The best business plan writing services will have a track record of helping their clients get funding from investors and qualify for small business loans. Components of effective business plans commonly include accurate financial projections, thorough analyses of the market and leading competitors, and insights into marketing strategies for specific products and services.
Since the best business plan writing service will vary for each unique company’s needs and circumstances, I’ve selected business plan writers with a range of affordability and services provided. Below are my top picks for the best business plan companies:
- Cayenne Consulting: Best Overall for High Success Rates
- LivePlan: Best for Do-it-Yourself Business Owners
- Growthink: Best Personalized Service for Enterprise-level Businesses
- Go Business Plans: Best for Customer Service
- Wise Business Plans: Best Pool of MBA-educated Writers
- Pro Business Plans: Best for Individualized Use Cases
Best Business Plan Writing Services at a Glance
Cayenne Consulting: Best Overall for High Success Rates
Pros
- Support is available as an interim member of your founding team even after the initial business plan is finalized
- It can make informal introductions to potential investors
- It can work on shorter timelines if business plan documents are needed urgently
Cons
- Pricing is not transparent; requires a custom assessment
- Payments are nonrefundable
- References from past clients are only available as the final step leading up to signing a contract
Who should use it:
Business owners looking to raise funds from investors, such as venture capital, and companies wanting in-depth financial projections for multiple scenarios and assumption sets.
Why I like it:
A good business plan has a high success rate of winning over investors or lenders when it comes to getting funding. Cayenne Consulting states that nearly half of its business plans have resulted in subsequent funding, with a substantial additional portion resulting in either an acquisition or commitment of funding. This success rate is significantly higher than the average of 1 in 250, which Cayenne Consulting references.
It’s the only service in this roundup that specializes in providing multiple what-if scenarios for its financial projections. As a business owner, you are given the flexibility of seeing the possible outcomes based on different sets of assumptions.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000-plus with Cayenne Consulting. The exact figure will depend on the details and complexity of your unique business needs and is determined in part by the following:
- Scope of the project
- Complexity of your business request
- Quality of existing documents you have for things like financial projections, marketing material, etc.
- Availability of industry information
- Your desired timeline for completion
- Pitch deck design: This is designed for brief presentations you may need to provide to your customers—such as investors, lenders, and partners.
- Business plan makeover: If you already have a business plan, you can opt for this service to get a second set of eyes to improve or further revise it.
- Business plan & financial model reviews: Like the above, this allows you to get a second review from the Cayenne Consulting team if you already have existing figures for your business plan and financial projections.
- Business model design: This is a good option for startups and existing businesses. It creates a business framework designed to address various aspects of how your company aims to create value, make money, and monetize interactions with customers.
- Business valuation: This service can ensure you get a fair price if you’re considering a sale, purchase, or other type of acquisition.
- International business consulting: If your company is considering conducting business overseas, Cayenne Consulting can help you navigate the various aspects of international business—such as government regulations, currency risk, and market research.
- Business certification: Getting your business certified can make it eligible to do business with various government entities, which can increase your revenue streams.
LivePlan: Best for Do-it-Yourself Business Owners
Pros
- It has transparent pricing structure
- AI-powered tools do not require any prior market research or financial data
- It offers 35-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- It’s less suitable for highly complex industries or companies
- Additional fee is required for a review by a professional
Who should use it:
Business owners who need funding and prefer a self-guided DIY tool.
Why I like it:
LivePlan provides step-by-step guidance along with AI-powered tools for creating a business plan from scratch. Additionally, it requires minimal to no prior market research or financial data, as it can guide you through these processes.
Unlike other providers, LivePlan offers a 35-day money-back guarantee. In essence, you can try the software to determine if it meets your needs. If you are dissatisfied, you can contact the company and request a full refund.
LivePlan comes in Standard and Premium versions. You can opt to pay for each on either a monthly or annual basis. Paying annually entitles you to a slight discount:
- Standard: $180 annually ($20 if paid monthly)
- Premium: $360 annually ($40 if paid monthly)
Both plans offer the following standard set of features:
- Step-by-step instructions
- Lender-ready financial statements
- Financial forecasts
- Pitch builder
- 550-plus business plan templates
- Live onboarding session
- AI-powered writing assistance
Paying for the premium tier provides you with these additional features:
- AI-powered financial analyses
- Specific industry research
- Multiple what-if financial forecasting scenarios
- Performance dashboards
- Real-time profit and cash forecasting
- Integration with third-party accounting software
- Business idea testing: LivePlan’s testing feature is a data-analytics tool that helps you test and improve your business ideas. It ensures your business plan shows sufficient demand, provides projections for revenue and expenses, refines your target audience, identifies competitors, and more.
