What Does a Business Manager Do?

If you’re interested in pursuing a degree in the business world, learning what a business manager does can help you understand how to put skill into action.

Business management can encompass many different skills across a wide range of industries, with a common aim to help organizations run and move toward achieving their goals.

Understanding the Business Management Role

A business manager may typically¹ oversee the daily operations of a company, guiding teams, coordinating departments, and making strategic decisions that support organizational goals. While specific duties vary widely depending on the size of the organization and industry, business managers typically balance tasks related to operations management, financial management, and human resource management.

Business managers may be integral to managing a company’s resources, such as time, budget, and people. Their work may include¹ overseeing areas such as marketing, sales, public relations, project management, or quality control, depending on the organization’s structure.

Some business managers may work closely with other managers, coordinating across departments to maintain consistent goals. In larger organizations, senior management may rely on first line supervisors or departmental managers to handle supervising team members and monitoring performance evaluations.

When Companies May Need a Business Manager

As organizations grow, the responsibilities of overseeing daily operations, managing employees, and maintaining consistent business operations can expand quickly. Determining² when to bring in a business manager often depends on factors such as size, structure, and available resources.

According to insights² from Chase^® for Business^®, companies may consider hiring a business manager when the workload begins to exceed leadership’s available time or when the organization requires additional coordination between departments.

Common indicators that it may be time to add this management role can include:²

• Rapid growth: When a business expands quickly, leaders may find it difficult to keep up with day-to-day operations, documentation, and employee training. A business manager may help streamline work processes, maintain communication, and support consistent personnel management.
• Increased operational complexity: As business operations diversify through new products, clients, or locations, coordination between teams often becomes more demanding. A manager may help align organizational objectives and monitor performance evaluations.
• Limited bandwidth for leadership: When owners or executives juggle multiple roles, hiring a business manager may enable greater focus on strategic planning while maintaining operational oversight.
• Need for objectivity and feedback: A business manager may provide an objective view of how employees, processes, and resources interact, offering data analysis and insights for decision making and continuous improvement.
• Focus on efficiency and best practices: Business managers may introduce updated management approaches, refine quality control methods, or implement tools that help standardize procedures across departments.

Hiring a business manager may also help² bridge communication gaps between leadership and staff, ensuring that critical information flows effectively throughout the organization. This coordination may be especially valuable in industries like health care, marketing and sales, logistics and manufacturing, or project management, where team collaboration and effective communication directly influence outcomes.

Business Management Education and Learning Pathways

A business manager may combine formal education¹ with relevant experience in areas such as marketing, finance, or operations management. Many may pursue an associate degree or higher in business management, business administration, or related disciplines, which can provide a solid foundation for understanding business operations and organizational dynamics.

Programs such as Rasmussen University’s Business Management program include subjects such as:³

• Accounting
• Business law and ethics
• Financial decision making and risk management
• Leadership and management essentials
• Operations
• Digital marketing
• Sales management
• Data visualization

Students may gain exposure to a wide array of topics that reflect real-world business operations, from managing budgets and leading teams to understanding analytics and strategic planning. These programs often emphasize transferable skills such as critical thinking, ethics, and effective communication, providing a solid foundation for a variety of leadership roles.

Curriculum is subject to change; prospective students should refer to the official Rasmussen University catalog⁴ for the most current program information.

Typical Work Environments and Industries

Business management may apply across a wide range of fields, as organizations in nearly every sector rely on leadership and coordination to achieve their goals.

Typical career paths where business managers may contribute include:⁴

• Banking and finance
• Customer service
• Healthcare administration
• Human resources
• Logistics and manufacturing
• Marketing and sales
• Operations
• Project management
• Supply chain management

Because business principles are universal across industries, work environments may include corporate offices, health care facilities, distribution centers, or hybrid arrangements depending on company needs. The emphasis often remains on coordination, decision making, and aligning resources to organizational priorities.

Common Business Manager Leadership Skills

In a typical work environment, business managers may handle a broad range of managerial tasks that bring together strategy, communication, and operations. Becoming a business management leader⁵ may take time, experience, and practice. According to the American Management Association, professional development is one area where business managers can hone leadership skills.

