Also called "sole proprietorship". Enterprises invested and operated by individuals. The investor is the owner of the enterprise, holds all the management rights of the enterprise, enjoys all the profits of the enterprise and bears all the risks alone, and assumes unlimited liability for the debts of the enterprise. It is not a legal person and relies entirely on the personal credit of business owners to conduct business with foreign countries.

The owner system, also known as the single owner system, is the earliest enterprise system form in history and the most traditional and simple enterprise organization form. It has only one property owner, and the enterprise property is the owner's personal property. The owner has complete ownership and absolute management rights. An enterprise is usually operated directly by the owner, who enjoys all the operating income of the enterprise, independently bears the risks of the enterprise and is fully responsible for paying off the debts of the enterprise.

In an owner-owned enterprise, the relationship between the owner and the employee is a simple reward contract. The constraints on the owners mainly come from the competition in the market and the remuneration paid to employees. The constraint on employees is the threat of salary increase, salary decrease and dismissal.

This kind of enterprise invested and operated by individuals is generally small in scale, single in operation, simple in structure, without complicated management, and the procedures for establishment and closure are not complicated. It only needs a little money to start business, and if there is a problem, it will close down. The interests of investors and operators completely coincide, decision-making is simple and rapid, autonomy is complete, and it is less restricted by internal and external factors, so it comes into being quickly. However, due to the limitation of personal property and management ability, it is difficult for such enterprises to develop continuously and rapidly. In reality, such enterprises are more suitable for retail convenience stores, individual barbershops, law firms and catering industries.

The advantages of owner-owned enterprises are that the establishment and closure procedures of enterprises are simple and easy, and the property rights of enterprises can be freely transferred; The operator and the owner are integrated; The interests of the owner and the interests of the operator completely coincide; The relationship between the operator and the property right is close and direct, and the profit is exclusive, the risk is borne by oneself, and the operation is confidential. Disadvantages are: (1) unlimited liability; (2) Limited scale; (3) The life span of an enterprise is limited.