Accountant

One who is trained and qualified in the practice of accounting or who is in charge of public or private accounts.

Accounting

The systematic recording, reporting and analysis of the financial transactions of a business or government.

Accredited Investor

A term defined by various countries’ securities laws that characterizes investors permitted to invest in certain types of higher risk investments including seed money, limited partnerships, hedge funds, private placements, and angel investor networks. The term generally includes wealthy individuals and financially-oriented organizations such as banks, insurance companies, significant charities, some corporations, endowments, and retirement plans.

Acquisitions

Acquiring control of a business, called a target, by stock purchase or exchange, either hostile or friendly. Also called a takeover.

Acumen

Keenness and swiftness in understanding and dealing with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.

Advertising

A form of communication used to encourage or motivate an audience to take or continue to take some new action. Most commonly, the desired result is to guide consumer behavior regarding a commercial offering.

Agency Law

An aspect of legal practice that involves one person receiving legal authority to act for another. This may include contractual, quasi-contractual and non-contractual fiduciary relationships.

Analytics

The application of computer technology, operational research, and statistics to alleviate problems in business and industry.

Anchor Tenant

The business or individual who is serving as the primary draw to a commercial property.

Angel Investor

An individual who provides funding to one or more start-up companies. The individual is usually affluent or has a personal interest in the success of the venture. Such investments are distinguished by high levels of risk and a potentially large return on investment.

Arbitration

See Mediation and Arbitration.

Balance Sheet

A quantitative synopsis of a company’s financial condition at a specific point in time, including assets, liabilities and net worth. The first part of a balance sheet illustrates all the productive assets a company owns, and the second part shows all the financing methods (such as liabilities and shareholders’ equity). Also called a statement of condition.

Ball-Park Figure

A figure given as an estimated value based on information available. Also called a ball park estimate.

Bid Bond

A bond purchased by a business or individual when bidding on a large project or sale, in order to demonstrate that sufficient funding exists to complete the transaction if the bidder is selected. The bond guarantees that the bidder will not be prevented from fulfilling the contract by availability by lack of funding.

Bilateral Contract

A reciprocal agreement between two parties where each promises to perform (or not perform) act in exchange for the other party’s act. See Unilateral Contract.

Board of Directors

Individuals elected by a business’s shareholders to oversee the management of the business.

Bonding Company

A financial entity, most commonly an insurance company, which assumes the risk of a surety bond obligee by guaranteeing payment on the bond in the event of a default or a failure of the obligee to perform its contracted services.

Bookkeeping

The systematic transcription of a business’s financial transactions.

Bottom Line

The amount left after taxes, interest, depreciation, and other expenses are subtracted from gross sales. Also called net earnings, net income, or net profit.

Boundaries

A theoretical or literal line that marks the limits of an area or agreement; a dividing line.

Brainstorming

A group creativity technique in which members spontaneously and freely generate a list of ideas to address a specific opportunity or problem.

Brain-Trust Equity

Equity that is accepted or earned through an individual’s contribution of information, ideas, or concepts to the strategic growth, development or direction of a company and its products, services or organizational structure.

Brand

An identifying symbol, word, phrase or mark that identifies and distinguishes a product or business from its competitors.

Branding

The act of identifying a product or business and distinguishing it from its competitors by utilizing unique symbols, words, or marks.

Brick-and-Mortar Business

A description of a company or portion of a company with a physical presence, as opposed to one that exists only virtually, on the Internet.

Budget

An itemized prediction of an individual’s or business’s income and expenses expected for some period in the future.

Budget Deficit

The amount by which a business or individual’s spending exceeds its income over a specific period of time.

Business

A commercial activity engaged in as a means of occupation or income, or an entity which engages in such activities.

Business Consultant

An individual or company that provides advising, analyzing, monitoring, training, reviewing or reporting services to commercial clients.

Business Dissolution

The process by which a company (or part of a company) is brought to an end. Sometimes called winding down a business.

Business License

Permits issued by government agencies that grant individuals or companies the right to conduct business within the government’s geographical jurisdiction. It is the authorization to start a new business issued by the local government.

Business Model

A description of the operations of a business including the segments of the business; its functions, roles and relationships; and the revenues and expenses that the business generates.

