Small Business Ideas

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

In America, a small business is generally defined as a business that has a low number of employees. The Small Business Act defines it as a business "that is independently owned and operated and which is not dominant in its field of operation." The owner or owners oversee the major decisions that are made for their business. The Small Business Act allows for different limits of the number of employees based on industries as a way of acknowledging that certain industries require more employees.

For tax purposes, small businesses are generally corporations, partnerships or sole proprietorships. A corporation is a business owned by a group of stockholders and each stockholder shares a part of the financial responsibility if the business suffers a loss. The financial responsibility of the stockholder for any loss cannot exceed the investment made by that stockholder. A corporation may sell stock in order to raise money.

A partnership is a business owned by two or more people. Unlike a corporation, a partnership does not have a limit on the amount of financial responsibility of each person in the event of a loss, which means that each individual in a partnership can lose their personal fortune in addition to their investment. The individuals in a partnership can sign agreements making one individual responsible for more of the loss if all individuals involved agree. A sole proprietorship is a business that has one owner. The owner is responsible for everything including financial losses experienced by the business.

Many sites that discuss starting a business highlight the importance of researching the market, having a business plan and being financially prepared. What these sites often fail to mention is that the most important ingredient for a successful business is passion. The harsh reality is most small businesses fail within the first five years and those that don't fail generally endure a financial struggle during those first five years.

Passion is the secret weapon of many successful businesses. Passion drives an individual to learn about the market and understand where there might be a need for something different. Passion drives the individual to set goals and work as hard as possible to achieve those goals. On the rough days when nothing is going right, and it appears all else has failed, passion keeps an individual in the game and focused on the objective. Small businesses need passion in order to survive.


You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.

About The Author:Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who is making money with his SFI marketing business, which is one of the largest Affiliate programs on the Internet. He makes it easy for anyone to build their ideal online business and earn a substantial income from home. Learn how to start your ideal business and start making money online by visiting his website: http://www.earlsfiblog.com