Currently, there are 34.8 million small-scale enterprises in the U.S., accounting for 99.9% of total businesses. The people who own and run them usually don’t get the spotlight and continue their work in the shadows of the large corporations.
But getting to know these business owners can be useful when you are looking for a mentor, exploring business opportunities, building lead lists to market your services, and for many other reasons.
The problem is, entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. Often, separating them from the rest is not so easy when you know next to nothing about them.
So, how can you discover or confirm if someone is a business owner? Here are proven techniques that are sure to get you results.
Search Public Records on Nuwber
Various public records could carry information about a person’s work background. One of the easiest ways to discover them and find someone’s business details is by using Nuwber’s people search engine.
This platform collects data from multiple data sources, from government databases to business directories, and organizes it into browsable profiles. And the site verifies collated material regularly for accuracy and relevance so it could offer up-to-date information. Searching Nuwber is also super easy. All you need to dig up records is an accurate first and last name. If you don’t have that, you can even perform a reverse search using a phone number, address, or email.
Check Company Websites
Let’s say someone tells you where they work, and you want to learn whether they are an employee or the owner of the business. Or maybe you think they own a particular shop but want to confirm your suspicions before you approach them.
All you have to do in such instances is browse the website of the specific company. Almost every organization talks about its owner somewhere on its site, usually on the Home page or under the “About us”, “Management”, or “The Board” sections. Smaller enterprises may even give out the owner’s contact details on the “Contact us” page.
Reach Out to Your Network
Business owners tend to network much more than regular people. For them, it is an important strategy for brand awareness, marketing, and business growth.
So, there is a good chance that the person in question is already linked to someone in your personal or professional network. Perhaps they have done business together, met at a conference, attended the same high school, lived next door, or gotten to know each other at a friend’s party.
To identify mutual connections who can provide some useful insights, just ask around and check with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and anyone else local.
Review Business Directories
Local business directories typically list information about small- to medium-sized businesses in the area to help enterprises increase visibility and find opportunities while making it easier for others to discover them.
Some directories source company and owner details on their own when preparing their databases. Others carry paid listings that feature local enterprises. When this is the case, only businesses that have purchased space will appear on the directory pages. But the information about them is likely more accurate and comprehensive than what you can find on the free ones.
Check With the Secretary of State
Your state’s Secretary of State office has details about business filings and records. And many of these are accessible to the public with a public information request.
So, if you suspect the person you are interested in is running a local business and you know its name, the Secretary of State’s website might be the place to confirm ownership details. But how you can find information and the details available could vary between states. In Oregon, for instance, you can uncover records by company name or registration number, while the Kentucky office website lets you search by founding officer as well.
Browse Social Media Activities
Do you know which networking platforms the relevant person is active on? Then, why not check their social profiles?
Many business owners promote their enterprises through their personal accounts on social media sites. It allows them to create greater awareness for their products and services and leverage their personal network to bring in sales.
So, if the person you are curious about is an entrepreneur, it is highly likely they have mentioned their business and products in more than one place on social platforms. Pay particular attention to their profile bio and posts for clues. Sometimes, comments they leave on other people’s posts might also help you find conclusive evidence.
Look Them Up on Google
Social media, company websites, and business directories are not the only places that could carry information about a person’s business. Published annual reports, advertisements, press releases, third-party news stories, customer reviews, and many other materials could be on the internet, hidden away among the digital clutter. And Google’s search engine is the best tool for uncovering these.
To find details, type a full name and “business” on the search bar. Then, press Enter and see what turns up on the search results. If you can’t find anything helpful among the top 20 results, add a few other pieces of information, like a city and industry, and search again.
To Summarize
Knowing whether someone is a business owner can be important for building lead lists, developing targeted marketing communications, exploring investment opportunities, and many other purposes.
If a person is associated with a specific organization but you aren’t really sure whether they work there or own it, you can confirm your doubts by checking the company site, local business directories, or the website of the Secretary of State.
If you don’t have a business name to go by, the first thing to do is to check with your personal network. Someone local might be able to shed light on the relevant person, especially if they run a local enterprise.
But when you need solid evidence, social media sites and Google are excellent sources to find information from published online content. To save time and improve accuracy, Nuwber’s people search directory is a better option.