Business Operations

Ongoing recurring activities involved in running a business in order to generate value for its stakeholders.

Business Plan

A document prepared by a company’s management, or by a consultant on their behalf, that details the past, present, and future of the company, usually for the purpose of attracting capital investment.

Business Taxes

Taxes owed and paid by a corporate entity.

Buyout

The purchase or acquisition of controlling interest in one corporation by another corporation, in order to take over assets and/or operations.

Bylaws

A set of rules made by a business to control the actions of its members.

C-Corporation

A business which, unlike a partnership, is a completely separate entity from its owners. Also called a C-Corp.

Capital

1. Cash or goods used to produce income either by investing in a business or a different income property.

2. The net worth of a company; that is, the amount by which its assets exceed its liabilities.

3. The money, property, and other valuables which collectively represent the value of an individual or business.

Capital Expenditure

Money spent to acquire or enhance physical assets such as buildings and machinery. Also called capital spending or capital expense.

Capital Requirements

The amount of cash a business needs for its normal operations.

Cash Capital Disbursement

The repaying of a debt or expense.

Cash Flow Positive

The situation when income exceeds liabilities.

Cash Flow Statement

A summary of a business’s cash flow over a given period of time.

Class A Office Space

These buildings represent the highest quality buildings available. They are generally the most attractive buildings with the best construction, and possess high quality building infrastructure. Class A buildings also are well-located, have good access, and are managed by professionals.

Class B Office Space

One notch down from Class A quality, Class B buildings are generally a little older, but are still well-managed. Often, value-added investors target these buildings as investments, since well-located Class B buildings can be returned to their Class A status through renovation such as façade and common area improvements.

Collateral

Assets pledged by a borrower to secure a loan or other credit, and subject to seizure in the event of default. Also called security.

Company Description

The third section of a business plan. A brief synopsis that describes how all of the different components in a business work together.

Competitor

A business or person that provides similar products or services.

Confidentiality

The state of being secret; in business, it has to do with keeping information in the hands of those who are trusted not to share it.

Contingency Plan

A plan devised for an outcome other than the one in the expected plan.

Contract

A legally binding agreement.

Controlling Interest

The ownership of a majority of a company’s voting stock; or a significant fraction, even if less than the majority, if the rest of the shares are not actively voted.

Convertible Debt

Security which can be converted for a specified amount of another, related security, at the option of the issuer and/or the holder. Also called convertible.

Copyright

The exclusive right to produce and dispose of copies of a literary, musical, or artistic work.

Corp.

The abbreviation for corporation.

Corporate Attorney

An attorney who specializes in business law.

Corporation

The most common form of business organization, which is given many legal rights as an entity separate from its owners. This form of business is characterized by the limited liability of its owners, the issuance of shares of easily transferable stock, and existence as a going concern.

Credentials

A tangible representation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant authority or assumed competence to do so.

Credit

The borrowing ability of an individual or company.

Credit History

A record of an individual’s or company’s past borrowing and repaying behavior.

Credit Report

A report comprised of detailed information on a person’s credit history.

Credit Score

A numerically represented measure of credit risk calculated from a credit report using a standardized formula.

Creditworthiness

A creditor’s measure of an individual’s or company’s ability to meet debt responsibilities.

Curriculum Vitae

A résumé; an overview of a person’s experience and other qualifications. Also called a CV.

Customer Service

The supply of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

Damages

A monetary award paid to a person as compensation for injury or loss. See also Equitable Relief.

Deadline

The date by which something has to be accomplished.

Debt

An amount owed to a person or organization for funds borrowed.

Debt Financing

Financing by selling bonds, bills or notes to individuals or businesses.

Debt Retirement

The repayment of a debt.

Debt-to-Income Ratio

A figure that calculates how much income is spent repaying debts.

Deduction

An expense subtracted from adjusted gross income when calculating taxable income. Also called tax deduction.

Defendant

A party sued or accused in a court of law.

Delta

Balance. For example, when demand equals supply. Also called equilibrium. Can also mean degree of change, or change itself.

Demographics

Data on socioeconomic groups, e.g., age, income, sex, education, occupation, etc., often used to study or profile a target market.

Design Patent

A patent issued on the ornamental design of a functional item.

