What do you think?
Rate this book
Start Your Own Corporation: Why the Rich Own Their Own Companies and Everyone Else Works for Them
We live in a highly litigious world. As you live your life you must keep your guard up. As you grow your wealth you must protect it. For those who don’t predators await, and their attorneys will use every trick in the toolbox to get at - whether large or small-your unprotected assets.
Start Your Own Corporation educates you on an action plan to protect your life’s gains. Corporate attorney and best selling author Garrett Sutton clearly explains the all too common risks of failing to protect yourself and the strategies for limiting your liability going forward. The information is timely, accessible and applicable to every citizen in every situation.
Garrett Sutton has spent the last thirty years protecting clients’ assets and implementing corporate structures to limit liability. This significant experience shines through in a very readable book on the why to’s and how to’s for achieving asset protection. Start Your Own Corporation teaches how to select between corporations and LLCs and how to use Nevada and Wyoming entities to your maximum advantage. This non-technical and easy to understand book also educates on the importance of following corporate formalities, using business tax deductions and building business credit.
Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki says, “Start Your Own Corporation is a must read for anyone with any assets to protect.”
Start Your Own Corporation educates you on an action plan to protect your life’s gains. Corporate attorney and best selling author Garrett Sutton clearly explains the all too common risks of failing to protect yourself and the strategies for limiting your liability going forward. The information is timely, accessible and applicable to every citizen in every situation.
Garrett Sutton has spent the last thirty years protecting clients’ assets and implementing corporate structures to limit liability. This significant experience shines through in a very readable book on the why to’s and how to’s for achieving asset protection. Start Your Own Corporation teaches how to select between corporations and LLCs and how to use Nevada and Wyoming entities to your maximum advantage. This non-technical and easy to understand book also educates on the importance of following corporate formalities, using business tax deductions and building business credit.
Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki says, “Start Your Own Corporation is a must read for anyone with any assets to protect.”
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2012
446 people are currently reading
2984 people want to read
About the author
Garrett Sutton
59 books226 followersGarrett Sutton, Esq. is a Rich Dad Advisor, a nationally acclaimed corporate attorney and asset protection expert.
A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Hastings College of the Law, the University of California’s law school in San Francisco, Garrett has written a number of books guiding entrepreneurs and investors. Garrett’s best sellers include: Start Your Own Corporation, Loopholes of Real Estate, Writing Winning Business Plans and Run Your Own Corporation in Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Advisor series. Garrett is also the author of How to Use Limited Liability Companies & Limited Partnerships and the co-author of Finance Your Own Business.
Garrett is the founder of Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center, which since 1988 have provided affordable asset protection and corporate formation and maintenance services for investors around the world.
His articles and quotes have been published in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CBS.com, Time.com and Credit.com. More information is found at CorporateDirect.com and Sutlaw.com. Garrett serves on the boards of the Birmingham, Alabama-based American Baseball Foundation and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada. He is married with three children and lives in Reno, Nevada.
A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Hastings College of the Law, the University of California’s law school in San Francisco, Garrett has written a number of books guiding entrepreneurs and investors. Garrett’s best sellers include: Start Your Own Corporation, Loopholes of Real Estate, Writing Winning Business Plans and Run Your Own Corporation in Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Advisor series. Garrett is also the author of How to Use Limited Liability Companies & Limited Partnerships and the co-author of Finance Your Own Business.
Garrett is the founder of Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center, which since 1988 have provided affordable asset protection and corporate formation and maintenance services for investors around the world.
His articles and quotes have been published in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CBS.com, Time.com and Credit.com. More information is found at CorporateDirect.com and Sutlaw.com. Garrett serves on the boards of the Birmingham, Alabama-based American Baseball Foundation and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada. He is married with three children and lives in Reno, Nevada.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 5, 2017
If you're starting a company, or running a sole proprietorship (shudder), this book is worth a read. Don't get me wrong, you should still probably call a lawyer, but I think having some knowledge upfront makes talking to a lawyer easier. It will also help you avoid lawyers that want suggest overly complicated structures that help their pocketbook.
There is a slight bend toward Real Estate businesses and small operating companies, but most of the knowledge is general and applicable for all new businesses.
I really liked the concrete story type examples. However, those were also the source of my biggest complaint. The stories had too much flourish. I don't need to know Bob's son Mike is into heavy metal music and Bob's other son is a ladies man. It takes longer to read and does nothing to help the understanding of the concept. And it certainly doesn't make the case study any more interesting to read.
My other knock might be the lack of advice given. I get why it's probably not included in the book, but when the author starts getting into the most complicated structures, there is little guidance as to what factors should be considered when determining if that depth of complication is appropriate for your business. An example is to form a corporation that holds property (Holding Inc), then form another entity that _leases_ that property from the other company (Leasing LLC), then have that company rent out the property to tenants. This means if someone sues Leasing LLC, they have very few assets to come after.
The one part I really appreciated was the section on Land Trusts. In real estate, many people advise on forming land trusts to help hide information, such as the true owners of a property. By itself, a land trust offers no asset protection, so a limited liability entity of some kind should also be formed for that property. At that point, aside from the thin stealth veil, there is little benefit to the land trust. It's just added expense and overhead.
