Business Organizations

Each form of business organization has its strengths and its
weaknesses. Consult the chart below as a guide.

Type	Features	Advantages	Disadvantages
Sole Proprietorship	Non incorporated business owned and run by one person.	Ease of startup. Ease in management. Decisions made quickly Get all the profit yourself. Do not have to pay business income taxes, only individual income taxes. Be your own boss.	Owner has unlimited liability. Difficulty of raising capital. May be too small and inefficient. Limited managerial experience. Difficulty in finding quality employees. Limited life.
Partnership	Non incorporated business jointly owned by two or more persons.	Easy to start, simple contract. Ease of management. No business income tax. More easily attract capital. Larger and more efficient. Easier to attract top talent (Law, accounting)	Each partner is fully responsible for debt. (In a limited partnership this is not the case) Limited life. Potential conflict.
Corporation	Recognized by law (Charter) as a separate legal entity. By being a separate legal entity a corporation can sue and be sued.	Ease in raising capital Best management resources available. Limited liability. Unlimited life. Ease in transfer of ownership.	Difficulty and expense of setting up a charter. Owners and shareholders often have little say ion the running of the corporation Detailed records must be kept. Subject to many laws and regulations. Double taxation. (Corporate and individual income taxes)

It should be noted that many of the small businesses you may think
are sole proprietorships are actually corporations Today, any
business with enough assets and risk typically incorporates. This
way they limit individual risk.

Liability

The owners are liable or responsible for the
debts of a company.

Unlimited liability means the owner may have to sell some or all of his
personal possessions to help pay off the company’s debts.

Limited liability means that the owner loses only the money he has put
into the company and no more. He does not have to sell personal
belongings.