Súlad s predpismiFinancie03 augusta, 2020|Aktualizovanéfebruára 19, 2021

Equity financing for small businesses

Rather than racking up debt to finance your business, you can give ownership in exchange for the money you need. Learn what forms of business and what equity financing options can work best for your business.

Understanding equity financing

Equity financing simply means selling an ownership interest in your business in exchange for capital. The most basic hurdle to obtaining equity financing is finding investors who are willing to buy into your business. But don't worry: Many small business have done this before you.

The amount of equity financing that you undertake may depend more upon your willingness to share management control than upon the investor appeal of the business. By selling equity interests in your business, you sacrifice some of your autonomy and management rights.

The effect of selling a large percentage of the ownership interest in your business may mean that your own investment will be short-term, unless you retain a majority interest in the business and control over future sale of the business. Of course, many small business operators are not necessarily interested in maintaining their business indefinitely, and your personal motives for pursuing a small business will determine the value you place upon business ownership. 

The bottom line usually boils down to whether you would rather operate a successful business for several years and then sell your interest for a fair profit, or be repeatedly frustrated in attempts at financing a business that cannot achieve its potential because of insufficient capital.

The impact of choice of entity on equity financing options

The specific types of equity financing available to you are, to some extent, determined by the organizational form of your small business. Your choice of business form, or "entity," for your small business involves a wide spectrum of other important issues, such as the degree of personal risk involved in the type of business, tax considerations and the need to attract good business managers.

Each entity has its own unique characteristics:

  • Sole proprietorships are the simplest businesses to form, but equity financing is limited to the owner's assets.
  • General partnerships require at least two owners, so equity financing possibilities are greater than in proprietorships.
  • Limited partnerships can provide limited liability to some of the owners, if they're not active participants in the business.
  • Corporations provide the most flexible possibilities for investors.
  • Limited liability companies and limited liability partnerships are business entities that combine favorable tax treatment with limited legal liability for the owners.

Equity Financing: Sole proprietorship

If you're the kind of entrepreneur who likes complete control over your venture and as little paperwork as possible, a sole proprietorship could be right up your alley.

Many small businesses start (and remain) sole proprietorships because of the relative ease in paperwork and taxes. When you're ready to start your business immediately and the sole owner, establishing your business as a sole proprietorship may be your best bet.

Simply defined, a sole proprietorship is a single-owner business and the simplest form of business entity.

Like many things in life, though, simplicity often means limitations. If you're interested in equity financing for your business, a sole proprietorship is the most restrictive business organization structure you can choose.

Because a sole proprietorship, by its very nature, can only maintain one owner, equity investment is limited to whatever you have in the bank—or whatever assets you're willing to post on eBay and hope will generate the cash you need. 

Aside from your personal financial portfolio — from simple savings accounts at banks to ownership of commercial real estate — you may need to borrow more money and contribute those funds as an equity investment in your business.

If you're considering debt financing instead of equity financing for your sole proprietorship, the former is usually limited to the number of personal assets you can pledge as security for a loan.

All of this isn't to say sole proprietorships are to be avoided. In many cases, they offer the prefect business organization structure for entrepreneurs. 

Sole proprietorship advantages

A sole proprietorship can afford you the most freedom to run your new business. You can enjoy:

  • Exclusive control. You'll retain sole control over the management and development of your business.
  • Affordable formation and maintenance. Creating your sole proprietorship involves almost no formalities (barring any specific licenses necessary for your type of business) and few administrative costs. Do look into your state laws if you plan to operate your business under any name that is not your personal name. You may need to file a Doing Business As (commonly called a "DBA") within the local county where you will do business. This DBA certificate will allow creditors to locate the people (in this case, just you) legally responsible for the business's affairs.
  • Simple (and often favorable) tax treatment. All income and expenses of the business are included on your personal tax return, usually on Schedule C, creating much less of a filing burden. In addition, because startup businesses often operate at a loss during an initial period, the losses can be deducted on your personal tax return to offset income you earn from other sources.

While these potential advantages can be a significant boon for your business, it's important to weigh them against the potential disadvantages.

Sole proprietorship disadvantages

While the advantages are clear, operating a sole proprietorship carries its fair share of concerns.

