Different Types of Business Entities 不同类型的企业实体
How to choose between the different types of business entities? There are four types of business entities: business, company, limited liability partnership, and limited partnership. 如何在不同类型的企业实体之间进行选择?有四种类型的企业实体：企业、公司、有限责任合伙企业和有限合伙企业。
Let us start with the simplest form, which is a business. A business can be a sole proprietorship with one owner or a partnership consisting of 2 to 20 owners. Business owners are personally liable for the debts and losses of the business. This is known as unlimited liability. 让我们从最简单的形式开始，那就是企业。企业可以是一个所有者的独资企业，也可以是由2到20个所有者组成的合伙企业。企业主个人对企业的债务和损失承担责任。这就是所谓的无限责任。
Next, let us look at company. A company usually has the words Pte Ltd or Ltd as part of its name. One of the advantages of owning a company is that, the shareholders have limited liability. This means that they are not personally liable for the debts and losses of the company. 接下来，让我们看看公司。一家公司的名字中通常会有Pte Ltd或Ltd这样的词。拥有公司的好处之一是，股东的责任有限。这意味着他们个人不对公司的债务和损失负责。
For the two partnerships, let us see how they differ. For limited liability partnership or LLP, it is a partnership with a minimum of two partners and they have limited liability. In limited partnership or LP, there needs to be a general partner and a limited partner, whilst the general partner is personally liable for the debts and losses of the LP. The limited partner enjoys limited liability. 对于这两个伙伴关系，让我们看看他们有什么不同。有限责任合伙企业是指至少有两个合伙人的有限责任合伙企业。在有限合伙或有限合伙人中，需要有一个普通合伙人和一个有限合伙人，而普通合伙人对有限合伙人的债务和损失承担个人责任。有限责任合伙人承担有限责任。
Now that we have gone through the different entities, ask yourself the following questions: 现在我们已经讨论了不同的实体，问自己以下问题:
- Would you like to own the business by yourself, or together with other people? 你想自己创业，还是和别人一起创业?
- How much capital are you prepared to invest? 你准备投资多少资金?
- Are you able to finance your business solely or do you need financed from other persons? 你是否有能力独自为你的企业融资，还是需要从其他人那里融资?
- Would you prefer limited or unlimited liability? 你喜欢有限责任还是无限责任?
If you’re finally ready to decide on an entity, make sure to adhere to the following rules: 如果你终于准备好决定一个实体，请务必遵守以下规则:
- You are at least 18 years old 你至少18岁了
- All business entities must have at least one person who is residing in Singapore 所有商业实体必须至少有一个人居住在新加坡
- For business, LLP and LP, there is a requirement that the owner or partner’s Medisave must be paid up with a CPF board at all times 对于企业、有限责任合伙企业和有限合伙企业，要求所有人或合伙人必须始终向公积金局支付医疗储蓄
If in doubt as to which business vehicle to register, you may wish to start a business first and register a company once your business picks up. Whatever business vehicle you choose to register, please ensure that you comply with all the requirements for registration, and that you continue to comply with the post registration requirements after registration. Best of luck! 如你对登记哪一款企业机制有疑问，你可考虑先开办企业，然后在企业好转后再登记公司。无论您选择登记的是何种企业机制，请确保您符合所有的登记要求，并在登记后继续遵守登记后的要求。祝您好运!