Some common skills in business management may include:⁵

• Leadership
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Finance
• Project management

Common Certifications for Business Managers

Beyond formal education, many business managers may pursue certifications to demonstrate business credentials and expand their expertise in specialized areas. These certifications often emphasize frameworks for problem solving, project management, and leadership within organizations.

Examples may include:

• Project Management Professional^® (PMP^®)⁶ – Focuses on structured project management methodologies used across industries.
• Certified Associate in Project Management^® (CAPM^®)⁷ – Introduces key concepts in managing projects and teams.
• Certified Business Manager^® (CBM^®)⁸ – A comprehensive credential covering business administration, financial management, marketing, and operations.
• Lean Six Sigma^® (Green Belt, Black Belt)⁹ – Centers on quality control, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• Certified Manager^® (CM^®)¹⁰ – Highlights supervising team members, planning, and organizational objectives.
• SHRM^® Certified Professional (SHRM-CP^®)¹¹ – Focuses on human resource management and workplace leadership.
• Certified ScrumMaster^® (CSM^®)¹² – Relevant for operations managers or teams using Agile frameworks.

These business credentials may help a manager refine their problem solving skills, strategic planning, and understanding of business operations.

Understanding the Broader Impact

Exploring what a business manager does offers a window into how organizations function across different levels. Business management touches nearly every part of an organization, from operations management and human resources to marketing, finance, and project management. By connecting these areas, business managers may take part in how goals are achieved and how teams work together to meet shared organizational objectives.

If you’re interested in how ideas move from planning to action, or how leadership decisions guide daily operations, the study of business management offers a meaningful way to understand the systems that keep a business running.

Understanding the broader impact of management also involves recognizing how business managers influence collaboration, ethics, and long-term sustainability. Whether within a large corporation, a nonprofit organization, or a small company, their ability to connect people, processes, and information may be central to how an organization functions effectively.

Chase^® is a registered trademark of JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Chase^® for Business^® is a registered trademark of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
PMP^® and Project Management Professional^® are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.
CAPM^® and Certified Associate in Project Management^® are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.
CBM^® and Certified Business Manager^® are registered marks of the Association of Professionals in Business Management (APBM).
Lean Six Sigma^® is a registered trademark of Lean Six Sigma.
CM^® and Certified Manager^® are registered marks of the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM).
SHRM^® and SHRM-CP^® are registered marks of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
CSM^® and Certified ScrumMaster^® are registered marks of the Scrum Alliance, Inc.

¹Careers.CACM, Business Manager, at https://careers.cacm.org/career/business-manager-4 (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
²Chase^® for Business^®, Does Your Business Need a Business Manager?, at https://www.chase.com/business/knowledge-center/manage/does-your-business-need-a-business-manager (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
³Rasmussen University, Business Management Degree, at https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/business/business-management/ (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁴Rasmussen University, 2025–2026 Catalog (page 14), at https://rasmussen.dcatalog.com/v/2025-2026-Catalog/?page=14 (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁵American Management Association (AMA), Success Skills: Management, at https://www.amanet.org/resources/success-skills/management/ (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁶Project Management Institute (PMI), Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Certification, at https://www.pmi.org/certifications/project-management-pmp (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁷Project Management Institute (PMI), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®, at https://www.pmi.org/certifications/certified-associate-capm (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁸MBA.com, Certified Business Manager (CBM)^®, at https://www.mba.com/program-finder/other-programs/apbm-nfp/cbm/certified-business-manager-cbm (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
⁹6SigmaCertificationOnline, Six Sigma Belts, at https://www.6sigmacertificationonline.com/six-sigma-belts/ (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
¹⁰Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM), Certified Manager Certification, at https://icpm.net/certifications/certified-manager-certification/ (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
¹¹Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), SHRM-CP Certification, at https://www.shrm.org/credentials/certification/shrm-cp (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).
¹²Scrum Alliance, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)^®, Scrum Master Track, at https://www.scrumalliance.org/get-certified/scrum-master-track/certified-scrummaster (accessed Nov. 10, 2025).