Business Form
Business Form
Business Form
ID: 17364005
Sole proprietorship
A sole proprietorship is a business started and owned by an individual. Little or no legal
paperwork is required to begin, other than any necessary professional or local business
licenses. Operating as a sole proprietor is one of several common options to start your
business.
Strengths
Simplicity: A sole proprietorship is the simplest form of business establishment. It is the only
prominent way to start a business without going through any significant legal hoops.
Minimal Investment: While the nature of your business may dictate a need for more funds,
some people start a sole proprietorship for no more than a few hundred dollars.
Weakness
Liability: The most significant weakness of a sole proprietorship is that it leaves the owner
personally responsible for all facets of business. Unlimited liability for debts as there’s no legal
distinction between private and business assets
Taxes: While there are many tax benefits to sole proprietorships, a main drawback is that the
owner must pay self-employment taxes.
Partnership
Partnership is commonly formed where two or more people wish to come to together to form a
business. Perhaps they have a common business idea that they wish to put to the test or have
realized that their skills and talents compliment each others in such a way that they might make
a good business team.
Strengths
Capital: The partners will fund the business with startup capital. This means that the
more partners there are, the more money they can put into the business, which will allow
better flexibility and more potential for growth. It also means more potential profit, which
will be equally shared between the partners.
Flexibility: A partnership is generally easier to form, manage and run. They are less
strictly regulated than companies, in terms of the laws governing the formation and
because the partners have the only say in the way the business is run (without
interference by shareholders) they are far more flexible in terms of management, as long
as all the partners can agree.
Shared Responsibility: Partners can share the responsibility of the running of the
business. This will allow them to make the most of their abilities. Rather than splitting
the management and taking an equal share of each business task, they might well split the
work according to their skills.
Decision Making: Partners share the decision making and can help each other out when
they need to. More partners mean more brains that can be picked for business ideas and
for the solving of problems that the business encounters.
Weakness
Corporation
Another type of business structure is a corporation. Incorporation can be done at the federal or
provincial/territorial level. When you incorporate your business, it is considered to be a legal
entity that is separate from its shareholders. As a shareholder of a corporation, you will not be
personally liable for the debts, obligations or acts of the corporation. It is always wise to seek
legal advice before incorporating.
Strengths
Limited liability
Ownership is transferable
Continuous existence
Separate legal entity
Easier to raise capital than it might be with other business structures
Possible tax advantage as taxes may be lower for an incorporated business
Owners' personal assets are protected from business debt and liability
Corporations have unlimited life extending beyond the illness or death of the owners
Tax free benefits such as insurance, travel, and retirement plan deductions
Transfer of ownership facilitated by sale of stock
Change of ownership need not affect management
Weakness