- Start launch & growth planning: This service can help you determine the right go-to-market strategy, the best use of funds, and how much funding you’ll need for your new business.
- Business budgeting: Building a budget from scratch can be challenging, but this service helps ensure that all expenses are captured and that the timing of your revenue is also recorded to ensure you have an accurate view of your cash flow and overall profits.
- Pitch deck/financial data presentation: Here, you can learn how to best present your financial data to a variety of audiences—including lenders, investors, partners, and board members. This includes taking complex financial data and turning it into easily understandable charts and graphs.
Growthink: Best for Enterprise Businesses
Pros
- It serves a wide range of businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies
- Completion times are as fast as seven days
- It expertly handles complex, enterprise-level business plans
Cons
- Pricing is unknown until after an initial consultation session
Who should use it:
If you have a complex or enterprise-level business idea and need to work closely with professionals to create your business plan, Growthink is the tool for you.
Why I like it:
Excellent reviews and ratings from former clients are perhaps one of the best ways to determine the quality of a company’s product. With Growthink, over 1,100 individuals have given it a 4.76 rating (out of 5) on Reseller Ratings. It also maintains a similarly high rating of 4.5 on Google reviews. As further evidence of its track record, Growthink clients have successfully raised over $5 billion in funds since it was founded in 1999.
Growthink offers free consultation sessions. If you decide to move forward with its services, you’ll get a custom business plan designed by highly experienced consultants with experience with a wide range of client types.
Growthink states that its fees depend on the complexity of your business. However, based on my research, most clients pay between $1,000 and $5,000-plus.
Readers should note that many of the items below can be bundled with the company’s business plan and strategic consulting services.
- AI consulting: Growthink’s team can help your business become more profitable by seeing where AI and other technology can be implemented.
- Exit planning: If you’re considering selling your business, Growthink’s team can help you maximize the profits and guide you through the logistics involved.
- Impact advisory: This is a good fit for companies looking to improve their social, environmental, and governance impact in the areas they serve.
- Healthcare advisory: This segment can help companies in the healthcare industry improve their growth and practices to encourage innovation.
- Innovation strategy: Here, an analysis can be done to provide a snapshot of which areas of your business can be revamped or reengineered to allow for additional growth.
- Financial modeling: Included with its standard business plans, you can request a separate analysis of financial figures, forecasts, and projections.
- Market research: Get assistance with better understanding your target audience, competitors, and market trends based on hard data.
- Investment banking & wealth management: Growthink’s wealth management division can ensure long-term success, with a focus on creating a portfolio unique to each individual’s risk tolerance, preferences, and goals.
Go Business Plans: Best for Customer Service
Pros
- It has high customer satisfaction rates
- It offers free consultation and free proposals available as a summary
- Prices can be lower than many competitors
Cons
- Business plans can take upwards of 14 days to be finalized
Who should use it:
Business owners who place a strong emphasis on customer service, desire fully custom documents with no use of templates, and want to receive a preview of what they might get in a business plan as a finalized product.
Why I like it:
Go Business Plans advertises a 100% client satisfaction rate on its website and over $3 billion in funds raised over 10 years, showcasing the fact that it’s a highly experienced provider capable of consistently delivering excellent service and quality products to its clients.
Interested business owners can schedule a free consultation online. With this, you’ll also receive a proposal, free of charge, that includes a summary of the completed product. This includes advice on your business plan content, market research, marketing strategies, and funding recommendations.
Like many companies, Go Business Plans does not indicate the price it will charge for its services. Rather, its fee structure depends on the details of your business plan request.
- Investor presentation: If you want to have an effective pitch deck, Go Business Plans can help you create or fine-tune existing content you have for various audiences such as investors and board meetings.
