Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, when really there is a systematic approach that an entrepreneur can take to setting up a business. There are many factors to consider when setting up a business structure; these factors include start up cost, operating costs, liability, and taxation. A business owner will also want to look at whether or not they may want to expand in the future, which will also play a factor in what type of business they should set up. This paper will look at the advantages and disadvantages of sole-proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations. As well as look at what courts can do if a business operates outside the scope of accepted business practice. There is no “one size fits all” company structure, which is why a potential business owner needs to look at and evaluate all the different options before choosing a type of business to set up.
The first step to setting up a business is to pick a business structure. Sole-Proprietorships are the oldest and most common form of business making up about 72% of the businesses in the United States.(Ref. 3, pg.76) It is a simple form of business to set up; all you need is a product or service to offer, any applicable licenses or permits, and a business name. Although sole-proprietorships are the most common form of business, they only account for about 5% of the total profit in the US. The advantages to a sole-proprietorship are that they are easy to set up and cheap to operate. There are no filing fees with a state or national government, and the book keeping requirements are very relaxed.
The disadvantages to a sole-proprietorship are the constraints on generating operating revenue, unlimited liability, and taxation me...
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...or their business.
Works Cited
1. Larson, Aaron, “The Sole-Proprietorship,” expert-law.com [online], August 2004, http://www.expertlaw.com/library/business/sole_proprietorship.html, [retrieved 20 February 2010]
2. Unknown, “Corporations vs. LLC’s,” findlaw.com [online], http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/business-structures/llc/corporations-compare-llc.html, [retrieved 05 March 2010]
3. Brue, Stanley L., Flynn, Sean M., McConnell, Campbell R., “Macroeconomics: Principles, Problems, and Policies,” McGraw-Hill International Edition, 18th edition, New York, New York, 2009, pg. 73-88.
4. Jentz, Gaylord A., Miller, Roger L., “Business Law Today,” South-Western Cengage Learning, 8th edition, Masan, Ohio, 2008, pg.705-824.
5. US Government, “2009 Individual and Corporate Tax Rate Schedules,” irs.gov [online], http://www.irs.gov/, [retrieved 03 Mar 2010]
People go into business to make money. Unfortunately, not everyone considers the proper way to structure his or her business so that it can make money in an optimal way while operating within the framework of the law. Failing to select a structure for a business carefully can mean the loss of that business and of its associated assets. I will discuss various types of business entities that exist and the pros and cons of each. Specifically, I will explore
A sole proprietorship is characterized a business in which one individual (sole proprietor) controls the administration and benefits (Kubasek, 2014). A sole proprietor is the single individual at the leader of
Ragan, James F., Jr. & Thomas, Lloyd B., Jr. Principles of Macroeconomics. The Dryden Press. Fort Worth, TX: 1992.
Miller, R. L., & Hollowell, W. E. (2011). Business Law: Text & Exercises 6th Edition. In R. L. Miller, & W. E. Hollowell, Business Law: Text & Exercises 6th Edition (pp. 22-23). Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Taking on the risk to open you own business is not a smooth, easy process; although, perseverance can take you a long way. Troy Smith made several attempts at opening restaurants independently as a sole proprietor, but it was until a small root beer stand came into his possession did he find the success he was looking form. This stand called Top Hat was about to become a parking lot when Smith realized it’s value and put his focus into making it successful, while watching this success grow Charles Pappe became interested and Pappe and Smith formed a limited partnership; whereas Smith was the general partener that made the business decisions and Pappe was the limited partner that invested money ad concentrated on sales. This differs from a
A sole proprietorship is a type of business that is owned and operated by one person who is responsible for all the debts. Forming the business is really easy to start off with. Also the owner receives all the profit from the business and is his or her own boss. The down side to owning a sole proprietor business of your own is it is really hard to find sources for funding the business for it to grow and expand. An example of a local proprietor business is Martha’s Kitchen. Martha’s kitchen is a really small restaurant on the outskirts of town. Martha chose to open a diner at her location because it is joined with a gas station and it is in a remarkable location for a restaurant business. Martha’s kitchen is open from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. She serves the best peach cobbler around.
Miller, Roger L., & Jentz, Gaylord A., (2012), Business Law Today (9th Ed), South-Western Cengage Learning
Roberts, Barry S., and Richard A. Mann. "Essentials of Business Law and the Legal Environment" SouthWestern; 9th edition, 2006.
In the 21st century, small and large, private and public businesses are all aiming towards economic growth. The small business marketplace is extremely dynamic and the changes are fast. Here are some facts from the US Small Business Administration on small businesses. There are about 30 million small businesses in the United States and employ just over half of the country’s private workforce. They employ a staggering 40% of high tech workers such as computer professionals, scientists and engineers. More than half of the small businesses are home-based businesses and two percent of them are franchises. One of the most important aspects is the fact that a majority of innovations in the United States come from small businesses. In 2008, there were 627,200 new businesses that started, 596,600 businesses that were closed and 43,546 companies that filed for bankruptcy. According to business experts, of all the small business startups, one-third of them are profitable and successful, a third of them just about break-even and the rest of them are down with negative earnings Some buyer’s develops as independent business owners, while others are more likely to prosper as franchise owners. According to a recent report by the Small Business Administration (2007), the United States had approximately 26.8 million small business firms in 2006. In fact, as recently reported by Moutray (2006), most firms in the U.S., are very small and account for about half of the country's non-farm real GDP. Over the past decade small business has generated 60–80% of new jobs annually. In reality, there are easy answers to the independent business versus franchise dilemma. Although, a franchise system offers benefits to owners such as brand recognition, to inc...
"Advantages and Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorships ." New York Times 5 June 2007: Web. 6 Dec. 2013. .
An unincorporated business with a single person as an owner. Generally the sole proprietor acts as chief manager in all aspects of the business, but may employee others to run the business. Due to its single owner nature, agreements and formalities are not necessary. A sole proprietorship is simple to set up and affords the owner a high degree of autonomy, certain tax benefits and full ownership of profits. These benefits are balanced against the fact that the sole proprietor's financial resources are limited to the owners savings and credit. There is no distinction between the owner's business and personal assets and liabilities. A failure in business could lead to creditor's coming after the owners personal assets.
There are many different types of business structures, but if you own and operate a business that it is a sole
Five advantages for owning your own business are: 1) The owner receives all profits, meaning that all earnings go to the sole proprietor, or the owner, and isn’t shared with anyone else. The profit is not split among partners, or split among a corporation. So when you own your own business, you’re the first and only one that receives all earnings and profit. So if a person has a successful firm, he/she is the first to reap the success and rewards. 2) Another advantage of owning your own business is that you’re your own boss. You can set your own hours, decide what you want to do with the company, no manager to answer to. Basically, you’re in charge of everything. The owner solely makes all decisions. Or in other words, you’re running the show. 3) An additional advantage is that a sole proprietorship can be easily organized. It’s easy to start your own business. First of all, it costs very little money to start your own business. As a sole proprietor, you have minimal legal requirements. The owner doesn’t have to establish a separate legal entity. All that is needed is to register the company with the state and apply for an occupational license and any additional licenses required for the state. ...
Baumol, William J. and Alan S. Blinder. Economics: Principles and Policy, Sixth Edition, Forth Worth, etc. : Drden Press, 1994.
1.LIABILITY: There are no limits on liability with a sole proprietorship, the owner is responsible for all the businesses debts and obligations. The earning power of a sole proprietor can be limited due to lack of capital. The sole proprietor is only able to obtain personal credit to expand the company, the bank will not treat the company as its own entity