Disclaimer

A statement made to remove oneself from responsibility. Also called hedge clause.

Dividend

A taxable cash award declared by a company’s board of directors and given to its shareholders out of the company’s current or retained earnings, usually quarterly. Also used as a slang term to mean reward.

Double Taxation

Taxation of the same income at two levels. One common example is taxation of earnings at the personal income level and then again at the sales level.

Economics

The study of how the forces of supply and demand assign scarce resources.

Economy

Activities related to the production and distribution of goods and services in a specific geographic region.

Employment Agreement

A contract between an employer and employee.

Entrepreneur

An individual who starts his or her own business.

EPO

Acronym for European Patent Office.

Equitable Relief

A court-granted remedy that requires a party to act or abstain from performing a particular act, not involving money. See also Damages.

Equity

Ownership interest in a business in the form of common stock or preferred stock.

Equity Financing

Financing a business by selling common or preferred stock to investors.

Escalator Clause

A clause in a contract that guarantees a change in the basic, agreed price under certain conditions.

Establishments

Organizations.

European Patent Office

One of the two offices of the European Patent Organization. The other is the Administrative Council.

Expense

Any cost of conducting business.

Expense Report

A document that contains all the expenses that a business has incurred as a result of the business’s operation.

Fair Isaac Corporation

A publicly traded company that provides analytics and decision making services, including credit scoring, intended to help financial services companies make complex, high-volume decisions.

Farming Out

A slang term for outsourcing, in which organizations hire vendors to perform duties the organizations choose not to do themselves in-house.

FICO

Acronym for Fair Isaac Corporation.

Financial Adviser

A person or organization employed by a business or mutual fund to manage assets or provide investment advice.

Financials

Documents related to finance.

Financing

Providing the necessary monetary capital.

Fixed Expense

An expense that does not change depending on production or sales levels, such as rent, property tax, insurance, or interest expense. Also called fixed cost.

Forfeiture

The act of forfeiting.

Franchise

A form of business organization in which a company which already has a successful product or service (the franchisor) enters into a continuing contractual agreement with other businesses (franchisees) operating under the franchisor’s trade name, usually with the franchisor’s guidance, in exchange for a fee.

Franchising

The practice of licensing a successful business model.

Fulfillment

Accomplishment. Also can mean storing, order processing and shipment of goods.

Funding Request

A request for funding.

General Partner

A partner with unlimited legal obligation for the debts and liabilities of a partnership.

Goods and Services Taxes (GST)

A tax on the amount of added value supplied by an entity which then passes it on to another level of sale. That value is subtracted from the GST the entity paid out in a given period. Example: You sell your product to a retailer. The retailer adds GST and the consumer pays the total for the goods plus GST it. You get to deduct what you paid from your GST taxes due.

Grant

Funds disbursed by the grantor to a recipient.

Gross Margin

A measure of profitability, often shortened to GM. To calculate divide Gross Income by Net Sales, and express it as a percentage. For example, a widget sells for $5 and costs $3 to make.

$5 (Net Sales) - $3 (Cost of Goods) = $2 (Gross Income).

Then 2 ÷ 5= 0.4, which expressed as a percentage is 40% Gross Margin.

Growth Rate

A measure of financial growth.

Growth Strategy

A plan of action based on investing in companies and sectors which are growing faster than their peers. Also can mean an organization’s plan for increasing, expanding, and otherwise getting bigger.

GST

See Goods and Services Taxes.

Hardware

A general term for equipment that can be touched. In business, hardware most commonly refers to computer hardware; laptops, desktops, monitors, etc. In general, computer software operates on computer hardware.

Home-Based Business

A small business that operates from the business owner’s home. Also called a home business.

Immigration Law

National government policies which control immigration to their country.

Inc.

Abbreviation for incorporated.

Income

Revenues minus cost of sales, operating expenses, and taxes, over a given period of time.

Income Statement

A document illustrating sales, expenses, and net profit for a given period.

Incorporated

A business that has been formed into a legal corporation by completing the required procedures.

Indemnity Bond

An insurance bond used as an additional measure of security to cover loan amounts, worth about 75 percent of the value of the property. This bond protects lenders from loss, in the event that the borrower defaults on the loan.

