Learning Path 03
Business Structures and Entities
Sole proprietorships to holding companies — what each structure is for and when it fits.
- Beginner
- ~7h estimated
- 14 modules
- 93 topics
Why this path matters
Entity choice quietly shapes taxes, liability, and how you can raise money or sell later.
What you will understand
- The difference between earning income and owning value.
- How structure shapes what you keep and what you risk.
Modules in this path
Ownership Fundamentals · Equity & Ownership
- Salary versus Ownership
- Equity versus Revenue
- Equity versus Profit Share
- Common Stock
- Preferred Stock
- Voting Rights
- Non-voting Shares
Shares, Vesting, and Dilution · Equity & Ownership
Equity Beyond Stock · Equity & Ownership
- Phantom Equity
- Profit Interests
- Sweat Equity
- Advisory Shares
- Employee Ownership
- Partnership Equity Splits
- Equal Split Problems
Agreements and Protections · Equity & Ownership
- Buy-sell Agreements
- Drag-along Rights
- Tag-along Rights
- Liquidation Preferences
- SAFE Notes
- Convertible Notes
- Valuation Caps
Valuation and Value · Equity & Ownership
- Pre-money versus Post-money
- Enterprise Value versus Equity Value
- EBITDA Multiples
- Revenue Multiples
- Owner Earnings
- Seller Discretionary Earnings
- Private Business Valuation
Buying Equity vs Building It · Equity & Ownership
- High Valuation Risk
- Buying versus Building Equity
- Buying Cash Flow
- 409A Valuations
- 83(b) Elections
- Qualified Small Business Stock
- Profits Interests in Practice
Equity Paperwork That Decides Taxes · Equity & Ownership
Entity Types · Taxes & Entities
- Sole Proprietorships
- LLCs
- S Corporations
- C Corporations
- Partnerships
- Holding Companies
- Operating Companies
- IP Holding Companies
Company Architectures · Taxes & Entities
- Parent Companies
- Subsidiaries
- Series LLCs
- Taxable Income versus Cash Flow
- Payroll Taxes
- Self-employment Tax
- Sales Tax Nexus
- Economic Nexus
How Business Taxes Work · Taxes & Entities
- Resale Certificates
- Depreciation for Taxes
- Bonus Depreciation
- Section 179
- Cost Segregation
- Tax-loss Harvesting
- The Qualified Business Income Deduction
- Estimated Taxes
Deductions and Timing · Taxes & Entities
- Tax Reserves
- Deductions versus Personal Expenses
- Asset Protection
- Piercing the Corporate Veil
- Personal Guarantees and Entities
- Insurance as Legal Protection
- Entity Structure Early versus Later
- Employee versus Contractor
Protection and Strategy · Taxes & Entities
- Hiring Your First Employee
- Business Licenses and Permits
- Record Keeping and Clean Books
- The Business Tax Calendar
- Protecting Intellectual Property
- Deferred Taxes
- Research and Development Tax Credits
- 1031 Exchanges
Advanced Tax Positions · Taxes & Entities
- Purchase Price Allocation
- Net Operating Losses
- State Tax Apportionment
- Section 382 and the NOL Limitation
- SRLY Limits in a Consolidated Return
- GILTI, FDII, and Subpart F
- Check-the-box Elections and Hybrid Entities
- Debt-equity Characterisation Under Section 385
Where the Tax Code Gets Technical · Taxes & Entities
Suggested tools
Suggested case studies
After this path: Taxes and Legal Structure