For anyone who wishes to start their own successful business, there are a lot of important factors to be considered in order for that to happen. The main factor is how the business is intended to be conducted, and characteristics such as liability, taxation, continuity, profit retention and sharing, and the conveniences and burdens associated with the business. It is important for a potential business owner or owners to be educated on the different types of business organizations and rules and regulations involved in order to select the entity that best meets their business needs.
Sole Proprietorship
The first and most common form of business organizational structure is known as a sole proprietorship. Not only is it the most common, but it is also the simplest form of business organizational structure to establish. The primary characteristic of a sole proprietorship is that it is simply owned and operated by one person. When operating a business as a sole proprietor, the business also operates under the name of the person who is considered the owner of the business. If one were to declare an actual name for the business other than that of the owner’s name, then the business would include the term “Doing Business As,” or simply, D.B.A. An example of this would be, John Doe D.B.A. John’s Landscaping Service. This way, one can see that it is John Doe who is the sole proprietor, but also chooses to use John’s Landscaping Service as an official name for the business. In determining if a sole proprietorship is the most appropriate type of organizational structure, there are several characteristics that should be considered. The first characteristic is the general liability of the business. When a business operates as a sole proprietorship, all of the liability of the business lies solely on the individual owner. This includes any and all assets, both business and