Resume Example

Business Owner Resume Examples

Use these ATS-friendly resume examples and templates to showcase the company you built, the numbers it ran on, and the judgement you bring as a Business Owner.
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Contents
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A strong business owner resume should treat the business as the evidence. Highlight revenue and its growth, headcount, margin, retention or repeat rates, and any funding, expansion, or sale you carried out, because a hiring manager reading an owner resume wants to know the scale and whether it made money. Say what kind of business it was, since a services contractor, a retail food business, and an online brand are run on different numbers, and be direct about what you personally owned, because in most small businesses that is finance, operations, and people at once. Use the examples below to see how to turn ownership into clear, results-focused resume achievements.

Business Owner Resume Example

Meet Harlan Pettigrew, a fictional business owner who built a commercial mechanical services company to 46 staff and $8.4M before selling it. This example shows ownership at scale, measured in margin, contract retention, and a sale that kept every employee.

Harlan Pettigrew

(270) 555-0136 ◇ Bowling Green, KY

harlan.pettigrew@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/harlan-pettigrew ◇ harlanpettigrew.com

Objective

Business owner who founded and ran a commercial mechanical services company for 14 years, growing it from 3 people to 46 and $8.4M in annual revenue before selling to a regional group. Held net margin at 11% across the last 5 years, retained 88% of commercial service contracts annually, and completed the sale with all 46 staff retained. Now seeking an operating leadership role with the judgement that comes from having signed the front of the cheques.

Education
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Barren River Crown University 2004 – 2008

Coursework in HVAC Systems, Building Mechanical Design, Project Management, and Business Fundamentals.

Kentucky Master HVAC Licence, Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction 2011

Also completed a small business owner programme at a regional university in 2016.

Skills
Business Ownership
Profit and loss ownership, cash flow management, pricing and estimating, banking and bonding relationships, exit preparation and sale
Operations
Field service scheduling, project delivery, fleet and inventory, safety programme ownership, quality and callback control
People and Customers
Hiring and retaining technicians, apprenticeship programme, commercial account relationships, contract negotiation, dispute resolution
Tools & Platforms
ServiceTitan, QuickBooks, Procore, Excel, Microsoft 365, fleet telematics, estimating software
Experience
Founder and Owner 03/2012 – 06/2026
Barren River Crown Mechanical Services Bowling Green, KY
  • Founded and grew a commercial mechanical services company from 3 people to 46 and $8.4M in annual revenue over 14 years.
  • Held net margin at 11% across the last 5 years and retained 88% of 210 commercial service contracts annually.
  • Sold the company to a regional group in 2026 with all 46 staff retained and a 2-year transition role completed.
Service Manager 06/2009 – 02/2012
Green River Line Heating and Cooling Bowling Green, KY
  • Managed a service department of 9 technicians and $2.1M in annual service revenue.
  • Cut callback rate from 9% to 3% by introducing a checklist and a second-technician review on complex jobs.
  • Grew maintenance agreement count from 60 to 180 across 3 years.
HVAC Technician 06/2008 – 05/2009
Green River Line Heating and Cooling Bowling Green, KY
  • Completed about 900 service and installation calls in the first year across commercial and residential accounts.
  • Held a 97% first-visit fix rate against a company average of 84%.
  • Promoted to service manager after 12 months, the fastest of 14 technicians hired that year.
Projects

Building the Company. Grew from 3 people and 1 truck to 46 staff, 22 vehicles, and $8.4M by focusing on commercial service contracts rather than one-off installs, which produced recurring revenue that made hiring and borrowing predictable.

Apprenticeship Programme. Built an in-house apprenticeship that trained 24 technicians across 10 years, of whom 19 still work in the trade, which solved the hiring problem that constrains most contractors.

Sale and Transition. Prepared the company for sale over 2 years by documenting every process, cleaning up the books, and moving customer relationships from the owner to account managers, which is why the buyer kept all 46 staff.