- Business plan consulting: You can get assistance with the short- and long-term strategy of growing your business. You can get recommendations for various areas, including marketing, operations, and cash flow management.
- Immigration business plans: If you are hoping to use your business plan as a part of a formal immigration or visa application, Go Business Plans can format your business plan to comply with USCIS standards.
Wise Business Plans: Best Pool of MBA-educated Writers
Pros
- It offers unlimited revisions and consultations
- Complementary services, such as a pitch and presentation deck, are included at no additional charge
- Business plans can be completed in as little as seven days
Cons
- It has lower customer ratings compared with many competitors in this guide
Who should use it:
Business owners who prioritize the education and experience of the business plan writer.
Why I like it:
Wise Business Plans provides business plan writing services, with each request worked on by its team of MBA writers—it’s the only service on this list that offers this. In addition to the team’s background in business and finance, the company states that its writers have extensive experience in providing customized business plans in over 400 industries.
The company also has a track record that backs its success. It has helped its clients raise over $1 billion in funds and completed over 15,000 business plans since it was founded in 2010.
To get a quote, visit the company’s website and complete a short online questionnaire.
- Business license: The process of obtaining a business license may vary by location. The team at Wise Business Plans, however, can help guide you through this process.
- Business formation: Properly creating and registering your business can be a complex process depending on your business structure and location. With this service, you can get assistance with setting up a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), Corporation, or nonprofit.
- Business website design: You can get professional guidance for designing your small business website.
- Business branding: If you need help designing your company’s logo, the team at Wise Business Plans can assist with the associated research, development, and implementation.
- Business banking: To separate your personal and business finances, Wise Business Plans can help you identify the best business bank accounts based on your needs and expected usage patterns.
- Small business loans: Receive guidance with various types of funding you can access as a small business owner. Based on a review of your credit and finances, you can get recommendations on ideal lenders and other funding sources.
Pro Business Plans: Best for Individualized Use Case
Pros
- It has experience in conducting business overseas
- Multiple products are available to suit your needs
- It received consistently high customer reviews and ratings
Cons
- A consultation session is required to get a quote
Who should use it:
Business owners needing only one specific business plan type for either a bank loan, an internal strategic analysis, or fundraising purposes.
Why I like it:
Unlike the other companies in this roundup, Pro Business Plans specializes in three different types of business plans depending on your intended audience.
It offers a business plan for those looking to get a bank loan, designed to get you the best interest rates possible and maximize your approval odds. Second, it provides a business plan for fundraising purposes from a variety of investors. Finally, you can get a business plan for internal strategic purposes to identify growth opportunities.
The provider can cater to a wide range of businesses, from startups to Fortune 50 companies. It also has lots of experience in this field, with over $4 billion in investments through 30-plus countries and 60-plus industries.
You can visit the Pro Business Plans website to submit a request for a quote. Quotes are largely determined by the complexity of your business, the industry it operates in, and the type of business plan you want.
- Pitch decks: If you need to issue presentations to investors or other audiences, the Pro Business Plans team can prepare a pitch deck. You can choose from three different types of pitch decks: angel investment, venture capital, and private equity.
- Legal services: Receive a referral to the company’s partner attorney, who specializes in business and technology transactions.
- Fractional CFO services: Get part-time CFO services without the need to commit to a full-time CFO.
How I Chose the Best Business Plan Writing Services
I considered the following criteria when selecting the best business plan writing companies:
- Customer reviews and ratings
- Fees charged and pricing structure
- Track record of raising funds
- Time needed to finalize the business plan
- Education and experience of the business writers
- Nationwide availability
- Industry experience
- Complementary business products or services offered
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A business plan may be required to raise funds from investors or get approved for a loan. This is especially true if your company is a startup with little or no history of being in business.
It can take anywhere from 7 to 30 days to write a thorough, effective business plan. This depends on how much research has been conducted before contacting the business plan writing company and the complexity of your business and industry.
Generally, it can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000-plus. However, this can vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of your business and the industry it operates in.
Bottom Line
A business plan can be a critical document that determines whether you get the funding you need. The information on it is commonly evaluated by investors and lenders when it comes to deciding whether to issue funding for your company. While an upfront cost is associated with it, paying for business plan writing services can help you increase the odds of success and help you generate additional profits in the long run.
