PHP / MySQL application.
Create and develop a website to help clients easily manage their instagram account to gain exposure.
Execute all social media marketing and manage the company Facebook page/campaigns.
Manage human resource functions by generating payroll, scheduling and upholding company policies.
License Maryland home improvement contractor managing a small home improvement business that specializes in doors and windows.
Manage end to end business operations including hiring, scheduling visits, conducting customer consultations and performing pet visits.

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General manager vs owner skills

Common general manager skills

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

Common owner skills

Customer Service, 25%
Payroll, 17%
Financial Statements, 8%
Product Development, 7%
Real Estate, 3%
Business Development, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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