General Manager Job Description
Overview
A General Manager is tasked with supervising regular business projects and developing the overall business functions. Their role is training heads of departments, managing resources, developing strategic programs, creating policies, and communicating business goals. Their responsibilities are overseeing daily business operations, developing and implementing growth strategies, training low-level managers and staff, creating and managing budgets, improving revenue, hiring employees, evaluating performance and productivity, examining accounting and economic data, researching and identifying growth opportunities, generating reports, and giving presentations.
Steps to take to start your career as a General Manager and other jobs like it
- Start with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or a related field. This provides a foundational understanding of business operations, finance, marketing, and human resources. IF you aspire to play this role for large organizations then also plan on pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or other relevant graduate degrees to deepen your knowledge and improve your qualifications for senior management roles.
- To manage a team or business, there is an expectation that you understand how it works, especially the specific functions you and your team are in charge of. Target entry-level jobs for your education level in your industry to understand the basic operations and develop hands-on experience.
- Work in various departments such as sales, marketing, finance, and operations to gain a broad understanding of the business. Rotational programs offered by some companies can be particularly beneficial.
- Aim for middle management positions like department manager, project manager, or operations manager. These roles provide experience in overseeing teams and managing departmental budgets. Show your ability to drive performance improvements, increase efficiency, and contribute to the company’s growth. Achievements in these areas can position you for higher-level roles. Leverage your network and performance record to apply for general manager positions within your current organization or look for general manager openings in other companies.
How I Got Into This Role
I'm the general manager of small family winery in Sonoma County. I chose this job after a birthday trip to Northern California and a passion for wine. I decided that I wanted to move out here and learn the wine industry.
General Manager Requirements
So here at a small winery, the requirements weren't many. It was just the ability to wear many hats and work hard and learn as much as you could. General managers at larger wineries, however, would likely have gone to maybe a management program. They would have to have leadership skills to run a team in a tasting room as well as production at larger establishments.
Winery General Manager Average Day
The average day here for me revolves around a lot of customer outreach and answering emails from customers, usually club members. Then it kind of morphs into handling any guests that come into the tasting room and also helping the wine maker with anything that they might need, and reporting all things up to the owner.
General Manager Pros and Cons
Pros to this job is working in a beautiful place, being connected to nature with agriculture, and then serving up delicious wine to lots of interesting people that visit from all over the country. Any cons to this job would likely just be that you do have to wear a lot of hats, which is fun and interesting, but a lot of times that can be stressful, especially in busier times of the season.
Tips for Getting Started
If you wanted to get into winery and running a small winery or even a large winery, the best thing to do is just to get the experience, always starting out in a tasting room, shadowing a tasting room manager, and then getting yourself into that position and then trying to really shadow a general manager of the winery. Really the important thing is to get your foot in the door just by being extroverted, willing to work with people, and again, really willing to learn.
Career Tip From My Experience
What I would have done slightly differently is probably educated myself a little bit better, whether that would have been with some of the local junior college classes having to do with more of the business side of wine. I was familiar with wine and I can work with people easily, but running the business side, I would say really get yourself familiar with running a business.
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Education you need to become a General Manager
These are the most common degrees or certificates earned by Jobtrees users prior to becoming a General Manager
There may be other required degrees or certifications needed for this job. The below info shows you the most commonly desired education level from employers when hiring for this job.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Bachelor of Arts (b.a.) in General Studies
- Bachelor of Arts (b.a.) in Physics Education
Annual Pay Estimate for General Manager and Other Important Info
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