In most cases, investing in a well-known, large corporation is as easy as buying shares of the company's publicly traded stock through a brokerage account. However, if you want to invest in a non-public, small- to medium-size business, the chosen structure of the company determines how you can become an owner-investor. You may end up as a partner, an LLC member or a shareholder.
Owner vs. Creditor Considerations
A small company can raise cash for growth or expansion by either taking on debt or selling equity in the business. You may encounter an investment opportunity in a small business through either path. If you make a loan to the company, you will receive regular interest payments and your investment amount back at some point. As a lending investor you are not an owner. If you buy equity in a company you have made an ownership investment. The return you earn will be your proportional share of the business's profits. The initial investment amount will remain tied up in the company's total value. With a small business, cashing out your ownership stake can be difficult to impossible.
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Types of Small Business Structure
A small business with more than one owner must choose to organize as either a partnership, a limited liability company or an S-type corporation. The company registers as the selected type with the state business division. Several factors -- including the number of owners, duties and initial cash contribution of the owners, the need for ownership liability protection, and tax consequences -- determine the best choice. In small business lingo, owners in a partnership are the partners, LLC owners are called members, and S corp owners are all shareholders in the company.
Control Lies With the Ownership Agreement
Part of the formation of a partnership, LLC or S-corp will be the development of the partnership/ownership agreement. This document details the number of allowable owners, ownership shares, the rights and obligations of owners, and the steps required to add owners. For you to invest in a small business, the partnership or shareholder agreement may have to be amended to allow an expansion of the number of owners and to spell out your rights as a new investor/owner. To start the investment process, approach the company and offer to put in money to buy an ownership stake. An acceptance of your offer to invest in the business must be structured to comply with the in-force ownership agreement.
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Accounting for the Returns on Your Investment
The partnership, LLC and S-corp business structures all act as pass-through organizations for income tax purposes. This means the company does not pay income tax. The profits pass through on a proportional basis to the owners to claim on their own tax returns. With an ownership stake in a small business, the company will send you an IRS Schedule K-1 listing your share of profits, losses and deductions to be included on your personal tax return. The amount of profits on the K-1 may differ from the amount of cash the company chooses to pay out as a return on your investment.
