Business Structures Guide: Company Vs. Sole Trader Vs. Trust

There are many important choices that need to be made when running a business. One of the most crucial considerations is the business structure. Unfortunately many individuals looking to start their own business or those who are currently running a business lack the proper knowledge and advice needed to make the right choice for their business structure.

This business structures guide outlines several of the most popular business structures available and assesses each against a range of criteria to examine how each business structure stacks up. The business structures considered include:

• Sole Trader
• Partnership
• Company
• Family Trust (aka family trust)
• Unit Trust
• Hybrid Trust

Contained In The Business Structures Guide

Introduction and contents

Overview of Business Structures

We provide an outline and example of each business structure.

Criteria For Assessing Each Business Structure

Outline and explanation of the criteria used to assess each business structure.

Tax Efficiency – how each business structure stacks up in terms of tax efficiency

Small Business Tax Concessions – why these are such an important consideration

Asset Protection – what levels of asset protection are afforded by each structure

Estate and Succession Planning – which structure affords the best estate planning provisions

Conclusions and Final Comparison of Each Business Structure