  • Full personal liability. In the eyes of Uncle Sam, you and your business are one and the same, as are your business debts and liabilities and your personal obligations. That means you are personally responsible for your business contracts and taxes as well as the misconduct of employees who create legal liabilities while acting within their employment. You can, however, mitigate some of these liabilities with the proper insurance. And personal liability for business contracts is common in any form of small business, so being a sole proprietor doesn't necessarily exacerbate the situation.
  • Limited financing options. Your financing options will be limited to your credit profile. If you are unwilling—or unable—to sell off any ownership interests in your business, you are the sole source of available equity financing. You may also have a difficult time obtaining debt financing, except to the extent you can pledge personal assets on a secured loan.

If you'd like more financing options and are relatively comfortable with a reasonable level of personal liability, organizing as a general or limited partnership may provide the flexibility you're looking for.

Equity financing: General and limited partnerships

A general partnership is defined as an association of two or more parties to operate a business for profit. Unlike a sole proprietorship, all of the risk and decision-making power is not limited to a single business owner—nor is the financing.

You and your partners can raise equity funds in several common ways:

  • Through your own capital contributions
  • By adding new partners
  • By restructuring the relative ownership interests of the existing partners to reflect new contributions.

While you do have a broader base of individuals' creditworthiness to tap into if you consider debt financing, the owners still largely determine the business's creditworthiness.

That doesn't mean there aren't other upsides to equity financing through a general partnership.

General partnership advantages

Opting for a general partnership spreads the managerial responsibilities and financial burden among several owners. You and your partners can capitalize on:

  • Low-cost formation and relatively simple maintenance. Although not quite as informal as establishing sole proprietorships, partnerships can be relatively cheap and easy to form and maintain. All partnerships should adopt a written partnership agreement, but there is no legal requirement for a contract. No statutory formalities are required nor are there any fees. However, if you choose to do business under an assumed name, registration with state authorities may be required.
  • Favorable tax treatment. Partners are taxed as individuals, and the partnership itself is not taxed. Each individual partner shares the income and deductions of the business according to a previously agreed-upon allocation of partnership interests (hence the written partnership agreement we mentioned earlier). Because new small businesses frequently experience temporary losses, you can take advantage of pass-through tax treatment. This simply means the taxes of your business are "passed through" to the tax return of the individual partners, enabling you to avoid the double taxation corporations must pay. By using pass-through tax treatment, a partner (hopefully you) can benefit by immediately apply any losses from the business to offset his or her (or your) income from other sources.
  • Sharing expertise and risk. Many entrepreneurs immediately recognize that more owners mean financial and legal risk doesn't fall squarely on one owner's shoulder. And that's definitely a plus. But multiple owners also means partners bring different talents, experiences and educations to the business. 

If you're interested in letting a few other ringmasters help run the circus, a general partnership can offer an ideal organizational structure not only for equity financing but also operations. That's not to say, though, it's always the right choice for a few sharp entrepreneurs who want to do business together.

General partnership disadvantages

Every action has its equal and opposite reaction, and the same is true for the disadvantages of general partnerships. 

  • Personal liability. Like a sole proprietorship, a general partner has unlimited personal liability for business liabilities. Each partner bears personal financial liability for the contract and tort debts of the business. You can, however, mitigate this financial exposure to a certain degree by purchasing liability insurance.
  • Limited transferability of ownership. The majority of partnership arrangements restrict a partner's rights to withdraw from the partnership or to transfer the ownership interests. If you don't like how things are going, you likely won't have an easy time removing yourself (or another partner) from the business.
  • Limited financing options. As a general rule, the smaller your partnership, the more difficulty you'll likely have in obtaining financing. New equity financing is generally limited to increased contributions from existing partners in exchange for a greater ownership percentage. You can also add a new partner, which ordinarily requires the unanimous approval of all existing partners. Debt financing is more easily available in comparison to a sole proprietorship, but obtaining it may still be difficult because your business's credit is no better than the credit of each individual partner.

You may want to read more on this business organization structure if you're seriously considering establishing a general partnership. Or you can explore a similar partnership option: the limited partnership.

Financing options for limited partnerships

A limited partnership requires only one partner (the general partner) to assume personal liability for the business's liabilities; however, you can have multiple general partners.

Other partners (limited partners) are passive investors and do not incur personal liability.

Work smart

Formation of a limited partnership requires strict compliance with state law. Otherwise, most states will treat all partners as general partners for purposes of personal liability for the business' obligations. We recommend contacting your attorney if you're contemplating this business form.

This organizational structure can entice financiers who would normally be reluctant to invest due to the personal liability associated with a general partnership. Under the limited partnership structure, they invest and become limited partners, supplying the capital but abstaining from the day-to-day management of the business.

