Business organization is the single-most important choice you’ll make regarding your company. What form your business adopts will affect a multitude of factors, many of which will decide your company’s future. Aligning your goals to your business organization type is an important step, so understanding the pros and cons of each type is crucial.There are 4 main types of business organization: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and Limited Liability Company, or LLC. Below, we give an explanation of each of these and how they are used in the scope of business law.
Sole Proprietorship
The simplest and most common form of business ownership, sole proprietorship is a business owned and run by someone for their own benefit. The business’ existence is entirely dependent on the owner’s decisions, so when the owner dies, so does the business.
All profits are subject to the ownerThere is very little regulation for proprietorshipsOwners have total flexibility when running the businessVery few requirements for starting—often only a business license
PartnershipThese come in two types: general and limited. In general partnerships, both owners invest their money, property, labor, etc. to the business and are both 100% liable for business debts. In other words, even if you invest a little into a general partnership, you are still potentially responsible for all its debt. General partnerships do not require a formal agreement—partnerships can be verbal or even implied between the two business owners.Limited partnerships require a formal agreement between the partners. They must also file a certificate of partnership with the state. Limited partnerships allow partners to limit their own liability for business debts according to their portion of ownership or investment.