If the owner is not available when you go inside, ask the employee if you could have the owner’s name and contact information. If the business is small enough, the employee may even know the owner personally. Remember to be polite and upfront with your intentions. The employee may not immediately trust you with their boss’s contact information if you seem rude or aloof.

For example, you could say something like “Hello, my name is Samuel Chase, and I’m interested in having my grocery store do business with your company. May I please speak to the owner?”

For instance, one testimonial might read: “I’ve worked with Jerry Rosen for 7 years and his is the best restaurant supply store I’ve ever been to!” There’s a good chance that Jerry Rosen is the owner of this business.

Zoominfo and Ziggs are 2 of the most prominent search engines geared toward businesses. The most widely used social network for businesses and businesspeople is LinkedIn. Note that with some sites, like LinkedIn, you may have to use advanced search options in order to search for a specific business by name.

Note, however, that whatever names and contact information are included in the listing may not be the owner’s.

For example, if the business has a Facebook page, that page’s “About” section may include the name and contact information of the business owner. Look at any pictures that are included on the social media page for the business. There may be a picture of the owner, with their name included in the caption.

Note that the information that the state government includes about the business in question may not include the owner’s name and contact information. The included information varies from state to state.

For example, businesses that deal in tobacco, firearms, alcohol, food, or beauty products all require special licenses to operate. Note that there may be privacy rules that forbid the agency from giving out information about business owners. If the agency website includes a searchable database, you can also try searching for the business in question there.

Examples of this type of local agency may include license inspection agencies, business permit agencies, or business occupancy agencies.