In fact, limited partners are prohibited from becoming actively involved in the ongoing management of the business, or they forfeit their limited liability. Although all general partners assume personal liability for the business's liabilities, only one general partner must take responsibility for overseeing operations and making daily management decisions.

Tip

Sale of ownership interests in a limited partnership may be treated as a sale of securities. Always consult state and federal securities laws before selling ownership interests.

Limited Partnership advantages

For purposes of equity investing, a limited partnership is appealing for two important reasons:

  • An investor has limited personal exposure
  • A limited partner does not need to be actively involved in management responsibilities

In the past, limited partnerships were especially popular in certain industries, such as real estate, because of the generous passive loss (a loss in a business in which you are not actively involved) rules of prior tax laws.

Limited partnership disadvantages

The current tax code reduces the appeal of limited partnerships to many investors by restricting passive loss deductions.

The limited partnership's feature of limited liability is also available through other entity forms (a corporation, a limited liability company or a limited liability partnership), and unlike a limited partnership, these alternative entities also allow each participant the option of being actively involved in the business without forgoing their limited liability.

While establishing a limited partnership may be your best bet, exploring corporations and limited liability partnerships can potentially provide more protection and financing options.

Equity financing: Corporations and limited liability entities

The word "corporate" is bandied about everywhere from the evening news to the conversations of convenience store loiterers complaining about authority. But what exactly makes something corporate—and how does it apply to small business owners seeking financing?

A corporation isn't necessarily (and isn't often) a large multinational business with tens of thousands of employees. In its most basic form, a corporation is created under state law and is a legally recognized entity that exists independently of its shareholders or directors. The corporation enters into a corporate charter with the state in which the business agrees to abide by the governing state regulations in return for the state's agreement to treat the business as a separate legal entity for legal liability and tax purposes.

Corporation advantages

For many small businesses, incorporation provides:

  • Ease in raising capital from multiple investors. The corporation structure accommodates widespread ownership of your business. It offers the easiest method for raising capital from multiple investors, particularly investors not necessarily interested in actively participating in the business. It may be easier to persuade 15 people to invest $5,000 than to convince one person to contribute $75,000.
  • Alternative types of corporations. Small businesses may have a variety of corporate structures to choose from, including S corporations, close corporations, and C corporations. Each carries different requirements, but they all permit equity financing through the sale of stock in exchange for a capital contribution of money or property. Stock comes in a variety of different types and, depending upon your negotiating strength and the interests of your investors, a small business can limit the extent of ownership control being sold by limiting the number of shares for sale and/or the rights associated with each class of stock. Nonvoting shares, preferred shares, redeemable shares and a variety of hybrid shares are possible.

Example

The sale of either nonvoting shares or a minority percentage of voting shares could be considered an acceptable investment to a family member who doesn't want to be actively involved in your business and trusts your judgment.

  • Limited personal liability for the investors. Because a corporation is a separate legal entity, investors aren't personally liable like they would be in less formal structures.
  • Flexibility in structuring ownership. With the ability to separate ownership from management, you and several members can run the ship without too much interference from investors.

Corporations have their clear advantages, but as your business entity becomes more complex, so do the disadvantages.

Corporation disadvantages

Before you commit to corporate, consider these concerns:

Other prospective shareholders, such as venture capitalists and investment "angels," may demand a more active role in exchange for their capital contribution. As a condition of investing, they may even require a public sale of the business within a certain time period in order to ensure a quick return on their investment.

  • Expensive and burdensome administration. State laws and regulations change. And even when they don't, you (or an employee or service provider) have a sizable amount of paperwork to complete just to maintain your good standing as a corporation.
  • Double taxation of profits while operating. Because your shareholders and your business are considered separate entities, Uncle Sam likes to collect taxes on each.

For more information on the pros and cons of incorporation, see our discussion of establishing a corporation.

Financing LLCs

The LLC is a hybrid between a corporation and a partnership that offers the best of both worlds for many businesses. As with a corporation, the entity can only be created via compliance with state law formalities.

You and any other owners (aka, "members") will enjoy limited personal liability for the company's liabilities. And as with partnership business structures we've discussed in other articles, members benefit from pass-through (individual) tax treatment, meaning there's no taxation at the business-level, but all income, deductions, credits etc., "pass through" to the individual members and must be reported on their individual returns.

As tax laws currently stand, the LLC is one of the most popular entity choices among small business owners.

