As a business owner, it’s critical to have a good understanding of how your business is performing. After all, keeping a close eye on the health of your business is how you’ll determine whether your current strategies are working, or if you need to adopt new ones. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics that will help to determine this.
Determining your business structure is one of the first decisions to make as a new business owner. And it’s also one of the most important. Each structure comes with its own set of benefits and liabilities. So, understanding how they will impact you day-to-day is key to building a solid foundation for your new business.
A Partnership business structure is made up of two or more people or entities. Most small business Partnerships are what is termed ‘General Partnership’ – this means that all of the partners are equally responsible for the management of the business, and each has unlimited liability for the debts incurred.
A Trust business structure is where there is an obligation imposed on a person (Trustee) to hold property or assets (such as business assets) for the benefit of others (Beneficiaries). The trustee is legally responsible for the operation of the Trust and you may have a company act in this role.
A company is a form of business structure. It is an entity that has a separate legal existence from its owners. This means it has the same rights as a person and can incur debt, sue and be sued.
Sole Trader business structures are quite easy and inexpensive to set up. As a sole trader, you are personally responsible for all of the operations (including debts) of your business. You also pay tax personally on the profits at your marginal tax rate.
When running a small business it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you have to do it all, which can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned business minds. But while we may be used to wearing multiple hats, the question we must ask ourselves as small business owners is… how well are we wearing those hats?
We believe that a business plan should be simple to read, accessible and most importantly something you come back to regularly.
Ever wondered why some solutions seem natural and second-nature when they’re presented to you? Often, it’s because the problem solver has dug deeper than the surface to find the real culprit of the issue.
With so many business applications available to subscribe to it’s important to ensure that where possible they work together. In doing so, apps talk to and with each other providing an ecosystem for your business to grow within whilst also delivering efficiencies to your everyday tasks.
