Find the best site to hire business plan consultants in under 60 seconds.

Toptal is a high-caliber network of business experts from around the world. Toptal consultants have completed a meticulous screening program that identifies the most knowledgeable, driven, and best business plan consultants. The company accepts only the top 3% of applicants to create its exclusive talent pool. It measures consultants’ skills, professionalism, and personality to ensure continued excellence for every project.

A finance director discusses your goals and expectations, then matches you with a selected professional. You have a no-risk guarantee and only pay if you’re satisfied with the output.

Paro, a Chicago business founded in 2015, is a platform for companies to hire vetted finance professionals. Paro uses artificial intelligence to find matches between experts’ skill sets and employers’ needs, rather than providing a free-for-all marketplace. Freelance workers must pass an assessment, interview, and background check. If you hire business plan consultants through Paro, you know they are vetted.

Capital West Advisors began operating in 2006 and keeps headquarters in Beverly Hills. It focuses on business planning but offers other services as well. The company works with a relatively equal mix of small, medium, and large companies. Clients work directly with experts in the firm who help them craft their business plan, rather than being matched with freelancers. The site offers some up-front information. Interested companies can view price structure ranges and sample business plans based on the industry. These are helpful factors if you’re sketching out your budget.

Growthink began in 1999 after the founders graduated from UCLA. The company devises business plans for companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies to nonprofit organizations. Rather than working with vetted freelancers, the company works directly with clients looking to hire business plan consultants. The company offers a free consultation where representatives listen to your business ideas and provide initial suggestions before narrowing down specific business plan concepts.

Since 1998, Guru has matched freelancers and clients around the globe. It is simple and straightforward to hire business plan consultants on the site. Once they find a specialist, clients sign the contract, and Guru fulfills the order right away.

Guru's platform offers a variety of payment methods for easy access and payment protection. Clients should be aware that freelancers can opt to charge part of the commission fee to the buyer.

Cayenne Consulting is another company that works directly with businesses in place of setting up companies with vetted freelancers. It set up shop in 2001 and has headquarters in San Clemente, California. Its comprehensive site includes:

• Sample business plans for potential clients to review

• Industries the company serves

• Professional information about consultants and advisors

• Examples of clients organized by industry

The company works with businesses of various sizes that hire business plan consultants. Many of its consultants have more than 25 years of experience.

Freelancer’s website states it is the world’s largest crowdsourcing and freelance marketplace by the number of projects and users. Clients can use the website to post projects, browse profiles, chat with, and potentially hire professional business plan writers. Once you hire a freelancer, you pay with the company’s Milestone Payment system and release payment when you are satisfied with the work. Critics note Freelancer’s customer service team is highly responsive and helpful.

Based in the UK, PeoplePerHour began operating in 2007. It has a solid reputation for connecting freelancers and buyers, assuring security and satisfaction by:

• Requiring buyers to maintain an escrow account.

• Approving and certifying freelancers.

• Offering free job posting for buyers.

Its popularity means that you have a high volume of freelancers from which to choose. Critics note that customer service tends to favor the buyer when disputes occur. The company's messaging system allows you to directly communicate with candidates to help you hire business plan experts.

LinkedIn has been around since 2002. It sets up its site as a professional social media network. You can create a profile for yourself and your business, post a job, or conduct a search to hire business plan consultants.

You can post one job for free on LinkedIn or promote it for a fee. Advertised jobs appear at the top of search results, and the platform sends you a notification when a candidate applies. LinkedInIt also lets you narrow the field with search filters. LinkedIn Recruiter is a more powerful search tool that allows you to view 1,000 candidates instead of 100 with a basic account. 

This site has gained a presence in more than 60 countries since its inception in 2004. To hire a business plan writing service, you can post a job for free or sponsor it. Free job postings appear in general search results, but sponsored jobs get more visibility. Pricing for sponsored jobs is based on the number of applications you wish to receive with the flexibility to reject applications without being charged.

Founders established this California-based site in 2010. You can post job listings, search for candidates, and manage applications with a business account. This popular site opens you to a large candidate pool.

Job seekers can use the site for free, but businesses get only a short trial period before having to pay to use the service. ZipRecruiter offers services customized for small- and medium-sized businesses or enterprises.

Catalant launched in 2013 under the name HourlyNerd. It operates from headquarters in Boston and London. In addition to allowing users to post jobs and hire business plan creators, it also lets you track projects, make payments, and interview experts.Opening an account is free, but when the platform matches you with a freelancer, it adds a fee of 20%-30% of your rate. You can negotiate the price with potential workers. Freelance workers are required to have experience in their field, and Catalant advises applicants that those with advanced degrees tend to be more successful building their practices on Catalant.

Two companies merged to form Upwork in 2015 through the coalition of Elance and oDesk. Upwork has headquarters in California.

There are three general approaches a business owner can use to find and hire a professional business plan advisor on Upwork: 

• Talent Marketplace: Clients post a description of and price range for the work they need. They can select freelancers to apply for the job or leave an open invitation for any freelancer to inquire.

• Project Catalog: Clients choose from a broad selection of predefined projects.

• Talent Scout: An Upwork recruiter assists with selecting candidates for a fee that is wrapped into each professional’s hourly rate. 

This Israel-based company began in 2010 as a marketplace for freelancers to offer services, called gigs, for $5. While the name remains the same, Fiverr freelancers now set prices for their services, and clients can find a range of remote business plan consultants’ options and fees.

Freelancers post gigs for interested buyers to peruse and ask questions. Clients purchase the gig, and Fiverr works as the go-between, ensuring both parties are satisfied. The buyer completes the vetting process to hire business plan consultants, but Fiverr offers timely customer support and partial or complete refunds.

With headquarters in San Francisco, Thumbtack is a service that matches a range of freelancers with clients in their local area. The site focuses on home services, but companies can search for freelancers in many other industries, including business plan consulting. Companies enter information about their industry and how long they have been in business. Thumbtack populates a list from which you can hire business plan advisors who serve your area. You can see at a glance how many times they've been hired through Thumbtack and their hourly rates.