Industry Standard

A practice accepted as convention by industry members, either through formal agreement or through emulation of best practices established by industry leaders.

Inheritance Taxes

A tax imposed on someone who inherits property or money.

Initial Public Offering

The initial sale of stock by a company to the public.

Insolvency

Being unable to pay debts.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Creations of the mind.

Interest

The return earned on an investment.

Internal Revenue Service

The federal agency of the United States responsible for administering and enforcing the U.S. Treasury Department’s revenue laws, through the assessment and collection of taxes, determination of pension plan qualification, and related activities.

International Securities Identifier Number

A exclusive international code which identifies a securities issue.

Internet

Commonly called a network of networks, the Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide.

Internship

On-the-job training for college (or sometimes high school) students.

Interview

A discussion between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer in order to gather information from the interviewee. Often part of a hiring process.

Investment Banker

An individual who acts as an underwriter or agent for businesses and municipalities issuing securities.

Investment Group

A group of investors who pool some of their money and make joint investments. Also called an investment club.

Investor

An individual who commits monetary capital to investment products with the expectation of financial return.

IPO

Acronym for Initial Public Offering.

IRS

Acronym for Internal Revenue Service.

ISIN

Acronym for International Securities Identifier Number.

Keyman Insurance

Also called “Key Person Insurance”, an insurance policy taken out by a company to compensate that company for losses that would arise from the death or extended incapacity of an important performer in the company.

Lawsuit

A civil action brought to a court of law for adjudication.

Leader

An individual who guides.

Legal Representation

An attorney. Also called a lawyer.

Lending Portfolio

A collection of investments all owned by the same person or organization.

Letter of Intent (LOI)

A written document that details the proposal or intentions of the writer.

Letter of Reference

A letter in which an employer, past or present, recommends someone for a new job. Also called a letter of recommendation.

Leveraged Buyout

The takeover of a company or controlling interest of a company (a buyout), involving a significant amount of borrowed (leveraged) money.

Liability

An obligation that legally commits an individual or company to settle a debt.

Licensing

Under defined conditions, the granting of permission to use intellectual property rights, such as trademarks, patents, or technology.

Limited Liability Company

A type of company, authorized only in certain business sectors, whose owners and managers receive the limited liability and tax benefits of an S-Corporation without having to conform to S-Corporation restrictions.

Limited Partner

A partner in a business whose liability is limited to the extent of the partner’s share of the business’s ownership.

Liquidation

The process by which a company dissolves or comes to an end.

Liquidity

The ability of an asset or property to be converted into cash quickly and without any price discount.

Litigation

The process of taking legal action to enforce a particular right.

LLC

Acronym for limited liability company.

Loan

An arrangement in which a lender gives monetary capital or property to a borrower, and the borrower agrees to return the property or repay the monetary capital, usually along with interest, at some future point in time.

Logo

A graphic mark or wordmark used by individuals or organizations to aid and promote instant public recognition.

LOI

See Letter of Intent.

Malpractice

Professional negligence, improper or illegal acts.

Mandate

A command or order.

Market Analysis

Research intended to predict the expectations of a market.

Marketing

The process by which products and services are announced and launched into the marketplace.

Marketplace

The area—actual, virtual or metaphorical—in which a market operates.

Market Share

The percentage of the total sales of a given type of product or service that is won by given company.

Media

Entities used to store and deliver information or data.

Mediation and Arbitration

The most common forms of dispute resolution to avoid litigation.

Memorandum of Agreement

A binding, yet somewhat informal, agreement that allows two or more parties to name key points in a relationship so they can proceed in their work together, pending a more formal contract.

Memorandum of Understanding

A bilateral or multilateral agreement between two or more parties that expresses an understanding of will between the parties which indicates an intended common line of action. May be binding or not binding.

Merger

A legal union between two or more businesses.

Middleman

Intermediary between two commercial entities, commonly a wholesaler or distributor who buys from a manufacturer and sells to a retailer or to consumer.

Misrepresentation

Providing a false or misleading account of something.

MOA

See Memorandum of Agreement.

Municipality

An administrative division that has corporate status and usually self-governing powers.

NDA

See Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Negligence

Failure to take reasonable care in doing something.

Network

An arrangement of connections.

Non-Compete Agreement

An agreement through which an employee contractually agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against his or her current or former employer.

