Include specific achievements like increasing revenue, expanding customer base, or successful marketing campaigns. Numbers and percentages are effective.

Demonstrate your problem-solving skills by detailing how you resolved issues and improved business operations.

Start experience bullet points with strong action verbs like 'launched', 'grew', or 'optimized' to show your proactive approach.

Be specific about the actions you took and the results you achieved, this adds clarity and impact to your resume.

When you apply for a job, it's good to tailor your resume to show how your skills fit the role. Think about the tasks you handled as a small business owner that match the new job's needs. This shows the hiring manager you're a good fit. Use clear language and focus on results you delivered.

• Show you know how to keep customers happy. Mention times when you improved customer service or got good feedback.
• Talk about how you managed money. Use examples like how you cut costs or raised money for your business.
• If you're moving to a different job area, link what you've done before to the new role. For example, if you led a small team to finish projects on time, this shows you can manage people and meet deadlines.

As a former small business operator, you have worn many hats and completed various tasks. It's important to show your diverse skill set and your hands-on approach to problem-solving. Use action verbs that highlight your leadership and initiative. Remember, you want to paint a picture of someone who takes charge and drives results.

Below is a list of verbs that can help you describe your experience effectively and are specific to the needs of a small business owner. These words are simple and convey a sense of action and accomplishment.

• To show your ability to start and grow a business, use launched, expanded, established, built, and initiated.
• For demonstrating financial acumen, include verbs like budgeted, optimized, reduced, increased, and negotiated.
• To highlight your role in team management and development, use coached, managed, directed, recruited, and motivated.
• If you want to showcase strategic thinking, pick verbs such as planned, forecasted, analyzed, adapted, and strategized.
• To indicate hands-on problem-solving, go for resolved, troubleshooted, reinvented, overhauled, and streamlined.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Led, Participate, Facilitate, Advised, Provided.

When you're looking to impress potential employers, it's crucial to show how you've grown as a leader. Think about the times you took charge, made important decisions, or guided a team. These experiences can set you apart from other candidates.

Here are ways you can show your leadership growth:

• Managed a team of X people, overseeing project management and delegation of tasks
• Increased sales or customer base by X% through strategic leadership and business planning

Remember, even if you're unsure how to label your experience, focus on moments where you took the lead. Think about times you trained new staff, handled customer disputes, or launched a new product. These are all strong examples of leadership.

As a small business owner, you need a range of skills that show you can handle diverse tasks. Here's a list of skills that are important for your resume:

• Financial management
• Budgeting
• Inventory control
• Project management
• Business development
• Marketing strategy
• Sales expertise
• Customer service
• Website management
• Knowledge of business law

You don't need to include all these skills, just the ones that match the job you want. Place these skills in a clear section on your resume. Many companies use tracking systems to check resumes, so including specific skills can help yours get noticed. For example, if you have experience with SEO or social media marketing, include these if the job involves online marketing.

Think about the tasks you were responsible for. Use your resume to show how you used skills like strategic planning or ecommerce to achieve success. This can help employers understand what you can do for them. If you've used CRM software or accounting programs, list these as well. Remember, it's about quality, not quantity; choose the skills that will make your resume stand out for the specific role you're after.

When you describe your work as a small business owner, showing your impact with numbers can make a big difference. You might have improved sales, cut costs, or increased efficiency. These are powerful evidence of your skills and successes.

Think about how you can use numbers to show what you have achieved. Here are some ideas:

• Increased annual sales by 20%.
• Reduced overhead costs by $15,000 a year.
• Expanded product line, leading to a 35% rise in customer base.
• Boosted website traffic by 50% through targeted marketing strategies.
• Enhanced employee productivity, decreasing project turnaround time by 25%.
• Streamlined supply chain, cutting delivery times by 30%.
• Improved customer satisfaction scores by 40% with a new service initiative.
• Grew social media following to 10,000 users, increasing brand visibility.

Even if you are unsure of the exact numbers, make a good estimate. Think about before-and-after scenarios where your actions led to a clear change. Ask yourself how much time you saved on a task, or by what percentage you grew your customer base. Numbers like these help you show the value you bring as a small business owner.