Extra-Curricular Activities
  • Serve on the board of a regional contractors association with about 300 member companies.
  • Mentor 3 tradespeople a year who are starting their own businesses.
  • Chair the building committee of a community church that completed a $2M renovation in 2024.
Leadership
  • Led a company of 46 across 14 years with 5 managers reporting directly.
  • Developed 8 technicians into supervisor and manager roles, 2 of whom now run their own firms.
  • Carried personal accountability for payroll, bonding, and safety across 14 years with 0 lost-time incidents in the last 6.
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Small Business Owner Resume Example

Meet Maribel Santos, owner of a 2-location bakery and cafe with 18 staff. This example shows small business ownership honestly, where the owner is finance, operations, and people at once, measured in margin, turnover, and a second location opened on cash flow.

Maribel Santos

(505) 555-0180 ◇ Santa Fe, NM

maribel.santos@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/maribel-santos ◇ maribelsantos.com

Objective

Small business owner who founded and runs a bakery and cafe that grew to 2 locations, 18 staff, and $1.6M in annual revenue over 8 years. Holds net margin at 9% in a category where 3% is typical, kept staff turnover at 22% against an industry norm above 70%, and opened the second location on cash flow with no outside investment. Small business, where the owner is the finance, operations, and people functions at once.

Education
Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts, Sangre de Cristo Line Culinary Institute 2015 – 2016

12-month programme covering production baking, costing, and food safety management.

B.A. in Business Administration, Santa Fe Crown University 2009 – 2013

Holds a food safety manager certification and completed a small business lending readiness course in 2020.

Skills
Small Business Ownership
Cash flow and margin management, pricing and menu costing, lease negotiation, permits and compliance, bookkeeping oversight, tax planning
Operations
Production scheduling, inventory and waste control, supplier relationships, food safety systems, opening a second location
People and Customers
Hiring and scheduling, training and retention, wholesale account management, community marketing, customer service standards
Tools & Platforms
Square, QuickBooks, 7shifts, Toast, Instagram, MarketMan, Google Workspace, Excel
Experience
Founder and Owner 04/2018 – Present
Santa Fe Crown Bakery and Cafe Santa Fe, NM
  • Founded and run a bakery and cafe grown to 2 locations, 18 staff, and $1.6M in annual revenue over 8 years.
  • Hold net margin at 9% by managing food cost to 28% and labour to 31% of revenue across both locations.
  • Kept staff turnover at 22% a year through fixed schedules, above-market pay, and 2 internal promotions a year.
Head Baker 06/2016 – 03/2018
Pecos Line Bakehouse Santa Fe, NM
  • Ran production of about 400 units a day for a bakery with 2 retail counters and 15 wholesale accounts.
  • Cut ingredient waste from 12% to 5% by rebuilding production scheduling around sales history.
  • Grew wholesale accounts from 15 to 28 across 18 months through sampling and reliable delivery.
Operations Coordinator 07/2013 – 05/2015
Rio Chama Line Hospitality Group Santa Fe, NM
  • Coordinated purchasing and scheduling for 3 restaurants with 60 staff and $6M in combined revenue.
  • Cut food cost 3 points across the group by consolidating 9 suppliers to 4 and renegotiating terms.
  • Built the staff scheduling system that reduced overtime spend 19% in the first year.
Projects

Second Location Opening. Opened a second location in 2022 funded from operating cash flow, with the first location covering the build-out over 14 months. The second site reached break-even in month 5 and now produces 45% of revenue.

Margin Discipline. Hold a 9% net margin in a category where 3% is typical by costing every menu item quarterly, dropping the 6 lowest-margin items a year, and holding labour to 31% through cross-trained staff rather than fewer of them.

Retention Programme. Kept turnover at 22% against an industry norm above 70% by offering fixed weekly schedules, pay above the local market, and a clear path from counter to baker to shift lead.

