INC

A corporation can issue shares of stock and sell percentages of the business to its owners, which are called shareholders. These shareholders can transfer shares, purchasing more stock to own a larger percentage of the company, or selling off stock to own less. If your business is one that wants to attract outside investors, a corporation may be the best entity for it. A corporation also exists in perpetuity separate from the owners, meaning that a corporation remains in existence even when an owner leaves or divests from the company.

A corporation’s management structure is much stricter. A corporation must have a formal structure with a Board of Directors handling the management responsibilities of generating profits for the shareholders. Corporate officers are assigned to handle the day-to-day operations of the business. The shareholders are considered owners of the corporation but remain separate from business decisions and daily operations of the corporation (except for approval of major corporate decisions).

However, shareholders retain the power to elect directors, and individual shareholders can be elected as a director or appointed as an officer. The individual rules of any corporation are dictated by its corporate bylaws, which is a detailed set of rules adopted by the Board of Directors after the corporation is formed.