# Controlling interest

Enough of the ownership to decide things without anyone's agreement.

Percentages and control are two different questions and a deal can hand you one without the other. The [operating agreement](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/operating-agreement) decides what actually needs a vote, so a majority holder can still be blocked on selling, borrowing or hiring if those are reserved matters, and a minority holder with the right consent rights can stop a company cold. The number matters separately for an SBA loan: anyone at or above a fifth of the equity signs the guarantee, so a small stake given to a partner is a signature you are asking them for. Read the agreement before the [cap table](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/cap-table).

In numbers: Two partners at 50% each control nothing alone, and one at 51% decides whatever the operating agreement leaves to a simple majority; the SBA takes a full guarantee from anyone holding 20% or more.

Source: https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/controlling-interest
Not dated: A definition is editorial: what a term means, why it matters, and an example. None of it reads a source that can go stale, so there is no date to take and a stamped one would be the build time wearing a costume.

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt