Companies

A question to experienced players and those who owns a company: Is it worth it to own a company or buy one? How does it work and is it risky?

Speaking as someone who is new to the game, and relying purely on observations: 

1.) It takes a lot of money to start even the smallest company. You need the cash to buy the company, pay upkeep on the company, stock the company (if it sells product and not services), and be able to pay your employees. A lot of money. Just having enough money to buy the company is a quick trip to failure. 

2.) As a starter corporation, you have nothing to offer workers other than wages. Older companies can offer wages, star benefits, training, and other effects, so your only possible leverage is overpaying for workers. Which is, itself, self-defeating, as if you try to lower the wages once you're established, some will likely quit. 

3.) You're competing with a LOT of other companies, many of which are starters just like you, all competing for a limited pool of workers. So you're most likely to get the worst people - the new players who don't know what they're doing and have no work skills, the indecisive ones who will likely quit before the new-hire timer is up, and the casual player who may not play often enough to actually give your company enough work points. 

4.) How risky is it? Well, you're putting your money on the line in something that is a money sink for a while. Without the company, you could be profitable. With the company, the company itself is leeching away whatever profits you're earning somewhere else. If you accept defeat, you can limit the losses by selling the company, but many people do not know when to give up. 

I'm sure there's more problems that I'm unaware of, but that seems to be most of it, at least. 

I agree with all the above reasons for NOT starting a company, and from my point of view it is not a good idea in general, but...

Some players made a very early decision to own a company, and don't regret it.

The main advantage is that the company is a reasonably safe way to store money with instant access, until you can afford to buy a PI with a vault.

No.

Your networth is $123M.  You'd be better off maxing the bank to $2B and maxing the bank interest merits.  Guaranteed, easy money.  When I am below $2B, I prefer the one week investments so I can add more money each week.  Less interest paid, but you can more quickly increase your principal.

While you work on that, complete the education for the business degree if owning a company is something you  ultimately want to do.

I would not personally prioritize business education over some of the essential early game education including IV therapy, Sport Science gym gains courses, and a few other ones.  

A lot of people assume that company owners are rolling in cash.  Sure, some are eventually successful but the initial grind from 1* is expensive.  The alternative would be to buy an established company and employees which will probably cost a lot of money.

It is your game to play how you wish to play, but a lot of people have ignored this sort of advice and then regretted it.