Sole Proprietorship

Many new business owners choose the sole proprietorship because it is the most straightforward form to initiate and provides the most control since only one person makes the decisions (for good or ill). Read this section and pay particular attention to the discussion on unlimited liability, as this is a significant drawback for sole proprietorships. It might be interesting to try the exercise at the end of the section and find a sole proprietor in your area.

Introduction

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

  1. Describe the sole proprietorship form of organization, and specify its advantages and disadvantages.

A sole proprietorship is a business owned by only one person. The most common form of ownership, it accounts for about 72 percent of all U.S. businesses. It's the easiest and cheapest type of business to form: if you're using your own name as the name of your business, you just need a license to get started, and once you’re in business, you’re subject to few government regulations.


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