How to hire an owner

How to hire an owner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step owner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an owner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new owner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an owner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the owner you need to hire. Certain owner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An owner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, owners from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of owner salaries for various roles:

   Type of Owner	Description	Hourly rate
   Owner	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$28-64
   Vice President	Vice presidents are usually considered the second-in-command in the organization, depending on the organization structure. They take over when the president is unavailable to fulfill duties... Show more	$51-112
   President	Presidents are usually the highest-level executives in an organization. They oversee the whole company... Show more	$54-155

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Payroll
   • Financial Statements
   • Product Development
   • Real Estate
   • Business Development
   • Windows
   • Business Management
   • Photography
   • Business Plan
   • Human Resources
   • Graphic Design
   • Inventory Control
   • Retail Sales

   Check all skills

   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.

   More owner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your owner job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An owner salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an owner in Louisiana may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level owner usually earns less than a senior-level owner. Additionally, an owner with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average owner salary

   $90,334yearly

   $43.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level owner salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average owner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$134,539	$65
   2	District of Columbia	$121,655	$58
   3	Virginia	$121,448	$58
   4	Connecticut	$121,428	$58
   5	Rhode Island	$119,148	$57
   6	Massachusetts	$118,473	$57
   7	Washington	$116,808	$56
   8	California	$110,446	$53
   9	Michigan	$110,183	$53
   10	Illinois	$108,571	$52
   11	North Carolina	$107,908	$52
   12	Pennsylvania	$105,666	$51
   13	Maryland	$101,936	$49
   14	North Dakota	$96,200	$46
   15	Ohio	$93,838	$45
   16	Minnesota	$91,369	$44
   17	Georgia	$87,627	$42
   18	Oregon	$84,631	$41
   19	Texas	$80,323	$39
   20	Utah	$77,815	$37

   Average owner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BP America Inc	$149,144	$71.70
   2	Boehringer Ingelheim	$144,588	$69.51	1
   3	Fairview Health Services	$139,541	$67.09	3
   4	Genentech	$139,128	$66.89	6
   5	Medtronic	$136,353	$65.55	3
   6	General Motors	$135,386	$65.09
   7	Mars	$133,676	$64.27
   8	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.	$133,140	$64.01	2
   9	Meta	$132,025	$63.47	20
   10	Veoneer	$129,593	$62.30
   11	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$128,638	$61.85	4
   12	Toyota Financial Svc	$128,006	$61.54
   13	Visteon	$127,885	$61.48
   14	Magna International	$127,714	$61.40
   15	Vestas Blades America	$127,236	$61.17
   16	Alene Candles	$126,316	$60.73
   17	Polaris	$125,030	$60.11
   18	Ernst & Young	$124,162	$59.69
   19	Cerner	$123,206	$59.23
   20	New Life	$121,831	$58.57

4. Writing an owner job description

   A good owner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an owner job description:

   Owner job description example

   Are you inspired by “what's next”? So are we.
   
   When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.
   
   Job Description
   
   Global Process Framework & Governance Leader
   Job Description:
   Are you inspired by “what's next”? So are we.
   When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.
   
   Albemarle is seeking a leader to create alignment of global process improvements with strategic business needs through effective process governance. This is a newly created position that will require development of a process owner framework to ensure all Global Process Owners (GPO) work with a consistent approach and methodology across the enterprise and in partnership with the IT Team. This leader will also help to establish common expectations of the GPO. You will collaborate with GPO's and leaders across the enterprise to ensure support of the GPO network and to ensure the GPO network is consistently delivering on the work necessary to achieve the company strategy. To excel in this role, you must be passionate about global process efficiency and effectiveness, be organized, good mentor and ability to multitask and communicate well with others.
   
   Roles and Responsibilities
   Orchestrates a community of Global Process Owners to ensure alignment across the enterprise business processes with business needs Serve as the facilitator and key support leader for the community of GPO's and the IT TeamCreates and evolves a framework for all GPOs to provide consistent support and leadership of all business processes.Advance the usage of BPM across the enterprise to bring focus to process improvement, training improvement, and process adherence.Works with GPOs to assist them in identifying, implementing and improving key strategic objectives through OKR Conduct regular GPO alignment workshops with business leaders Assess GPO maturity of the team(s) and coach to higher levels of maturity, at a pace that is sustainable Conduct ongoing evaluations to ensure the effectiveness of GPO support, training, and process documentation Coach teams on how to remove complex roadblocks and impediments to change and delivery of process improvements Drive continuous improvement through transparency, customer focus, and collaboration Proactively collaborate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders to address GPO knowledge gaps to support GPO effectiveness Ability to effectively communicate with executive leadership and peers, including strong writing skills to draft and publish internal technical documentation, SOP's, specifications, business cases, etc.
   Preferred Qualifications
   A Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or similar or relevant job experience10+ years of experience in working with business process systems or similar systems design5+ years of experience working in an Agile environment helping teams efficiently deliver value Excellent organization skills and an ability to develop and implement plans for major issues and projects Demonstrated ability to effectively prioritize and balance multiple activities Resourceful, takes the initiative to accomplish goals and objectives Works well in a team environment and is comfortable with an extremely fast pace, switching priorities, and multitasking.
   Choose to unlock your full POTENTIAL. Apply today.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right owner for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your owner job on Zippia to find and recruit owner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit owners, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new owner

   Once you've found the owner candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new owner first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an owner?