There is a slight bend toward Real Estate businesses and small operating companies, but most of the knowledge is general and applicable for all new businesses.
I really liked the concrete story type examples. However, those were also the source of my biggest complaint. The stories had too much flourish. I don't need to know Bob's son Mike is into heavy metal music and Bob's other son is a ladies man. It takes longer to read and does nothing to help the understanding of the concept. And it certainly doesn't make the case study any more interesting to read.
My other knock might be the lack of advice given. I get why it's probably not included in the book, but when the author starts getting into the most complicated structures, there is little guidance as to what factors should be considered when determining if that depth of complication is appropriate for your business. An example is to form a corporation that holds property (Holding Inc), then form another entity that _leases_ that property from the other company (Leasing LLC), then have that company rent out the property to tenants. This means if someone sues Leasing LLC, they have very few assets to come after.
The one part I really appreciated was the section on Land Trusts. In real estate, many people advise on forming land trusts to help hide information, such as the true owners of a property. By itself, a land trust offers no asset protection, so a limited liability entity of some kind should also be formed for that property. At that point, aside from the thin stealth veil, there is little benefit to the land trust. It's just added expense and overhead.
September 5, 2017
It was fine. Some of the information was useful. I would have liked to have skipped around to the parts relevant to me instead of reading it cover to cover, but I couldn't tell which parts would be relevant and which ones would not be.
February 18, 2016
I started reading this book wanting to figure out what the best legal structure would be for my business. When I got about halfway through, I realized that the most important thing I can do is to follow my Introduction to Law professor's advice and "Call a lawyer." Great book for getting an introduction into the legality behind incorporating and an even better one for realizing it's a good idea to pay an expert.
January 18, 2018
It was a drastic change from Robert K's book to this. Their writing style is totally different. This book gets lengthy because the content wasn't as interesting but it is extremely helpful to me. It is like a book that you have to read because you know it will do you good but things that you know you won't remember. The information is good to come across as general knowledge that might be useful one day. I struggle to finish the book but finally did it today! Yay!
January 5, 2021
I am interested in getting a side hustle going for some hobby projects I enjoy tinkering with. This book has some basic information on the concepts and benefits of starting your own LLC or Corporation, but you will need to dig elsewhere for juicy details.
All in all a decent entry point for those with little to no idea around business formation.
All in all a decent entry point for those with little to no idea around business formation.
May 19, 2025
It was a very information-filled book. I don’t live in the US (yet), I reside in Canada, so a lot of the information wasn’t for me, but I still learned a good deal. A 4 for that reason and not a 5 star. Also, not the most EXCITING piece of literature LMAO. Corporate formalities… anyways, good book.
May 13, 2022
Best book I have read to date on how to start and run your corporation. My focus was on the Annual Meetings compliance - Corporations have a corporate formality to have annual shareholder and director meetings, and these are required by law in order to maintain your corporate veil.
I have been incorporated since 2005, and making sure what you are doing complies with the IRS regulations are paramount. Incorporating your business is a great way to organize your business with tax savings and asset protection. The IRS wants you to be organized, and when you have these legal structures in place, it is your responsibility to maintain them as separate legal entities, apart from yourself.
The annual shareholder and director meetings are crucial to this responsible compliance. In addition, I hold meetings that go to any substantial endeavor during the tax year, such as deciding to invest in another rental property. You really should not do the minimum and also hold corporate meetings with those types of decisions as well.
It is more evidence that you are maintaining a corporate presence to keep your corporate veil in place, and it is actually fun and gives you a feeling of satisfaction that your doing what is expected of you under the IRS rules and regulations, including your State's corporation law. Get educated on this so you can maintain your corporate control and power.
I have been incorporated since 2005, and making sure what you are doing complies with the IRS regulations are paramount. Incorporating your business is a great way to organize your business with tax savings and asset protection. The IRS wants you to be organized, and when you have these legal structures in place, it is your responsibility to maintain them as separate legal entities, apart from yourself.
The annual shareholder and director meetings are crucial to this responsible compliance. In addition, I hold meetings that go to any substantial endeavor during the tax year, such as deciding to invest in another rental property. You really should not do the minimum and also hold corporate meetings with those types of decisions as well.
It is more evidence that you are maintaining a corporate presence to keep your corporate veil in place, and it is actually fun and gives you a feeling of satisfaction that your doing what is expected of you under the IRS rules and regulations, including your State's corporation law. Get educated on this so you can maintain your corporate control and power.
May 10, 2014
Excellent information.
October 4, 2021
I listened on Audible. Took me a month. Wouldn't have gotten through without 1.75x speed 😅
This book was VERY informative. I knew very little about structuring a corporation or the kinds of legal entities that can exist, but this book gave me a solid sense of the corporate structures that I, or anyone, can take advantage of. Sutton uses plenty of relatable and digestible examples about normal people with aspirationsto pass down wealth, start companies, and even about getting screwed by crooks. When I started listening, I never would have guessed that I'd confront my grandmother about her knowledge of estates!