LLC advantages

As entrepreneurs transform their ideas into business, they're opting to incorporate their companies as LLCs for a host of good reasons. The benefits of LLCs include:

  • Pass-through taxation. Unlike corporations, LLCs are not subject to double taxation. This maximizes profits for you and any other members.
  • Equity financing and broad experience through multiple members. While you won't be able to attract as many equity investors as you would through a corporation, you can still have multiple owners, who can bring with them a variety of skills.
  • Limited personal liability. Because the LLC is not, in the eyes of the government, interchangeable with the members, you and other owners will have limited personal liability for business decisions.

For an entity structure with so many advantages, there are relatively few drawbacks.

LLC disadvantages

While the benefits of LLCs have persuaded many small business owners to opt for this business organization structure, it may not be the best option for your organization if any of these concerns raise a red flag:

  • Potentially expensive and time-consuming statutory formalities. Creating and maintaining an LLC involves a certain amount of paperwork. Because LLCs are formed at the state level, the statutory formalities can vary widely. Regardless, you, an employee or a service bureau will need to spend time every year ensuring compliance with your state's laws.
  • Complicated legal and tax issues. Conducting business as an LLC can be relatively straight forward if you remain small and local. But as your business expands, you'll likely run into some hairy legal issues. Common legal and tax problems LLCs face include multi-state transactions, whether single-member LLCs are allowed and conflicts between state LLC laws.

If you like the overall structure and are seriously considering establishing an LLC but would like to retain some characteristics of a partnership, a limited liability partnership may be a better fit.

Financing LLPs

A limited liability partnership (LLP) is like an LLC's cousin. They're clearly family, but there's enough difference to tell them apart.

Just like an LLC, an LLP affords limited liability for partners while providing partnership tax treatment. But an LLP is fairly exclusive, often available only for certain occupations (e.g., professional groups such as attorneys or physicians). Professionals in these fields often find the LLP an attractive choice because one partner does not assume any liability for another partner's malpractice, misconduct or negligence. The only "punishment" you incur from a partner's wrongdoing is reputation damage to your practice.

You can form an LLP using a simple registration indicating the partnership elects to be treated as an LLP. General partnership law—with the important exception of no personal liability for business liabilities—will govern the entity. If a partnership can qualify as an LLP, it's almost always an opportunity you should capitalize on.

LLP advantages

For those businesses that qualify, forming as an LLP is a good business:

  • Reduced risk for financiers. The limited liability feature of LLPs attracts investors who might otherwise balk at investing in a general partnership. Some are also interested in the opportunity to be actively involved in the management of the business.
  • Pass-through taxation. Just like LLCs, LLPs are not subject to double taxation. This maximizes profits for you and your partners.
  • Limited personal liability. In addition to you and other partners bearing limited personal liability for business decisions, the limited liability for a partner's professional misconduct makes the LLP all that more safe.

Of course, like an LLC, you'll want to verify the downsides are nothing to deter you from choosing this organizational structure.

LLP disadvantages

It's unlikely the disadvantages will sway you, but be sure to verify that none of these are roadblocks to establish your LLP:

  • Restrictive access. LLPs are only available to certain professionals, primarily doctors and attorneys. You'll need to consult your state laws to determine if an LLP could work for your business, but odds are if you don't have the initial "JD" or "MD" after your name, an LLP isn't happening.
  • Potentially expensive and time-consuming statutory formalities. Just like an LLC, creating and maintaining an LLP demands a certain level of paperwork at the state level, meaning statutory formalities can vary widely.
  • Complicated legal and tax issues. Like an LLC, conducting business as an LLP can get onerous if your business expands. The good news is that most doctors and attorneys practice in the same area. But if you start opening new offices in different states, get ready to encounter difficulties with multi-state transactions, whether single-member LLPs are allowed and conflicts between state LLP laws.

Now that you're familiar with your entity options and what role they play in financing, you're ready to delve into the business combinations and venture capital that can help you secure the financing you need (that is, if you still need it).

Equity financing: Selecting a form of organization for your small business

Choosing the right business organization structure before you seek equity financing—and in general—is essential to your future business prosperity.

Throughout this article, you'll learn the main advantages and disadvantages of different organizational forms when it comes to financing. But before delving into these topics, we have one crucial piece of advice to share: No formula exists for making the determination of which organization structure is best for your business.

