But then after our talk, I got to thinking about it. Are they actually the same? I know what the client was asking – he wanted to make sure he was getting the ‘professional opinion’ out of me, and I feel I assured him he did get just that. But I couldn’t help continuing to think about the question. Is there actually a difference between the two? Can I personally dislike the way certain things look on a website, but professionally give the opinion that it looks really good?

I think the answer is: sometimes, but not very often. I think there can be some situations in which a professional opinion differs from a personal one. So for example, I might not prefer a particular color over another to go along with part of an overall scheme, but my professional opinion still could be that either will work very well. As designers, for the most part however, personal and professional opinions are one and the same. After all, that is just what we do -our opinion is what we get paid for ultimately.

What do you think?

So what are the pros and cons between sole proprietorship and LLC? One of the biggest factors is risk involved with your business. As the IRS website explains, LLC business owners “have limited personal liability for the debts and actions of the LLC”. This means that should someone decide to sue you for any problems they want to blame on your company, then you cannot be held personally responsible (liable) for any judgments against you. In other words, you won’t have to pay out of your own personal money, instead, the company is held responsible. That is a very simplified explanation and I would encourage you to read more on it. Another advantage with LLC is that, like a sole proprietorship, the business itself is not taxed on profits. The owner just files taxes normally, and specifies any business income or losses as part of their personal tax return.

The sole proprietorship does have advantages too. The main advantages being lower start-up costs and you can still file the quick and relatively easy 1040 tax form. Plus, you always have the option in the future to switch to an LLC, once you are comfortable with the business and you have things running smoothly.

I don’t foresee my own business remaining as a sole proprietorship forever. At some point I can see where there may be a need to gain some of the protection provided by an LLC, but for just starting out, a sole proprietorship was the quickest and least expensive way of getting started. That being said, don’t take my word for it – do the research and find out what is best for your own business. You need to make informed decisions if you want to succeed – there’s just no getting around it!

If you are starting your own business, whatever type it may be, disaster preparedness is extremely important.  Ok, we all know that right?  But here is what Office Depot’s survey found:  “Four out of 10 (42 percent) of business owners do not have a disaster plan in place”.  Four out of 10! So, what would you do if you lost your computer(s) and all your files in a disaster such as a fire, hurricane, flood, or any other type of disaster?  Would you be ready?

Office Depot’s guide is tremendously useful.  Even if you only skim through this link and put off the work for another day, at least get a thumb drive and make some backups of your important documents.  It’s just the wise thing to do!