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I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

philderksen.com

1–10 of 33 posts

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#3
I want to make a minor point that is not a critique but more a statement so first of all, congratulations on your success!

I think we as a society need to stop referring to single member entities with no employees (meaning a single, sole person) as a "company."

"Business" seems like a better term, or even just "product" if that's what you're selling. But "company" naturally implies multiple people, which lends credence to the business as it means the business can support more than one income.

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#4
post #3

I want to make a minor point that is not a critique but more a statement so first of all, congratulations on your success! I think we as a society need to stop referring to single member entities with no employees (meaning a single, sole person) as a "company." "Business" seems like a better term, or even just "product" if that's what you're selling. But "company" naturally implies multiple people, which lends creden…

a company is a separate legal entity, not a collection of humans

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#5
post #3

I want to make a minor point that is not a critique but more a statement so first of all, congratulations on your success! I think we as a society need to stop referring to single member entities with no employees (meaning a single, sole person) as a "company." "Business" seems like a better term, or even just "product" if that's what you're selling. But "company" naturally implies multiple people, which lends creden…

Not only is this completely wrong from a legal and business standpoint, why would we even need this as a society?

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#6
post #3

I want to make a minor point that is not a critique but more a statement so first of all, congratulations on your success! I think we as a society need to stop referring to single member entities with no employees (meaning a single, sole person) as a "company." "Business" seems like a better term, or even just "product" if that's what you're selling. But "company" naturally implies multiple people, which lends creden…

Not only is this completely wrong from a legal and business standpoint, why would we even need this as a society?

I find the term personally confusing when only one individual is involved. Most definitions of the word include multiple people. It would seem that's an unpopular opinion here. Meh, can't win them all.

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#8
post #3

I want to make a minor point that is not a critique but more a statement so first of all, congratulations on your success! I think we as a society need to stop referring to single member entities with no employees (meaning a single, sole person) as a "company." "Business" seems like a better term, or even just "product" if that's what you're selling. But "company" naturally implies multiple people, which lends creden…

A lot of people fought for the legal framework to become competitive enough to include single member entities in the word company, as it inherits all the privileges of multi member companies without the administrative hassle or prerequisites. Another definition just because your society hasnt caught up to the legal benefits conveyed would be redundant and not be informative at all.

This is a significant reason why you would lack consensus on this opinion.

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#9
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only is this completely wrong from a legal and business standpoint, why would we even need this as a society?

I find the term personally confusing when only one individual is involved. Most definitions of the word include multiple people. It would seem that's an unpopular opinion here. Meh, can't win them all.

It's about establishing and limiting legal liability. Being able to establish a solo business as a company means that you don't lose your house and possessions if your company fails.

Re: I Merged My One-Person Software Company with a Bigger Player (2018)

#10
post #7

In the text the author discusses also selling the company outright - question: how does one calculate a price for this usually? A few years' profit?

Yes, service companies usually sell for 2-3.5x annual recurring revenue (ARR), which is measured by averaging your last 3-5 years of revenue.

And you'll need to be easily replaceable.

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