You are not your business, and your business is not you. While this is a very simple statement when it is nothing more than words on a page, it can be a whole lot harder for you to remember when you are thinking about purchasing something for yourself using your corporate credit card, or taking out a small loan so that you can pay a bill or two (or take a nice vacation). As tempting as it might be to use your company’s money for your own personal expenses, it is absolutely critical that you fight off this urge. After all, it is not the right thing to do. For another, it might get you into trouble.
For one thing, there are often tax implications which are associated with drawing money out of your company. It is basically the same thing as drawing paycheck, after all, whether you want to think of it in those kinds of terms or not. No matter how much work you have done for the company, and even if you own one hundred percent of it, taking money illicitly is not a good option to go with.
And if you do not own every share of the company, you are going to have to face the music when (and it is most definitely a when) the other owners eventually find out about your indiscretions. After all, they are probably going to frown on you having fun or covering your butt using the money that is rightfully theirs (at least in part). So whenever you are tempted to think, “I put that money in there anyway,” remember that once money is in your business, it is not yours to use anymore.