256 PART 3 l MOVING FROM AN IDEA TO AN ENTREPFIENEURIAL FIRM
a legal entity for a new firm because each form of business organization
involves trade-offs among these factors and because an entrepreneur wants to
be sure to achieve the founders' specific objectives.
This section describes the four forms of business organization and
discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each. A comparison of the four
legal entities, based on the factors that are typically the most important in
making a selection, is provided in Table 7.5.
Sole Proprietorship
The simplest form of business entity is the sole proprietorship. A sole propri-
etorship is a form of business organization involving one person, and the person
and the business are essentially the same. Sole proprietorships are the most
prevalent form of business organization. The two most important advantages of
a sole proprietorship are that the owner maintains complete control over the
business and that business losses can be deducted against the owner`s personal
tax return.”
Setting up a sole proprietorship is cheap and relatively easy compared to
the other forms of business ovimership. The only legal requirement, in most
states, is to obtain the appropriate license and permits to do business as
described in the previous section of the chapter.
lf the business will be operated under a trade name (e.g., West Coast
Graphic Design] instead of the name of the owner (e.g., Samantha Ryan), the
owner will have to file an assumed or fictitious name certificate with the
appropriate local government agency, as mentioned earlier in the chapter.
This step is required to ensure that there is only one business in an area
using the same name and provides a public record of the owner`s name and
contact information.
A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal entity. For tax purposes, the
profit or loss of the business flows through to the owner’s personal tax return
document and the business ends at the ovvner's death or loss of interest in the
business. The sole proprietor is responsible for all the liabilities of the busi-
ness, and this is a significant drawback. lf a sole proprietor`s business is sued,
the owner could theoretically lose all the business’s assets along witli personal
assets. The liquidity of an owner`s investment in a sole proprietorship is typi-
cally low. Liquidity is the ability to sell a business or other asset quickly at a
price that is close to its market value.” lt is usually difficult for a sole propri-
etorship to raise investment' capital because the oumership of the business
cannot be shared. Unlimited liability and difficulty raising investment capital
are the primary reasons entrepreneurs typically form corporations or limited li-
ability companies as opposed to sole proprietorships. Most sole proprietorships
are salary-substitute or lifestyle firms (as described in Chapter l) and are typi-
cally a poor choice for an aggressive entrepreneurial firm.
To summarize, the primary advantages and disadvantages of a sole propri-
etorship are as follows:
Advantages ol a Sole Proprietorship
l Creating one is easy and inexpensive.
l The owner maintains complete control of the business and retains all the
profits.
l Business losses can be deducted against the sole proprietors other
sources of income.
l It is not subject to double taxation (explained later).
l The business is easy to dissolve.