From a legal point of view, there are four types of businesses:1. Sole proprietorships;2. Partnerships;3. Corporations; and4. Co-operatives.A brief description of each type is followed by a summary of their advantages and disadvantages. For specific information on how or where to register or incorporate a business, contact your local CBSC.Sole ProprietorshipsThis is the simplest way to set up a business. A sole proprietor is fully responsible for all debts and obligations related to his or her business. A creditor with a claim against a sole proprietor has a right against all of his or her assets, whether business or personal. This is known as unlimited liability.This type of business comes under provincial jurisdiction. If the proprietor chooses to carry on a business under a name other than his/her own, he/she must register with the province. Your business name registration, or renewal of registration, will be valid for a certain number of years. Call your local Canada Business Service Centre to determine when business name registrations need to be renewed in your jurisdiction.If a sole proprietor establishes a business in his/her own name, without adding any other words, it is not necessary to register the business.PartnershipsA partnership is an agreement in which two or more persons combine their resources in a business. In order to establish the terms of the business and to protect partners/shareholders in the event of disagreement or dissolution of the business, a partnership/shareholders agreement should be drawn up with the assistance of a lawyer. Partners share in the profits according to the terms of their agreement.General PartnershipAll members share the management of the business and each is personally liable for all the debts and obligations of the business. This means that each partner is responsible for and must assume the consequences of the actions of the other partner(s).Limited PartnershipSome members are general partners who control and manage the business and may be entitled to a greater share of the profits, while other partners are limited and contribute only capital. Limited partners take no part in control or management and are liable for debts to a specified extent only. A legal document, outlining specific requirements, must be drawn up for a limited partnership.CorporationsA corporation is a legal entity that is separate from its owners, the shareholders. No shareholder of a corporation is personally liable for the debts, obligations or acts of the corporation. This type of business can be incorporated at either the federal or provincial level.A corporation is identified by the terms "Limited", "Ltd.", "Incorporated", "Inc.", "Corporation", or "Corp.". Whatever the term, it must appear with the corporate name on all documents, stationery, and so on, as it appears on the incorporation document.Private CorporationA private corporation can be...