Overview: Sole Proprietorship in India in 2024-25
When you think of the oldest and the most known business organization form, Proprietorship or sole trade organization is the term that should pop up in your head. Apart from being the oldest form of business organization, it is also the most common corporate structure. To make it simpler for you to understand, all the local vendors, medical shops, grocery stores, and clinics all get termed as sole proprietors.
Further in this article, we will talk about everything related to sole proprietorship and should be known to you. To give you a little heads-up, we will be starting by explaining to you what is sole proprietorship, its features, and lastly, its advantages and disadvantages.
What is Sole Proprietorship in India?
Since this article is all about sole proprietorship, you might be thinking, what is a sole proprietorship?
Do not worry because we are here to make all your concepts clear. To begin with the details, it is necessary that you first understand what is the meaning of the term proprietorship.
Proprietorship, which is also known as a sole trade organization, in simple language, is meant to have ownership of a property or business.
For example, if you own a business and have all control over it, you are the proprietor. You are the master of your enterprise, to be precise. A sole proprietor puts effort to grow his business, helps it grow, and later cherishes the sweet fruit of success. But there can also be instances where the proprietor may need help or guidance from others. In such cases, he/she can refer to his family members, relatives, or friends.
To be fair, a sole proprietorship is the simplest form of business. It is pretty easy to create such type of an enterprise. How? As you don’t have to go through any legal recognition procedure or any formal attendant events. Another reason why sole proprietorship may be the best form of business can be well understood through this famous quote by William R. Basset, “The one-man control is the best in the world if that man is big enough to manage everything.”
What are the features of Sole Proprietorship in India?
Now that you know what is a sole proprietorship, it is time to introduce you to some of the unique sole proprietorship features.
Absence of legal etiquette:
There is no distinct law that governs a sole proprietorship. As a result, there aren’t many unique guidelines to follow. It also does not necessitate any form of registration or certification. In most circumstances, we merely require a license to conduct the intended business. And much like when it was formed, there isn’t much of a judicial proceeding associated with its dissolution. Overall, it facilitates doing trade with the least amount of fuss.
Liabilities:
Because there is no distinction between the clients and the company, the sole proprietor liability is likewise limitless. As a result, if the firm becomes unable to satisfy its obligations or responsibilities, the entrepreneur will be responsible for paying them. For example, he might just have to liquidate all his belongings (such as his vehicle, house, and other possessions) to pay off the business’s obligations and liabilities.
Profit & Risk:
When a person goes into sole proprietorship, he is the single risk carrier as he’s the only individual who has financial shares in the business. As a consequence, he must carry the full brunt of the danger. In other terms, if the company fails or loses money, he would be the person who will bear the suffering.
He does, however, get to keep all the revenues from the company. He also isn’t required to share his earnings with some other stockholder because none exists. As a result, he must take full responsibility in return for complete profits.
No distinct identity of the proprietor:
The owner and his company are equal in terms of the law. A person with a sole proprietorship will not be assigned a different legal status. As a result, the proprietor will be accountable for every company activity and operation.
Consistency:
As can be seen from the aforementioned point, the company and its owner are the same. As a result, a sole proprietorship is completely reliant on its founder. The sole proprietorship will be affected by mortality, retirement, insolvency, illness, jail, and other events. In such cases, the proprietor’s company will dissolve, and the organization will stop existing.
High Levels of Confidentiality:
Another significant benefit of sole entrepreneurship is privacy. That’s because the owner handles the entire firm, so, as a result, the company strategies are only accessible to him.
Furthermore, the operator is not obligated to disclose or publicize his financial records. In today’s business environment, the less a competition knows about someone’s company, the safer. The opponents will only be able to make educated guesses.
Tax Benefit:
This sole proprietorship source of finance has specific tax advantages when opposed to another type of business. A sole proprietor’s revenue, for instance, is taxed just once, whereas organizational income is sometimes taxed at a higher rate, resulting in double taxing.
Easy to Dissolve:
When you are a sole proprietor, you are responsible for everything. Since there is no one to partner or co-owner with you, there isn’t any room for disagreement if you decide to close the company. Proprietorship is frequently utilized to test company concepts due to its ease of creation and termination.
So, if you are thinking of starting your enterprise, we hope these sole proprietorship features will help you in coming to an appropriate conclusion.
How to Register a Sole Proprietorship in India?
