sole trader
One-person business owner
A sole trader is a person who owns and operates a business alone, without partners or corporate structure.
The term is primarily British; Americans typically say sole proprietor.
The business and owner are legally identical—profits are personal income, debts are personal liability.
She registered as a sole trader to do freelance consulting.
Self-employed service provider
- consultantProfessional advice provider
- contractorHired construction professional
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- craftspersonSkilled manual worker
tradesperson · shopkeeper · vendor · retailer · baker · tailor · barber · plumber
Enterprise under ten staff
- home-basedLocated at residence
- solopreneurSelf-employed business owner
- bootstrappedFunded without outside capital
- small-scaleLimited in size or scope
lean · nimble · local · independent · boutique · mom-and-pop
Sole-owner business entity
- unincorporatedNot legally chartered
- self-employedWorking independently, not hired
- self-assessmentEvaluating your own performance
Freedom from external control
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-directionControlling one's own choices
- flexibilityAbility to adapt easily
control · decision-making · ownership · self-determination · agency · discretion · self-governance · self-management
freelancer
Self-employed service provider
- consultantProfessional advice provider
- contractorHired construction professional
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
craftsperson · tradesperson · shopkeeper · vendor · retailer · baker · tailor · barber · plumber · photographer
microbusiness
Enterprise under ten staff
- home-basedLocated at residence
- solopreneurSelf-employed business owner
- bootstrappedFunded without outside capital
small-scale · lean · nimble · local · independent · boutique · mom-and-pop
proprietorship
Sole-owner business entity
- unincorporatedNot legally chartered
- self-employedWorking independently, not hired
- self-assessmentEvaluating your own performance
independence
Freedom from external control
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-directionControlling one's own choices
flexibility · control · decision-making · ownership · self-determination · agency · discretion · self-governance · self-management
- self-employedfreelancers, freelancer, freelance, solopreneur, independent contractors
- small businesssmall business, owner, mom-and-pop, startup, entrepreneur
- small businessesbakery, restaurant, salon, boutique, florist
- business entitiescorporation, LLC, partnership, company, subsidiary
- business ownershipowner, co-owner, proprietor, majority owner, minority owner
- self-employmentself-employed, freelancing, self-employment, freelancer, freelance
sole traderpartnership
Shared business arrangement
corporation · limited company · joint venture · cooperative · conglomerate
sole traderpartnership
Shared business arrangement
cooperative · joint enterprise · worker cooperative · commune · kibbutz
sole traderemployee
Hired organizational member
salaried worker · wage earner · company man · hired hand · civil servant
sole, trader, soles, soled, trade, trades, traded, trading, tradable