Choosing Your Business Structure
Before starting your small business, you'll need to select an ownership structure for your new venture. LLC, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship: There are pros and cons to each and it pays to take the time to read comparisons to learn which one will provide the type of liability protection you want and the tax, financing, and financial benefits that are best for the type of business you have.
Nolo has books, forms, and online applications to help you create your business entity and keep it running once you have decided on your legal structure. For a complete list of our small business products, see the Small Business Products page.
Understand what you need to think about when choosing the best ownership structure for your business.
Learn about the differences between corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and sole proprietorships.
Find out how to organize your business with this chart, which shows the pros and cons of the different business entity forms--corporation, partnership, LLC, S corporation, sole proprietorship, and more.
Understand the advantages the LLC entity offers over other business structures.
Find out which business structures need an EIN and how to obtain one.
From insurance to accounting to taxes, here are the steps to starting a business.
You may not need to hire a lawyer as soon as you think when starting a business.
Learn why a limited liability company is a popular business structure for real estate companies.
Find out why it might make sense for you to form an LLC for your small business.
"Ltd." refers to limited liability, meaning the company's owners are not personally responsible for the debts of the business.
Single owner businesses will want to understand the difference between these two business structures.
Learn the differences between an LLC and partnership structure before deciding what entity is best for you.
You may know you want limited liability, but how do you choose between a corporation versus an LLC?
Joint ventures can provide opportunities for growth for small businesses.
From licenses and permits to taxes and insurance, learn what you need to do to start a business in California.
From licenses and permits to taxes and insurance, learn what you need to do to start a business in Florida.
From licenses and permits to taxes and insurance, learn what you need to do to start a business in Texas.
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