Business Planning Consulting
- The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) exists to help small business owners launch their own business. Over 12,000 counselors provide their services on a voluntary basis. SCORE's website offers many free tools small business owners can use online before deciding they need business planning consulting. For example, they can critique their small business plan through an online self-assessment.
To schedule an appointment with a SCORE representative in a business owner's location, just type in the U.S. zip code and instantly find contact information for local chapters. Contact information includes phone, email, website and mailing address information. - Non-profit organizations offer business planning consulting through business development grants at different levels of government. They target special populations of entrepreneurs to help them succeed in launching their own business. For example, African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native Americans (AHANA) offers online training, live training, email training, phone counseling and live video training and counseling through Internet meeting software. AHANA is based in Spokane, Washington.
- Business planning consultants may help existing corporations, government agencies and non-profits revitalize their business planning using tools like the Balanced Scorecard. This strategic planning and management system was designed by Dr. Robert Kaplan and Dr. David Norton to help businesses link activities to strategies using performance management techniques. Some business planning consultants use software like the Balanced Scorecard software product to help their corporate clients develop better strategic plans.
- Business planning consulting employs people in the occupational classification, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), of Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services. Consultants may draw on their experiences as top executives or managers in corporations before becoming consultants in business planning. BLS notes the median hourly wage of a management analyst was $39.26 in May 2008. Consultants often get their jobs in corporations with a bachelor's degree in business or an MBA.
- Some business planning consultants work as paid counselors for small businesses in local small business development centers. These SBDCs, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, will help current and prospective entrepreneurs through community partnerships. A small business development counselor, just like a SCORE representative, meets with a small business owner to offer customized assistance with business planning.