Equity financing considerations for any entity

No matter what entity you choose, before you obtain financing you should address important considerations relating to:

  • Taxes
  • Personnel
  • Marketing and business strategies
  • A variety of other factors

Of course, we've identified certain general principles that will help guide your selection of an organizational form for your small business.

For example, many startup businesses follow a progression of organizational forms. They begin as sole proprietorships into some form of corporate entities as the businesses' financing needs and options become more complicated.

The sole proprietorship is popular for startups because it requires:

  • Virtually no formalities
  • Little to no cost to create and maintain
  • Minimal tax treatment

As less formality requires less commitment, many entrepreneurs will start a side business sole proprietorship before testing the waters and becoming full-time small business owners.

A sole proprietorship, however, may not be the ideal starting point if your business will:

  • Include employees (creating potential personal tort liability for owners)
  • Pose relatively high risks and/or
  • Needs to attract equity financing

Your enterprise may benefit from the beginning as a corporation. The LLC entity may also be worth considering for a startup business if you want the pass-through tax benefits of a partnership but also want to limit your personal liability.

While we'll delve into each entity in this series of articles, you'll want to consider these general guidelines before you start working on your incorporation paperwork.

Properly using equity financing

The most important consideration when investigating equity financing is determining how many ownership interests you need to sell in order to raise the capital you need.

The number and type of equity investors in several of the entity forms varies significantly:

  • The C corporation allows the greatest flexibility in terms of manipulating ownership interests through the type and number of ownership shares that you sell.
  • S corporations and close corporations limit the number and type of shareholders.
  • A sole proprietorship obviously precludes equity financing from anyone other than yourself.
  • A general partnership may have problems raising equity capital because adding a new partner requires the unanimous consent of all existing partners. Plus, numerous partners in a general partnership can create cumbersome management decision-making.
  • LLCs and LLPs are similar to partnerships in this context.

Of course, most small businesses do not begin with a large number of owners (e.g., more than ten); consequently, you can usually convert a more simple organizational form, such as a partnership, into a corporation if and when the need for greater equity financing arises.

Assessing investment risk

If the business has employees, or if several owners will participate actively in the business, the potential personal liability can (and should) influence your choice of organizational form.

High-risk businesses like construction contracting may favor an entity that limits the personal liability of the owners, such as a:

  • Corporation
  • Limited liability company
  • Limited liability partnership
  • Limited partnership

In contrast, a sole proprietor and a partner in a general partnership have unlimited personal liability for the conduct of associates and employees.

Reaping tax advantages

One of the best benefits of striking it on your own? Startups typically experience tax losses during their initial period.

You can usually "pass through" a greater amount of these losses to your individual tax return if you incorporate as a:

  • Sole proprietorship
  • A general or limited partnership
  • An S corporations
  • An LLC or LLP

Warning

If your interest in the partnership or S corporation is considered a passive activity, your loss deductions are consequently limited.

A C corporation would limit the amount of loss you could deduct in any one year to the amount of corporate income for that year (plus any carry-over losses from prior years). In addition, the owners of a C corporation pay a second tax on earnings when corporate revenues are distributed to shareholders.

Creating a high-profile image

To some investors, the more formal organizational entity you can create the better. It can add to the intangible appeal of your business that leads to more funding. A corporate name may create an image of credibility and business sophistication for some investors.

Maintaining control with multiple owners

Any entity with more than one owner involves compromising your exclusive control over the business.

In some cases, your dream may be to call all the shots, and financing that requires more owners may not be the best fit. Finding investors who complement your weaknesses, however, can allow you to focus on your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.

Your willingness to dilute your ownership control, and the need to obtain outside equity financing, will ultimately govern the level of control you want to maintain.

Considering transferability and marketability

All organizational forms, other than sole proprietorships and C corporations, usually have restrictions on the transfer of ownership interests. 

Although these restrictions allow the owners a greater degree of ownership control, the constraints are also likely to limit the marketability and liquidity of the equity interests.

Think ahead

For reasons relating to investor relations and financing, keep investors informed of developments within the business, regardless of the form of entity you elect to use.

Simply mail a shareholder newsletter or periodic correspondence to investors who aren't involved in day-to-day operations. Include what's going on and when the company is planning to seek another round of financing. Investors not only appreciate the information but also want to participate in further investing—and receiving more financing from the same investors is infinitely easier than soliciting new potential financiers.

With these general guidelines taken into account, addressing each entity will better help you determine the right fit for your financing needs.

Mike Enright
Operations Manager
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