Extra-Curricular Activities
  • Serve on the board of a downtown business association with about 120 member businesses.
  • Donate about 300 loaves a month to a community food programme through a day-old bread scheme.
  • Mentor 2 first-time food business owners a year through a small business development centre.
Leadership
  • Lead a team of 18 across 2 locations with 2 shift leads reporting directly.
  • Promoted 9 staff internally across 8 years, including both current shift leads.
  • Carry full accountability for payroll, leases, licences, and food safety across both locations.
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Ecommerce Business Owner Resume Example

Meet Kieran Moss, founder of an online pet supplies brand doing $2.9M a year. This example covers the online business model, measured in repeat purchase rate, subscription share, net margin, and a fulfilment operation run through a partner.

Kieran Moss

(719) 555-0195 ◇ Colorado Springs, CO

kieran.moss@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/kieran-moss ◇ kieranmoss.com

Objective

Ecommerce business owner who founded and runs an online pet supplies brand grown to $2.9M in annual revenue, 5 staff, and a third-party fulfilment operation over 6 years. Holds a 38% repeat purchase rate, a 4.8 store rating across 12,000 reviews, and a 14% net margin, with 62% of revenue now coming from a subscription programme built in year 3. Owns the product, the marketing, the numbers, and the customer complaints.

Education
B.S. in Marketing, Pikes Peak Crown University 2012 – 2016

Coursework in Digital Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Supply Chain, and Entrepreneurship.

Certificate in Ecommerce Finance and Operations, Front Range Line Institute 2021

Also holds Google Ads, Meta Blueprint, and Shopify Plus certifications.

Skills
Brand Ownership
Profit and loss ownership, unit economics, cash and inventory planning, product development and sourcing, pricing, subscription design
Growth
Paid acquisition management, email and retention, marketplace expansion, conversion optimisation, review and reputation management
Operations
Third-party fulfilment management, supplier and import logistics, customer service standards, returns, platform and app stack
Tools & Platforms
Shopify Plus, Klaviyo, Recharge, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, Amazon Seller Central, QuickBooks, Gorgias, Triple Whale
Experience
Founder and Owner 02/2020 – Present
Pikes Peak Crown Pet Supply, Online Brand Colorado Springs, CO
  • Founded and run an online pet supplies brand grown to $2.9M in annual revenue and 5 staff over 6 years.
  • Built a subscription programme in year 3 that now produces 62% of revenue with a 38% repeat purchase rate overall.
  • Hold a 14% net margin and a 4.8 store rating across 12,000 reviews while managing a third-party fulfilment operation.
Ecommerce Marketing Manager 06/2017 – 01/2020
Front Range Line Outdoor Goods Colorado Springs, CO
  • Managed paid, email, and site conversion for a direct-to-consumer brand doing $9M a year online.
  • Grew online revenue 54% across 3 years at a return on ad spend held above 3.5.
  • Built the email programme from 0 to 22% of revenue in 2 years.
Digital Marketing Coordinator 07/2016 – 05/2017
Front Range Line Outdoor Goods Colorado Springs, CO
  • Ran paid social campaigns on a $30,000 monthly budget across 2 platforms.
  • Cut cost per purchase 24% in the first year through creative testing and audience work.
  • Built 15 reporting dashboards that the marketing team of 6 used weekly.
Projects

Subscription Programme. Built a subscription option in year 3 around the 12 products customers reordered most, which now produces 62% of revenue and made cash flow and inventory forecasting predictable for the first time.

Fulfilment Transition. Moved from packing orders in a garage to a third-party fulfilment operation in year 2, negotiating rates that kept fulfilment cost per order under $4 while shipping time fell from 4 days to 2.

Margin Recovery. Took net margin from 6% to 14% in year 4 by cutting 30 low-velocity products, renegotiating with 3 suppliers, and shifting acquisition spend toward retention once the subscription base existed.

Extra-Curricular Activities
  • Host a quarterly meetup for ecommerce founders in the region with about 40 attendees.
  • Donate about 2,000 pounds of pet food a year to a regional animal rescue.
  • Mentor 3 first-time ecommerce founders a year through a startup accelerator.
Leadership
  • Lead a team of 5 across marketing, customer service, and operations, plus a fulfilment partner of 20.
  • Carry full accountability for cash, inventory, suppliers, and every customer complaint across 6 years.
  • Developed 2 customer service hires into marketing and operations lead roles.
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