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Task 310.1.2-01-06

1. Sole Proprietorship - A sole proprietorship is any business that is owned and ran by the same individual. There is not a difference between the owner and the business. The owner IS the business. The advantages of this include the owner retaining all profits and being in direct control of all elements of the business. The disadvantages of this are that the owner is entirely responsible for debts, loans, losses, and this form of business cannot include a partner or co-owner.

Liability: Since the owner IS the business, liability is unlimited for the owner. They are responsible for all debts. This also puts personal assets in line of creditors. A sole proprietor could get wiped out with one large personal lawsuit and lose everything.
Income taxes: Taxes for the business are processed as the owner's personal business, which is usually higher compared to other business tax rates.
Longevity: This is based on initial work done by the owner when the business is started. It can depend on how the owner finances the business. Typical funding for this type of business is just a personal loan.
Control: Owner is 100% in control of everything with the business and does not have to consult with anyone else prior to making important decisions
Profit retention: Since the owner retains 100% of the profits, the returns on investments can be whatever the owner wishes at any given time. The owner can retain an entires months profits for investment purposes, or pocket the entire months profits if he/she so choses.
Expansion: One of the downfalls of this type of business is that the owner is not legally allowed to bring in a partner or co-owner, so expansion is quite limited. An owner may sell assests associated with the business (aka personal assests), but if the owner dies, the entire business will not continue.
Compliance: Extra

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