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

A contract between two or more parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to keep confidential from others.

Open Market

A market which is widely and generally accessible to all investors or consumers.

Operating Agreement

An agreement among key members of a company that governs the company’s business, and the members’ financial and managerial rights and duties.

Operating Expense

An expense arising in the normal course of running a business, such as manufacturing, advertising and sales.

OPEX

Acronym for operating expense.

Outsourcing

Work executed for a business by people other than the business’s full-time employees.

Over-Saturated Market

In a market occupied by buyers and sellers, a market that is filled with sellers to the point that it negatively affects each seller’s opportunity to make a significant profit. Also called a saturated market.

Owner-Operated

An organization that is operated in full or in majority by its owner.

Ownership Equity

The owner’s share of the assets of a business.

Partners

Members of a partnership, either general or limited.

Partnership

A relationship of two or more entities, people or companies, conducting business for mutual benefit.

Passion

Intense emotion; used in business to identify positive dedication and engagement by someone with an idea, activity, role, etc.

Patent

The exclusive right, granted by the government, to use an invention or process for a given period of time, usually 14 years.

Payment Bond

A surety bond through which a contractor assures an owner that material and labor provided in the completion of a project will be fully paid for, and that no mechanics’ liens will be filed against the owner.

Performance Bond

A bond issued to guarantee adequate and acceptable completion of a project by a contractor.

Permit

The legal authorization or physical item which grants someone permission to do something.

Personal Finances

One’s private funds, property, possessions. The application of finance principles to the monetary decisions of a person or family.

Plaintiff

A party who brings a case against another in a court of law.

Principle

A rule or ethical standard.

Private Labeling

A retailer’s name, as used on a product sold by the retailer but manufactured by another company.

Private Placement

The sale of shares directly to an institutional investor, such as a bank, mutual fund, insurance company, pension fund, or foundation.

Private Placement Disclaimer

A disclaimer that specifies that the sale of securities directly to an institutional investor, such as a bank, mutual fund, foundation, insurance company, etc. does not require Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) registration, provided that the securities are purchased for investment purchases only, not for resale.

Pro Forma

Description of financial statements that have one or more assumptions or hypothetical conditions built into the data. Often used with balance sheets and income statements when data is not available, to construct scenarios. One variety is called a Pro Forma Income Statement. Another is a Pro Forma Invoice.

Profit

The positive gain from an investment or business operation after deducting all expenses.

Promissory Note

A document signed by a borrower promising to repay a loan under agreed-upon terms. Also called a note.

Proof of Concept

Evidence from a market test or trial period that demonstrates that a business model or idea is feasible.

Publicity

Information that attracts attention to a business, product, person, or event.

Ratio Analysis

The study and interpretation of the relationships between various financial variables, used often by investors or lenders.

Reformation

Rewriting a contract to clarify or correct it.

Research

The process of acquiring and organizing information for the purpose of initiating, modifying or terminating a particular investment or group of investments.

Résumé

A brief written synopsis of an individual’s education, work experience, and accomplishments, typically for the purposes of finding a job. Also called a curriculum vitae, or CV.

Retainer

A fee paid to someone in advance or on a regular basis to secure their services when required.

Revenue

The total amount of money received by an organization for goods or services provided during a certain time period. Sometimes called turnover.

Risk

The quantifiable probability of loss or less-than-expected returns.

S-Corporation

A corporate tax status choice (election), recognized in the U.S. by the Internal Revenue Service for most companies with 75 or fewer shareholders, which enables the company to enjoy the benefits of incorporation but be taxed as if it were a partnership. Also called Subchapter S Corporation, or S-Corp.

Sales

Total monetary amount collected for goods and services provided.

Sales Activity

The act of selling.

Sales Force

A group of people whose only corporate responsibility is to sell a company’s products or services.

Sales Force Strategy

The strategic plan of a sales force to penetrate and have lasting impact on the market.

SBA

Acronym for the Small Business Administration in the US.

SBA Loan

A business loan issued by the US Small Business Administration.

Shareholder

One who owns shares of stock in a corporation or mutual fund. For corporations, along with the ownership comes a right to declared dividends and the right to vote on certain company matters, including the board of directors. Also called a stockholder.

