There is no need to say that in a world bustling with businesses, knowing who owns a company or business can be valuable piece of information for many reasons.
In this article we have given a couple of reasons that may be motivating someone to search out the owner of a business, followed by some practical methods to know and apply how to find owner of a business.
Table of Contents
- Why to find the owner
- Find Owners - Multiple Ways
- 1. Utilize Business-focused Social Networks
- 2. Examine Better Business Bureau for Company Listings
- Look at Social Media Platforms
- 4. Search for Business Name and “Owner”
- 5. Ask for the owner of Business
- 6. Get Contact details and Interact
- 7. Check the Company Website
- 8. Contact Regulatory Agencies
- 9. Search state database of businesses
- 10. Business Networking Events
- 11. Consult Industry Publications and News
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why to find the owner
The query requiring information about the owner of a business has gained significance. It happens at times that it becomes a bit difficult to find owner of a business, though, nowadays, a lot of data about things can also be easily found and accessed on internet or social media.
However, the above referred reasons have been explained in bit detail hereinafter for the quick reference: -
Consumer Interest
It may be one of the reasons for the curiosity behind finding the owner of a business, because a consumer may need information about the person who is behind the wheel of company or business to assess the accountability and credibility of the business, which can contribute to building trust with the customer.
Investment Decisions
As far as it’s a concern like making informed decisions about investing in a particular company or business, mostly it makes the investors to seek information about the ownership of a business.
Business Transactions
Understanding the owner of a business and his vision, values and business strategies can be significant in making business transactions, particularly when someone is called considering partnerships or collaborations.
Employees Concern
Individuals looking for employment might also be interested in researching the background of the owner of a business to understand the company’s values and potential for career growth within the company or organization.
Supplier Relationships
One of the reasons behind looking for the owner of a business may be suppliers’ building a relationship with the owner in order to evaluate the stability of a business, which will help them in getting some surety that they are entering into agreements with trustworthy and reliable partners.
Search Business Names
Before putting an effort into branding your business around a name, it’s a worth considering thing to make it sure beforehand that some other business hasn’t taken this name already. But, fortunately, most of the state facilitate you to do an available business name search through secretary of state websites.
Possibly each state’s website can be a bit different, however most of them may allow you to determine the availability of your desired name. Some states even permit you to have a business name reserved online, so that you’re able to put a hold on it while you are engaged in completing the remaining registration process.
Find Owners - Multiple Ways
Finding the owner isn’t that much difficult if you’re really up to do so. There are some methods and sources that may help you finding the owner of a business or company, which have been discussed below in detail one by one.
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Searching for the owner of a business isn’t a big deal if you have a PC and stable internet connection, as there are certain social networks and industry specific search engines that are specifically meant for businesses, instead of common uses.
You can search there for the names of businesses or companies. Search for a specific business name and see if it has given any information about the owner of the business with whatever information available there about the business.
Among some prominent business search engines are Ziggs and Zoominfo that you can utilize to get the name of the owner of a business if it has provided such information there.
2. Examine Better Business Bureau for Company Listings
In order to get some information about the owner of a business, you can also use Better Business Bureau which is a non-profit, private organization. It aims giving the consumers the information about the reputation and quality of a company.
If the company or business you’re looking for is listed in Better Business Bureau’s website, you may find in the listing, at least, the names if it’s senior living executives or may be the name of the owner of the business as well.
It’s also noteworthy that whatever information, like names or contact information, provided in the listing may not be of the owner of the business.
Using mainstream social media platforms, such as Facebook or X. If a business or a company has an account on any of the social media platforms, there are chances that it’s using it for interactions with its followers and clients.
For instance, if the business is running a Facebook page, you may get some information about the owner, such as his name or contact information, on business pages “About” section.
Additionally, you may also find a picture of the owner on the business page, if you search through pictures, which may contain name of the owner of the business in the caption.
4. Search for Business Name and “Owner”
If you’re are failing to get any clue of the owner of the business anywhere else, simply go to an online search engine, type business name and owner, such as “the owner of (company’s name”, where you may get some information.