I particularity recommend this book to all of my friends with college degrees; give yourselves a crash course on the meaning and function of legal entities that can potentially shield your wealth and assets down the road, may we all be blessed enough to have them.
This book was VERY informative. I knew very little about structuring a corporation or the kinds of legal entities that can exist, but this book gave me a solid sense of the corporate structures that I, or anyone, can take advantage of. Sutton uses plenty of relatable and digestible examples about normal people with aspirationsto pass down wealth, start companies, and even about getting screwed by crooks. When I started listening, I never would have guessed that I'd confront my grandmother about her knowledge of estates!
I particularity recommend this book to all of my friends with college degrees; give yourselves a crash course on the meaning and function of legal entities that can potentially shield your wealth and assets down the road, may we all be blessed enough to have them.
July 25, 2020
Very well written; easy to understand
I have been wanting to start a business for a while but I was often confused by the jargon and complexities of the legal terminology associated with a business. Garrett Sutton is able to break down these complexities and define the jargon in a way that is easy to digest and apply. He also provides provocative examples of how these are used well, or not used well at all in some cases. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to start a business or who is wanting to better understand the business world.
I have been wanting to start a business for a while but I was often confused by the jargon and complexities of the legal terminology associated with a business. Garrett Sutton is able to break down these complexities and define the jargon in a way that is easy to digest and apply. He also provides provocative examples of how these are used well, or not used well at all in some cases. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to start a business or who is wanting to better understand the business world.
July 3, 2020
The general population is ignorant when it comes to taxes. Those that sit there an wonder why certain people don't pay the tax rates they do, need to pick up this book.
This really goes into great detail about the different business structures and the advantages of each. It definitely extends the Rich Dad knowledge from the Robert Kiyosaki books. I will be buying and reading more books in this series.
This really goes into great detail about the different business structures and the advantages of each. It definitely extends the Rich Dad knowledge from the Robert Kiyosaki books. I will be buying and reading more books in this series.
June 8, 2019
I wish I had read this years ago when I had my own business. I have to admit I was completely ignorant on how to set up a corporation and limit my liability. This is a much read for anyone running their own business, or that wants to protect their assets, that is, anyone that owns anything worth protecting.
May 20, 2021
Decent base layer education
I was a total neophyte to the subject of corporate entities before reading this. After reading it, I am certainly no expert, but have a much stronger grasp of what is possible through entities and where to begin my process of choosing and forming the right one for me.
I was a total neophyte to the subject of corporate entities before reading this. After reading it, I am certainly no expert, but have a much stronger grasp of what is possible through entities and where to begin my process of choosing and forming the right one for me.
December 8, 2021
A good broad overview of LLCs, C Corps, S Corps, Limited Partnerships, and General Partnerships / Sole Proprietorship, the protections they offer, and examples of when, why, and where to consider them.
The author did a decent job adding in anecdotal stories to break up the material, which could be rather dry in places with some uninspired writing.
The author did a decent job adding in anecdotal stories to break up the material, which could be rather dry in places with some uninspired writing.
March 22, 2018
I wanted to learn more about incorporating and bought this book in particular because of the Rich Dad Poor Dad endorsement. As a beginner this is exactly what I needed. Kept it simple to understand, but informative enough for me to feel more confident on my corporation knowledge.
March 27, 2019
Great book!
This was very educational and helpful. The information is in depth but very easy to read and comprehend (which, I feel, is one of the biggest positives of this book) by way of real world examples and scenarios. Great job!
This was very educational and helpful. The information is in depth but very easy to read and comprehend (which, I feel, is one of the biggest positives of this book) by way of real world examples and scenarios. Great job!
December 31, 2024
Helpful to have a base knowledge, even when you have trusted bank, lawyer, and accountant. Will definitely need to reread to keep the information fresh. Would have liked the chapters to be named so I could have skipped a few.
March 1, 2018
Lots of good information, some over my head. Liked the real world examples. Gave a good baseline of where to start and why.
May 4, 2018
Sutton talks to the point, in my bookshelf forever!
November 12, 2018
This should be read by anyone interested in running and growing a business
Read
June 3, 2019double check
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
Really good book as usual from Rich Dad company.
May 3, 2020
This book is really helpful especially to those who aspire to start their corporation
February 2, 2021
good guide on big concepts but do your own homework.
July 28, 2021
Although it's chapters are very descriptive, the content is solely based of an american business world. For people living across sea there isn't alot to get from this.
November 25, 2021
Very good. Informative. More info than I probably need but good to have a resource I can turn to when questions arise.
August 23, 2022
Technical, but understandable. Solid introduction to forming limited liability entities in America
May 11, 2023
Good resource to have!
“A good entity is one that shields and protects your personal assets from business risks. A bad entity is one that provides you no protection whatsoever.”
“A good entity is one that shields and protects your personal assets from business risks. A bad entity is one that provides you no protection whatsoever.”
October 3, 2024
Rich dad poor dad recommendation. Good read, a little dry but important… probably will need to reread again at some point.
November 3, 2019
Great read!!
I recommend anyone interested in business or confused about what business entity to form, to read this book. Extremely informative.
I recommend anyone interested in business or confused about what business entity to form, to read this book. Extremely informative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews