Sole Proprietorship Examples

2513 Words6 Pages

Sole Proprietorship: This a type of organizational form “where there is no legal distinction between the business and its owner”. ( ) Are easy to start, as well as relocate. There is complete autonomy over every aspect of the business and 100% of the profit is retained by the owner and only taxed once. Although there is often a high tax rate on the profit and the capitol needed to start or grow the business can only come from the sole owner or their personal means of credit. Because the business and the owner are legally the same entity there is unlimited liability to the owner to honor all contracts. Also due to the lack of legal separation the business ceases to exist upon the death of the owner.
• Liability: The individual whom the business is registered to is completely personally liable because there is no division between the person as an entity and the business as an entity. Legally they are synonymous with one another.
• Income Taxes: Monies generated from sales or services rendered are considered normal personal income to the owner and as such, are only taxed once, but are often subject to the highest rate of taxation.
• Longevity/Continuity: If the owner dies or decides to no longer be in business, all business assets must be sold or given away. They may not be passed on, nor can new ownership occur under the same name because the individual owner and the business are legally the same. The business must be dismantled and another individual may start a similar business using assets that were sold or given to them by the sole proprietor.
• Control: They are solely owned by one individual who has complete autonomy of every aspect of the business, including direction, use of profits, amount of debt, time spen...

... middle of paper ...

...perations or buyout instructions would be addressed in the operating agreement in the event of a death of one of the members. This is one benefit that coincides with that of a corporation.
Finally, one of the greatest benefits of a limited liability corporation is the income tax options. With this business organizational form you have options to either be treated like a corporation having income taxed at a company level or to have the income taxed as individual income for the members. This choice does not have to remain the same through the business entities life; it can be changed each tax year per the members planning.
In conclusion I think your future needs and concerns for your business would be best met by forming an LLC and in the event you wanted to form a corporation later down the road, it is relatively easy to make the move from an LLC to a corporation.

Open Document