Small Business Administration

A US Federal agency which offers loans to small businesses.

Social Media

Web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals. They are ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques.

Socioeconomics

Referring to social and economic conditions, social classes and income groups.

Software

A accumulation of computer programs and related data that provides the instructions that tell a computer what to do and how to do it.

Sole Proprietorship

A company which is not registered with the state as a limited liability company or corporation and is a business structure in which an individual and his/her company are considered a single entity for tax and liability purposes.

Stakeholder

Anyone who is interested in or affected by something; one who could benefit from information about it. Not to be confused with shareholders.

Start-Up

1. The beginning of a new company or new product.

2. A new, usually small business that is just beginning its operations, especially a new business supported by venture capital and in a sector where new technologies are used.

Start-Up Capital

The initial stage in financing a new project, which is followed by several rounds of investment capital as the project gets under way

Statement of Cash

Flows

A summary of a company’s cash flow over a given period of time.

Also called Cash Flow Statement.

Stock Symbol

Ticker symbol for a stock.

Strategy

A planned system of action.

Strengths

Actions a business accomplishes exceptionally or easily; assets.

Subsidy

Financial aid given by the government to individuals or groups.

Surety Bond

A bond issued by an entity on behalf of a second party, guaranteeing that the second party will fulfill an obligation or series of obligations to a third party. In the event that the obligations are not met, the third party can recover its losses via the bond.

Synopsis

A summary.

Takeover

Acquiring control of a corporation, called a target, by stock purchase or exchange, either hostile or friendly.

Target Market

The selection of a market that will be the most advantageous segment in which to offer a product or service. Also called a market target.

Tariff

A tax to be paid on imports or exports.

Tax Implications

Conditions or actions that can affect the amount of taxes payable.

Taxes

A fee levied (charged) by a government on a product, income, or activity.

Ticker

A scrolling display of current or recent security prices and/or volume.

Time Management

The act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.

Tort

A civil wrongdoing that leads to civil legal liability.

Trademark

A distinctive name, symbol, motto, or design that legally identifies a company or its products and services, and sometimes prevents others from using identical or similar marks.

Trade Secret

A formula, process, system, tool, etc. which provides a company with a competitive advantage.

Trading Platform

Software provided by a stock broker in order to buy and sell shares in the stock market.

Treaty

A formally concluded and sanctioned agreement between two or more countries.

Trend Analysis

A comparative analysis of a company’s financial ratios over time.

Trends

The current general direction of movement for prices or rates. Also, increasingly frequent or widespread behavior.

Trust

A confidence placed in someone by making that person the nominal owner of an estate to be held or used for the benefit of one or more others.

Underwriting

The procedure by which an underwriter brings a new security issue to the investing public in an offering. In such a case, the underwriter will guarantee a certain price for a certain number of securities to the party that is issuing the security. Thus, the issuer is secure that they will raise a certain minimum from the issue, while the underwriter bears the risk of the issue.

Unilateral Contract

A one-sided, legally binding agreement whereby one party promises to do, or refrain from doing, something. See Bilateral Contract.

United States Copyright Office

The US Government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States.

United States Patent and Trademark Office

An agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.

USCO

Acronym for United States Copyright Office.

USPTO

Acronym for United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Value Added Taxes (VAT)

See Goods and Services Tax. VAT is roughly the same as GST.

Variable Expense

A cost of labor, material or overhead that changes according to the change in the volume of production units. Combined with fixed costs, variable costs make up the total cost of production. Also called variable cost.

Venture Capitalist

An investor who engages in venture capital projects. Venture capitalists seek opportunities involving businesses that are growing or are in risky market segments, since these businesses generally have a harder time obtaining loans. Frequently called VCs.

Web-Based Business

A company that does most of its business on the Internet, usually through a website that uses the popular top-level domain, .com. Also called an Internet business, web business, dot-com company, or simply a dot-com.

Wholesale

The purchase of goods in quantity for resale purposes. Also called wholesale distribution.

Wholesale Distribution

See wholesale.

Workers’ Compensation

A form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured at work. In exchange, employees agree not to sue their employer for negligence.

Working Capital

Current liabilities subtracted from current assets. Working capital measures the liquid assets a company has available to build its business.