A single person controls and manages a sole trader. Furthermore, no contract is needed to establish such a company. A lone proprietor, on the other hand, must incorporate within his trademark within any one of the statutory acts that apply to his company. A certification in any state act is comparable to a sole ownership company formation.
A sole proprietorship can establish under the following acts:
- The Shops and Commercial Establishment Act
- GST Registration
- MSME Registration
After learning about the features of sole proprietorship, you should also learn and understand how to register yourself as a sole entrepreneur. This will make your enterprise official. The sole proprietor registration is easy and does not require much effort. In the following points, you will get an idea of how to kickstart the registration procedure.
Advantages of Sole Proprietorship in India
It is time for you to get familiar with the benefits that come along with being a sole entrepreneur. Some of the advantages of a sole proprietorship are mentioned below:
- It is simple to start and close a sole proprietorship.
- A single individual makes all of the company’s decisions.
- The earnings of the company are completely owned by the company’s owner.
- Certain government discounts are also available to this type of corporate entity. This is due to the modest size of activities of a sole proprietor.
- The solo businessman is capable of keeping trade secrets private and therefore maintains confidentiality.
The cost of running such a company organization is low. This is because the entrepreneur personally oversees the company’s operations.
Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorship in India
Above mentioned points helped you understand the advantages of a sole proprietorship. But as you must know, everything comes at a price. Sure, there might be several perks of becoming a sole proprietor, but it has its drawbacks as well. And it is our job to help you get familiar with them. So, here are some disadvantages of a sole proprietorship mentioned below:
- Because the lone proprietor is accountable for managing the finances, the quantity of cash he may raise is restricted.
- The lone proprietor’s responsibility is limitless, and all his possessions could be utilized to settle unpaid loans.
- A solo entrepreneur might not have been a specialist in all functions of leadership, resulting in the loss of managerial skills.
- The lifestyle of an entrepreneur has intertwined this one-man army kind of business. If somehow the proprietor becomes ill, dies, or becomes bankrupt, the company may have to close.
A sole proprietor’s ability to extend its operations has a restriction. This is because a sole proprietorship can only handle business activities to a certain extent.
Conclusion
A sole proprietor is perfect for people who wish to be the leader of their own lives and have an eye for success. To help you become a great sole proprietor, I have penned down this article. I hope it helped you learn who is a sole proprietor, its features, registration, advantages, and disadvantages. We would suggest you get in touch with our experts at OnDemand International, who can help you achieve your dreams sooner than you can imagine.
Our firm is an international management consulting firm, and it is our target to partner with our clients to help them stand out of the crowd and reach the top-most position in the international market. If you are someone who is rooting for a sole proprietorship, it is high time you get in touch with our experts, use our marketing advice, and fulfill your goals.
FAQ’s
Sole ownership (also known as a sole trader, single entrepreneur, or just Proprietorship) is an established business owned solely by one person. This is a straightforward type of business structure that is widely used globally.
Based on the industry, forming an LLC or a single proprietorship may be advantageous. Small firms with minimal risk and modest earnings are best served by sole ownership. The company will serve a small, focused set of consumers rather than a large number of people. Sole proprietorships typically begin as a hobby and grow into a business.
The grounds for forming an LLC are the polar opposite of those listed above. The business comes with some hazards, as well as the potential for very significant earnings, a loyal customer base, as well as the ability to take advantage of specific tax structures.
It is not difficult to start a Private Company. All you have to do to start a bootstrapped start-up is:
- Choose an official name for your company.
- Find a suitable site for your company.
Fill out an application for an existing business or government permit.
The sole ownership model contradicts the idea of a wage being exchanged within the company. The founder’s profit, not salary, is determined by how much he/she made as a lone proprietor. You may, however, hire persons and give them a portion, but you may not compensate yourself in this manner.
Because they run their firm and do not serve as a worker, a sole owner can be termed self-employed. You are legally considered a self-company owner if you own and operate your own company.
A sole proprietorship lacks enough financing & 3rd party credit options. Partnerships allow a business operator to split financial and operational responsibilities, allowing the company’s smooth growth.
Whether it’s a grocery store or a food vendor, and even tiny manufacturers and traders, the majority of local businesses operate as sole ownership. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of larger companies operating as sole ownerships. Nevertheless, from a development aspect, it’s not recommended.
As a single trader, you must complete the usual claim Form for personal taxes, as well as Schedule C, that shows your company’s assets and liabilities. The annual revenue from both is used to quantify the sum of taxes you have to pay.