Business Guides
The Characteristics of a Business
Business is the act of creating one’s own money or earning money by creating or buying or selling goods. Simply stated, it’s any venture or business entered into solely for profit. A business is not limited to the physical act of creating money, but can also include the creation of a product or service, a marketing plan, advertising campaigns, etc. It may also include purchasing a service from another business.
There are many different types of businesses in today’s business world. In fact, if you took all of the jobs out of the United States and put them into the hands of every person over the age of eighteen, then you would have just about every type of business you could imagine. However, each type of business has its own unique characteristics and qualities, which will allow it to thrive in today’s business environment.
Before examining some of the characteristics of a business, it helps to look at the business’s history. A business begins as either a sole proprietorship or an LLC. In a sole proprietorship, the owner of the business only has one set of assets that are used in the business, while in an LLC, a partnership holds all assets of the business. The sole proprietor must disclose all assets and the partnership must disclose all members’ assets.
The owner of a sole proprietorship is primarily responsible for their business’ operations, as they are the only person that owns that business. In an LLC, the owner of the business is the general partner, while the general partner in a corporation is the limited partner. While the limited partners control the corporate structure of a business, they do not control any of the decisions that are made within the business, while the general partners do have a say on all matters of the business. In a corporation, the company officers are responsible for taking care of the day-to-day operations of the corporation, while the stockholders make the major decisions of how the corporation will invest or spend funds.
Another important factor of the type of business is the type of clients it deals with. While a sole proprietorship is primarily the owner of the business, a corporation is a business entity that is separate from the owners of the business. A corporation is formed by a group of stockholders who elect a board of directors. When a business is incorporated, it is considered a separate entity from the owner of the business.
Before a business can open for business, it must be incorporated. An incorporation legal document is a legal document that spells out everything that the company or corporation does and what assets it owns, and who it can legally do business with. Once the business is properly incorporated, it becomes a separate legal entity, which means the company cannot use assets owned by the owner of the business unless they are legally authorized to do so.