Our thoughts of a businessman are dominated by a vision of well-furnished offices, multi-story buildings, international tours, and a large number of employees. The list isn’t exhaustive. Because that was the only type of business that existed for a long duration, we have been taught this mindset.

Technology has brought about a dramatic change in the world, especially in communication technology. The shift to small-scale businesses started before the Covid 19, pandemic. However, this trend has increased in speed. People became less employed and more dependent on their homes for income, making small-scale personal businesses a very popular choice.

A traditional business structure can make it difficult to start a new business. A mountain of paperwork, complicated legal formalities licenses permits, permits, registration, and licensing will all be waiting for your business. Then there are the taxes. You will have a lot going on, and it may exhaust you first-timer.

Let’s say we tell you about a method to get rid of all those annoying business problems. Yes! You can open a business with no paperwork, permits, licenses or red tape. This status can bring you many incredible, remarkable, and amazing benefits. It is the best thing a small business owner can do.

If you are thinking of starting a small business, but don’t know which structure to choose? It covers every detail of a sole ownership and compares it to other business structures like LLCs, contractors, and so you can confidently select a structure for yourself.

Who is a sole owner?

A sole proprietor is an individual who owns a business for himself alone and without the help of anyone else. If you treat this organization as a corporation or LLC, you can no longer be a sole owner.

The sole proprietorship does not make you any different from the business. You are the only beneficiary. All profits go to your business. As sole proprietor, you must assume all of your business obligations, including losses, investments and debts.

What is a sole-proprietorship?

Sole proprietorship simply means a business with just one owner. The business owner is the only one who has to pay personal income tax on the company’s profits. As per law, there are not shareholders nor benefactors, and so no one is liable to the business for its losses or creditors.

It’s the easiest type because there is no regulation. Because it is easy and simple, sole proprietorships work well for people who have the financial ability to start a business.

You can start your business as a sole proprietor. In order to form a sole proprietorship you do not need to take any formal or judicial action. There is not any legal obligation on your side; the business or earning activity are the startup.

A sole proprietorship can be so straightforward and seamless that you might not even realize it. Imagine that you work remotely as a freelancer. In that situation, you are already a sole-proprietor, whether you realize or not. For sole proprietorship, there is no need for a badge, registration or separate income Tax number.

Start-ups should not be without licenses and permits. The type and nature of licenses or permits will depend on what industry you choose. You can set up a sole proprietorship company under your own name.

To use a separate name for your company, you will need to come up with a fictitious title. Fictitious businesses names, also known under an assumed name or DBA (doingbusiness as), must be original. They should not have been used before, otherwise you could be subject to copyright claims.

Understanding a sole ownership

The sole proprietorship’s true nature cannot be understood if it is viewed as a separate legal entity. It does not function like a corporation (limited liability partnership), an LLC(limited liability company), or a corporation. The sole proprietorship is subject to all business liabilities including investments, losses, and debts.

It is a bit intimidating and discouraging to say that the debts or liabilities are solely the responsibility of the proprietor. But the truth is that the profits flow directly from the owner’s account, without interruption. The sole beneficiary of the earnings and the benefits is the proprietor.

Single proprietors might be able to transfer their small businesses or side ventures to LLCs or corporate status, but it’s possible that they don’t do this as often as they would like, so they keep their side gig as a sole ownership.

Your small business may not be able to become an LLC. This could lead to fees. The side hustle can continue as it is and still bring in income. Solo proprietors can file taxes for web designers, personal-trainers, and even small crafters, who may be selling on Etsy.

Advantages and disavantages of being sole proprietor

The main benefits of being a sole proprietorship are already covered, including the tax advantage (there don’t extra taxes), the simplicity of creation, and the nominal fee of maintenance.

It’s refreshing to be a sole proprietor and not have all the hassles of running a business. Sometimes the paperwork can become overwhelming and you feel like giving in to the idea. It is not necessary to register your business. This means you will have less paperwork. Your business does not need to be registered with the state.

Some states may require that certain permits or licenses be acquired, but not always. This type of business is easier to run because there are fewer formalities.

Another major difference is the tax procedure. It is so easy, that you may not want your small business to be sold at any point. The sole proprietorship is exempt from the requirement to obtain an EIN. The IRS allows you go ahead without an EIN. It is up to you to decide. If you do not want it, you can have it. Otherwise, you may be able to continue running your business without it. Alternately, you might consider using your SSN to help pay your taxes.

A sole proprietorship is a good option for small business owners starting out with very limited resources. Sole proprietorships have negligible overhead expenses. There is no need to register the business with the state. This means that your renewal and registration bills will be negligible.

A sole proprietorship does not require a separate business account. This case, your personal checking will suffice.

If you have ambitions to become a businessman and are looking for low investment options, a sole proprietorship could be the solution to your problems.

There are some attractive advantages to sole proprietorship, but this should not blind you from the negatives. As amazing as it may seem to be to get all the profits and benefits from the business and not have to deal with anyone else, one must also understand that there is a duty to that lavishness. You will be responsible for all liabilities.

You will have the responsibility of sourcing all capital funding. There is no one to assist you. It is even more challenging when you have the option to rely on traditional finance channels such banks loans and equity bond.

A reminder that asset protection is not available to your business due to the fact that only legal entities are protected by the state. Because the sole proprietorship does not need to be registered, there is no government backing for your company. It is protected in multiple ways if a company is registered with state. If there are any liabilities, the government will not support or cover a sole proprietorship.

Solo proprietorship presents a unique challenge because you must raise all the funds yourself. Because there are no shareholders, it is not possible to split the startup investment. Perhaps you are thinking: why not ask banks, creditors, and other investors?

The short answer is that banks will have to trust you enough to consider investing in you. Banks prefer companies with a proven track record and multiple stakeholders to invest in them, but it may be risky to do business alone. You will have less capital than businesses with many stakeholder, which will make it more difficult for you to get financing. Banks view such ventures as dangerous and will avoid investing their money.

It is not just banks that matter; all investors want to invest in sophisticated, wealthy, sophisticated and well-established setups. Sometimes, small startups have to become LLCs or LLPs because of the initial capital and its problems.