keenresume
  1. Home
  2. Resume examples
  3. Business & management
  4. Small business owner returning to employment

Former small business owner resume example

A resume for a small business owner who has sold or closed the business and wants a job inside another company. Hiring managers have two worries about former owners: will you take direction, and will you leave to start something again? The resume answers both by describing the business in an employer’s terms and naming the role you want.

Small business owner returning to employment resume example, page 1 of 1Lorraine TsosieOperations ManagerSUMMARYOperations leader who owned and ran a print and sign company for 11years, growing it to $1.4 million in sales and 12 employees before selling itin 2025. I schedule production, manage people and vendors, and knowwhat every line of a P&L means because I paid for it. Looking for anoperations or production manager role.EXPERIENCEOwner and General ManagerApr 2014 – Jun 2025Mesa Print & Sign Co. · Albuquerque, NM•Grew a 2-person shop to $1.4 million in annual sales and 12 employees,serving about 400 business and government customers.•Scheduled production across 3 wide-format printers and a finishing line,keeping on-time delivery above 96%.•Cut material waste from 9% to 4% with nesting software and a weeklywaste review with the press team.•Won a 3-year signage contract with the county worth $380,000 througha public bid.•Managed hiring, payroll, purchasing and bookkeeping; sold thebusiness to a regional print group in 2025 and stayed 3 months to trainthe new manager.Production SupervisorJun 2008 – Mar 2014Rio Grande Printing · Albuquerque, NM•Supervised 8 press and bindery operators on 2 shifts and scheduledabout 150 jobs a week.•Introduced a job-ticket tracking board that cut reprints by 30%.VOLUNTEERINGVolunteer MentorSep 2025 – PresentSCORE, Albuquerque chapter · Albuquerque, NM•Mentor 6 small business owners on pricing, cash flow and hiring theirfirst employees.EDUCATIONB.B.A. in Operations Management2004 – 2008University of New Mexico, Anderson School of Management · Albuquerque,NMCONTACTlorraine.tsosie@example.com(505) 555-0113Albuquerque, NMlinkedin.com/in/lorraine-tsosieSKILLSProduction schedulingP&L and budgetingHiring and supervisingPurchasing and vendormanagementPricing and quotingQuality controlQuickBooks OnlineExcelCustomer accountsGovernment bidsLean basicsCERTIFICATIONSOSHA 10-Hour GeneralIndustryOSHA Outreach Training Program · 2022
Small business owner returning to employmentUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • The business in numbers: sales, employees, customers, years. Employers need to picture its size.
  • Functional skills that match the job: production, operations, sales, finance. Owners do everything; highlight what the target role needs.
  • Managing people: hiring, training and supervising employees, the same as any manager.
  • How it ended: a sale, a planned closure or a move. A clear, short answer removes doubt.
  • Signs you work well in a structure: earlier employed roles, contracts with large customers, government bids, franchises.

Writing the summary

Lead with the role you want, then the business you ran (what, how big, how long) and how it ended. One sentence on why you want to join a company helps. Do not apologize for being self-employed; it is real management experience.

The summary in this example

Operations leader who owned and ran a print and sign company for 11 years, growing it to $1.4 million in sales and 12 employees before selling it in 2025. I schedule production, manage people and vendors, and know what every line of a P&L means because I paid for it. Looking for an operations or production manager role.

Restaurant or café owner moving into hospitality management

Restaurant owner and operator for eight years, running a 60-seat café with $900,000 in annual sales and 15 staff. I closed it on my own terms in 2025 and am looking for a general manager role with a restaurant group, where I can focus on people and service rather than leases and loans.

Owner of a service business moving into sales or account management

Founder of a commercial cleaning company that I grew to 40 clients and $1.1 million in yearly revenue over nine years. I sold every contract myself, and I want to bring that customer focus to an account management role with a facilities services company.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Raised average job value by 28% by introducing tiered pricing and bundled installation.
  • Kept the business profitable through 2020 by moving into safety signage, which made up 35% of sales that year.
  • Built a customer base of 400 accounts with 70% repeat business, mostly through referrals.
  • Negotiated supplier terms that cut material costs by 12% across $300,000 of annual purchases.
  • Trained 15 employees over 11 years, 4 of whom went on to supervisory roles.
  • Secured a $150,000 SBA-backed equipment loan and repaid it 2 years early.
  • Set up job costing in QuickBooks, finding 3 product lines that lost money and repricing them.
  • Managed the sale of the business, including valuation, due diligence and a 3-month handover.
  • Cut average turnaround on rush orders from 3 days to 1 by reorganizing the finishing area.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • P&L management and budgeting
  • Production or service scheduling
  • Hiring, training and payroll
  • Purchasing and vendor negotiation
  • Pricing, quoting and job costing
  • Bookkeeping (QuickBooks, Xero)
  • Sales and customer account management
  • Contracts and public bids
  • Quality control

Soft skills

  • Ownership and accountability
  • Practical problem solving
  • Calm under pressure
  • Working well with a manager
  • Customer focus

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • Industry and safety credentials from your field: OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 for production settings, ServSafe Manager for food businesses, trade licences where they apply.
  • Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt: a useful bridge into operations roles at larger companies.
  • No certification replaces the business itself: your results as an owner carry the resume.

Length and format

One page, or two if you have 15 or more years and earlier employed roles worth showing. Use your target job title as the headline, then list the business as “Owner and General Manager” with five results. A skills-led two-column layout works well for a career change.

Common mistakes

  • Calling yourself “CEO” or “President” of a 12-person business. “Owner and General Manager” reads as honest and capable.
  • Listing every task you ever did. Keep the bullets that match the job you want.
  • Leaving the end of the business unexplained. Say “sold in 2025” or “closed in 2025” in a bullet.
  • No numbers. Sales, staff, customers and margins work just as well for a small business as for a large one.
  • Sounding as if you would rather be the boss. Show interest in the employer’s goals in your summary and cover letter.

Questions and answers

How do I list self-employment on a resume?

As a job: your title (Owner, Owner and General Manager), the business name, location and dates, then results like any other role. Add the business size in your first bullet.

Will employers think I am overqualified?

Some may. Explain in the summary why you want the role and what you will bring, and target jobs one step below general management where your range is an asset.

Should I say why I sold or closed my business?

Briefly, in a bullet or the summary: sold, closed after a lease ended, moved, or wanted to focus on one part of the work. Keep the longer story for the interview. The returning to work example shows how to handle gaps.

Related examples

All Business & management examples

All resume examples