Running a sole proprietorship

There are no laws which govern how you should organise and run a sole proprietorship. As the owner of a sole proprietorship, you represent the business externally, and no distinction is made between the sole proprietorship's finances and your own personal finances.

Running a general partnership or a partnership with joint liability (ANS/DA)

The partners' meeting is the supreme authority in a general partnership and consists of the partners. It is the partners who can collectively make decisions at partners' meetings concerning any matter. The partners can also opt to establish a board, which will be responsible for running the company between partners' meetings.

Operation of associations

An association is self-owning and it is the articles of association that establish the framework for the way in which an association must be organised and the rules that apply to the association.

Practical board work

The board and work on the board constitute more than just a mandatory task, and an efficient board can be a resource for the organisation. It is therefore important to be aware of how the board should be composed and what competences the board members possess. This text has been written for the work of boards of private limited companies, but is also ideal for use as a starting point for corresponding work in other organisational forms.

Beneficial owners

The Act on Beneficial Owners imposes upon most enterprises the duty to keep an overview of their beneficial owners and to be able to show who the beneficial owners of the enterprise are. The Register of Beneficial Owners will open in 2023, and enterprises must register their beneficial owners. The purpose is to provide increased transparency of ownership and control of Norwegian enterprises.

Budgets during the operational phase

Once you have got through the initial start-up phase, it can be a good idea to set further targets for your business and plan what you will need to do in order to achieve these targets. Budgets are a useful tool in this context.

Statistical obligations

Statistics Norway (SSB) has primary responsibility for preparing official statistics in Norway. SSB requires information from enterprises to produce accurate and reliable statistics to be used by public bodies, commercial enterprises, researchers, and politicians in planning for the future. Most surveys are conducted monthly, quarterly or annually.

Tax conversion

Sole proprietorships, businesses assessed as a partnership, co-operatives and NUFs (Norwegian-registered foreign companies) which carry on activity in the sense of the Tax Act may, subject to certain rules, be converted to a private limited company tax-free. The conditions for tax conversion include a requirement for the limited company to be newly established, the limited company to take over the assets and liabilities of the existing enterprise and the enterprise that is converted not to be closed down or cease operating before the conversion.

Ban on discrimination against customers

Anyone who sells goods or services in Norway is required to promote equality and ensure that they are not guilty of discrimination. The venue and layout should generally be set up so that it is as accessible as possible be for all people.

Privacy

All businesses that collect and use personal data must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

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