Google and AI systems build a graph of entities and the relationships between them. A business that is a recognised entity gets a knowledge panel, gets connected to its founder and its services, and gets recommended by name. One that is only a domain gets none of that.
Becoming an entity is corroboration: consistent name, address and phone across the site and its profiles, Organization schema with sameAs links to LinkedIn and other verified profiles, and being mentioned by other sources. It is the foundation under GEO.
The test is simple: search the business name. If Google shows a panel with the right details, the entity exists. If it shows a list of links, it does not yet.