Just like any other businesses, there are also advantages and disadvantages of sole proprietorship. That is why it is very important that when you want to enter into sole proprietorship, you look for this advantages and disadvantages in order to make the right decision.
Simply put, sole proprietorship is a business owned and managed by one person.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP
ADVANTAGES
1. EASY FORMATION
Sole proprietorship is very easy and simple to form because you don’t need so much capital to start. Also, unlike other businesses where you need a lot of regulations to start, the only thing that you need to start a sole proprietorship is just a license or in some cases, just a permission from the authorities is needed to start.
2. CONTROL OVER THE BUSINESS
In sole proprietorship, the owner takes all the decisions and execute it himself. He or she does not need to schedule any time to take decision to manage the business. In other business where one need to take decision with others, they will have to make sure the members are available to do that. So in their absence, the decision will have to be posponed. This will go a long way to reduce productivity.
3. SECRECY
Since the sole proprietor controls every aspect of the business, he or she is able to keep everything to himself. He is not under any obligation to publish his account to the public like other co-operations. This means that your secrete with which you operate the business will not be known to your competitors to compete with you.
4. EASY DISSOLUTION
Since the business is owned by just one person (the sole proprietor) and with no laws on how the business is to be dissolved, the owner has the right to stop operating anytime the business is not making profit.
5. IT GIVES YOU EXPERIENCE
With all the advantages enumerated above, you realize that starting a sole proprietorship, is not difficult. It means that if you have a dream of starting a co-operation or a limited liability company in the future, you can start sole proprietorship to gain the needed experience that will serve as a springboard to which ever company you want to start.
6. FREE FROM GOVERNMENT CONTROL
7. PROFIT
Since the business is owned and managed by one person, all the profits that the business makes go to him or her. For that matter the person always try his or her best to succeed by making more profit. This cannot be said of other business because, the business is being managed by other people.
DISADVANTAGES
1. LACK OF CONTINUETY
Once the sole owner dies, or incapacitate, the business seizes to continue. Even if the business is pass onto a different person, he may not be able to manage it like the owner.
2. MANAGEMENT SKILLS
It is said that knowledge is not in one person’s head. And so if one person is managing the business, he may face some challenges in some aspects of the business which he or she does not know much about.
In conclusion, If you take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of sole proprietorship enumerated above, you can see that the advantages outwit the disadvantages.Also, you can also find ways and means to overcome the disadvantages.