Frequently Asked Questions

What's the success rate with your plans?

This is one of our favorite questions - but for reasons you may not expect. So many "companies" out there will quote amazing success percentages at you. Let's think logically for a minute. Investors are not just investing in the business plan. If they were, you could just hire a company like ours, pay less than .1% of the investment, and be on your way. Investors also look at management experience, concept risks and rewards, valuation of the business model in the future, major competitors, and a myriad of other factors. And sometimes people just don't follow through. Partnerships dissolve, financing falls through, life happens. So when you hear someone give you what they claim is an accurate success rate, beware. There is simply no way to track the "success" of a given plan.

How are you different than the other "companies" online?

The major difference is we use the business plan Team Planning Model. This means, instead of having just one consultant assigned to your case, you actually get anywhere from 4-5. It's much more effective and cuts down on the planning and revision time. Since many of our customers have time-sensitive business models, the industry standard (one month to receive a draft of the plan) simply won't work.
Our pricing is a flat rate. It's one price, as quoted. No hidden costs, unlimited revisions (terms and conditions apply), and access to the company and its consultants during our operating hours. You will never need to leave a voice mail during operating hours; you will always reach a live person. This is a unique feature in the business planning industry.
Wide coverage by many third parties including Inc.com, the Wall Street Journal, Business Opportunities Handbook, Entrepreneur Magazine, and many more. You don't get that by over-promising. Compare our record - if you find someone else's that is longer and better, your plan is free.

How much does it cost?

Internally, we price our business plans on a matrix depending multiple factors:

Size of market requiring research (one city or the whole country?)
Concept complexity (a daycare or a new revolutionary invention?)
Audience for the plan (SBA, Bank, or big venture capitalist?)
Degree of financial model complexity (straight sales or aging unit factoring)
Our lowest fee is $1650; the most we've charged is $35,000 for a Fortune 1000 company's new division. Generally most of our clients fall within the $1650-$4850 range.

What is the process?

Retention: Once you hire us, via contract and payment (50% of the plan fee), we schedule our kick-off call with you. This helps you get to know your project manager, and allows your project manager to learn more about your business concept. This call is the first of many exchanges required for us to thoroughly understand your specific needs and to develop a strategy for approaching your business plan.

Investigation: Some clients spend a lot of time with this on their own, while others prefer a phone or in-person interview. Either way, the first two days of the project are dedicated to getting as much information from you as we can. At the same time, our team of research specialists begin to compile relevant industry data so we can provide you with a thorough market analysis.

Creation: When all the information is in, a certified financial modeler generates the financial forecasts and a skilled writer works with your project manager to create your business plan. Finally, your project manager checks the document for flow and accuracy. The business plan is then emailed to you in Microsoft Word format so you can easily make notes or changes to the document.

Revisions: We go back and forth until the product is complete. You receive unlimited revisions for up to three weeks. Extensions are made on a case-by-case basis. However, three weeks is typically plenty of time for entrepreneurs who are serious about getting their plan to market.