Small businesses and large corporations share one feature: the person at the top is wholly accountable for the organization’s success or failure. The chief executive officer, or CEO, is the most significant person in larger businesses, mainly publicly traded companies, whereas small businesses are generally founded and run by one‘s owner.
Comparing CEO & Owner
When comparing a CEO vs owner, there are many similarities and significant differences between the two roles. CEOs and business owners, for example, frequently require similar traits to prosper, such as rational reflection and good communication skills. Their positions share essential responsibilities, such as employing people for high-level positions in their organisations.
However, there is a significant difference in how they each handle responsibilities. Owners, for example, frequently delegate money planning to others, though they may retain at least some of this responsibility taken by individuals. Corporate CEOs, who are primarily concerned with growth markets, competitors, and partnerships, cannot do so. As a result, CEOs are more likely than others in their organisations to delegate tactical responsibilities.
Who is the CEO?
CEO is an abbreviation for the chief executive officer, the individual with the highest job title and rank in a company’s hierarchical order. Except for the board of directors, the CEO has no accountability. They can make decisions independently, without the benefit of advice or suggestions.
What Is the Role of a CEO?
Chief financial officers, or CFOs, are frequently delegated by CEOs to manage the company’s finances. Which are typically in the billions and billions and hundreds of millions of dollars. This is especially true throughout publicly trading companies. Here CEOs are ultimately accountable for ensuring that shareholders see a return on their investment. This entails legal obligations to shareholders, such as the duty of care and loyalty. They design such legal requirements to promote transparency and trust and protect the business’s key stakeholders.
As the top executive at large corporations, CEOs are guided by the board of directors regarding the organisation’s vision and goals. In the case of private company companies, CEOs are directed by the company’s owner(s). In either case, CEOs must delegate day-to-day accountabilities to other top executives to focus on strategies which will drive the business’s success.
Who is the owner?
An owner is a person who owns and has complete control over a company’s resources. The owner is never held accountable for what he tells or does in the company. They are the people who have complete dominance and influence over the company’s administration and management.
What Is the Role of a Business Owner?
A person is the company’s owner if they own 100 percent of it. A co-owner is someone who has a partner who has equity in the company. In a nutshell, shop owners are in charge of everything, from processes to sales to marketing. Owners must be willing to delegate obligations to grow their business. Hiring and training employees is an essential skill in this situation. Owners, like CEOs, want to ensure their company’s financial health, so they must devise revenue-growth strategies. As the company grows, the owners may need to hire additional executives to operate critical operations such as accounting or marketing.
They may eventually assume the formal title of CEO as their company grows. Owners, unlike CEOs, finally answer only to themselves, as opposed to corporate boards and stockholders.
The difference is frequently (but not always) due to the company’s size. While most large corporations have CEO, who is the highest-ranking executive in charge. Where smaller businesses are typically run by the owner. The CEO is in order of the company’s overall management, whereas the owner is the sole proprietor. It is possible that the CEO of a company also is the holder, but the owner does not always have to be the CEO.
CEO Vs. Owner
| CEO | OWNER | |
| Similarities. | The skills required to run an organisation are similar to those of an owner. Although the CEO may have more experience than the owner, they both require strong communication skills, leadership qualities, and strategic reasoning skills, albeit in different capacities. | Skills needed to run an organisation are similar to those of a CEO. Although the CEO may have more experience than the owner, they both need strong communication skills, leadership qualities, and strategic reasoning skills, albeit in different capacities. |
| Differences | A CEO, on the other hand, is a position that has nothing to do with owning and is more concerned with function. While a CEO is obligated to a salary from the firm, an owner is not entitled to compensation but rather to the profits generated by their company. | The owner or sole proprietor owns both their business and their financial resources. In terms of the law, ownership refers to someone who owns nearly all or even all of the company’s equity. |
| Responsibilities | The CEO controls the company’s long-term goals and their implementation. They are in charge of creating critical company decisions and supervising the duties of other C-level executives. They concentrate on creating and implementing the company’s vision and long-term goals. They also help develop company policy and put its strategic plans into action. | Because the owner has no specific role, their responsibilities are also unclear. However, because it is their company, they supervise and work on various aspects of the business. This can range from production to human resources to business development and marketing. As the company grows, it may combine its responsibilities with a CEO, COO, MD, vice president, etc. |
| Hierarchy. | Whether internally or externally, the CEO is usually appointed. They hold the highest position in a company and are only accountable to the board of executives and the chair of the board of directors. In the absence of a commission, the owner is the CEO’s reporting authority. They are in charge of the company’s C-level executives, such as the COO, CTO, CFO, etc. | Unlike the CEO, the owner’s role is intrinsic or essence. However, if the company is sold entirely, and the owner will change. The owner’s part is distinct from the organisational system and is not required to report to anyone. If they also hold a C-suite position, they will function accordingly, but they will also act independently and, for the most portion. |
| Roles. | The CEO’s role is restricted to the company’s strategic management. They typically delegate various management aspects to multiple heads of departments or C-level executives, such as the COO for processes, the CFO for financial affairs, the CTO for innovation, the CMO for advertising, etc. | With no specific functional role, it’s dependent on individual businesses and owners. The owner of a company may delegate as the company grows, but they may still control some of the business’s functions. For example, they may not completely relinquish control of the company’s finances.On the other hand, a CEO has no authority over the company’s finances or marketing. Instead, they collaborate with the CFO or CMO to ensure that those aspects of the business thrive. |
| Salary | Several factors can influence a CEO. CEO salaries can vary greatly depending on the company’s size, location, and industry. As of May 2020, the average annual earnings for chief executives in the United States was $185,900, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Higher salaries come with greater responsibility, and many CEOs have a wealth of experience and education to draw on to face business issues and guide their businesses. | Because the size and scope of companies vary greatly, and determining the average salary of a business owner is challenging. The wages of one business owner to the next can vary greatly depending on the size of the corporate, percentage of ownership or profit shares, and expenses. According to the compensation website Pay Scale, as of October 2021, small business owners earned a median salary of around $64,800 per year, with the highest, mentioned earning $156,000 per year, a figure that often tends to increase with medium and large businesses. |
Conclusion
CEO and Owner are two different terms that are in similar contexts, but they differ significantly. The CEO is the person at the top of the job title hierarchy in any organization, whereas the owner is the individual who has complete control over the organization’s rights.
The CEO develops strategies and is an integral part of the recruitment process, whereas the owner is a permanent member of the board of directors. The owner frequently recruits people just at the highest levels. He can be fired by the board of directors at times, whereas the owner cannot because he is the company’s sole proprietor. Follow our blog for more!