Keep in mind also that it’s a general search, like a shot in the dark, and you may end up getting to a page you didn’t consider looking at. Thus, go for this method only if you’re getting no information anywhere else.
5. Ask for the owner of Business
Another good way to find out the owner of a business is approaching the company or business personally if it’s a small business, as there are chances that the owner might be working on site.
Thus, you need to go inside and ask any of the employees whether you could talk to the owner. Additionally, if the owner of the business isn’t there, you may better ask the employees if they could provide you the name and contact information of the owner.
6. Get Contact details and Interact
Contacting a company through its phone number can also be a good choice for you to get some information about its owner, if you manage to get company’s phone number. You may find a company’s phone number listed in an advertisement, online, a promotional flyer, or in the phone book.
Once you have the company’s phone number and make a call, make it sure to mention your name and purpose behind wanting to search for the owner of the company or business.
7. Check the Company Website
In today’s digital age, it’s become common for the businesses and companies to have their online presence in the form of websites, social media accounts and blogs.
Checking a company’s website is also a convenient way to gather some kind of information about it before you make a direct call, and it can also help you finding out who owns a company or business.
Thus, get to the website of your Target Company or business and go to its ‘About Us’ or ‘Contact Us’ page where you may get some contact information to reach out to its owner.
8. Contact Regulatory Agencies
When you strategize on finding out the owner of a business, it’s also a better option for you to contact the local city government office that is responsible for providing business licenses.
For instance, businesses dealing in food, cosmetics, firearms, or tobacco require licenses to be allowed to operate. Thus, if it’s a sort of business that particularly needs a certificate or license to be run, you can consider contacting the state regulatory agency maintaining information regarding each business it keeps under its purview.
There may be some privacy rules leaving the agency unauthorized to give out information about owners of businesses. If there is any searchable database in included in agency’s website, you can also give it a try to search for your target business there.
9. Search state database of businesses
It’s another reliable way to find who owns a business as all states have a listed information about the businesses registered to do business there.
If you want to conduct a particular business entity search, go to the official government website or registry designated for business entities in your state and utilize the search function provided by website in order to search for the particular business of your interest.
An important thing to be noted here is that it’s not necessary that the information available with your state government about your target business includes it’s owner’s name, as the included information differs from country to country.
10. Business Networking Events
Another way to find the owner of a business is to attend business networking events or join industry-specific associations, where you may get opportunities to meet owners of businesses and companies and establish connections.
Active participation in these events provides you opportunities to have insights into the ownership structure of different businesses and build relationships with the owners of various businesses or companies.
11. Consult Industry Publications and News
You can also benefit from industry publications or news sources that most of the times come up with articles or interviews with owners of certain businesses or companies.
Thus, keeping an eye on such sources keeps you updated about the recent developments and helps you in gaining information about owners of different businesses.
Conclusion
Considering all this to answer ‘how to find owner of a business’ whether you’re a consumer gathering information about a business to make informed decisions, an individual looking for employment, an investor seeking information about a business in order to assess its financial health, or for whatever the reason.
You may get some information about the owner of your Target Company or business through online searches, such as utilizing industry specific search engines or business-focused social networks, examining Better Business Bureau for company listings, or searching for your target company on mainstream social media platforms.
Lastly, you can also contact your Target Company or business directly to find its owner by visiting the site or calling the company, or even checking its website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find the owner of a business for free?
You can contact your target company or business directly to find its owner by visiting the site or calling the company, or even checking its website. You can also go for using government resources to find the owner of a business, like contacting local business licensing or regulatory agencies, searching state database of registered businesses.
How do I verify ownership of a business?
You can use government resources, like contacting local business licensing or regulatory agencies, searching state database of registered businesses, or reaching out to local agencies responsible for licensing businesses. You can also check Better Business Bureau for company listings and use online platforms such as LinkedIn.
Who is an owner of a business?
The owner of a business or company is an individual or an entity having a legal control as well as responsibility for the enterprise, and owner of a business may be a sole proprietor or there may be some partners or shareholders.
Who is the owner of a small business?
If it’s a small business, its owner could be an individual, or there may be a partnership among many individuals. Ownership of businesses depends on their structures as well, whether they are big or small.
