Business Planning Consultant for Start-Ups and Growing Businesses
Turn the Next Stage of Your Business Ideas into a Practical Plan
You know where you want the business to go. The question is what needs to happen to get it there.
More work may mean more staff, different processes, new supplier requirements, or certifications you haven’t needed before.
We help start-ups and established businesses develop practical plans that connect their objectives to the decisions, resources and actions required.
The plan should give you something useful to work from and review as the business develops.
When Is Business Planning Support Useful?
The purpose of the plan determines what it needs to include.
You may need help when:
- You are starting a business and need to organise the fundamentals.
- Growth is stretching your current people and processes.
- You want to pursue larger or longer contracts.
- You need to decide which investment or improvement comes first.
- Your current plan no longer reflects the business.
- You need to explain the business to a lender or investor.
- Your team needs clearer priorities and responsibilities.
What Does a Business Planning Consultant Do?
We help you examine the objective, understand your starting point and develop a route forward.
This includes asking practical questions. Do you have the capacity to deliver the work you want to win? What will a buyer expect, for example? Who will manage the administration? Which dependencies could prevent progress?
We turn the answers into an agreed plan with priorities, owners and review points.
What Can Your Business Plan Include?
The scope is agreed around its purpose. It may cover:
Objectives and Direction
What you are trying to achieve, the services you will provide and the customers you want to serve.
Current Position
Your existing capacity, capabilities, processes and the gaps between today’s business and the next stage.
Operational Requirements
The people, systems, suppliers, premises and working arrangements needed to deliver the plan.
Compliance and Certification
The requirements connected to the work you intend to pursue, and the sequence for addressing them.
Resources and Assumptions
What the plan depends on, where costs need to be established and which assumptions need testing.
Risks and Contingencies
What could prevent progress and how the business will respond.
Actions and Measures
Agreed priorities, responsibilities, milestones and indicators that help you review progress.
The written output should explain the direction clearly and give the people involved a practical basis for action.
Planning for Larger Contracts
Winning a larger contract can look like the answer to growth. It can also expose gaps in staffing, delivery capacity and administration.
Before committing, we need to look at what the work requires and whether the business is ready to deliver it.
For a construction business, that could include buyer prequalification, subcontractor management, quality processes and the resources needed to sustain the contract.
Sometimes the next step is to work as a subcontractor to a larger organisation while strengthening your own capabilities.
The plan needs to reflect the opportunity and your starting position.
Start-Up Business Planning
When you are starting a business, several decisions happen at once.
We can help organise the operational plan, identify relevant policies and responsibilities, and establish which foundations need attention first.
We can consider how the business will deliver its services, manage records and suppliers, allocate responsibilities and monitor progress.
Where incorporation, tax, specialist legal advice or financial modelling is required, we can work with the appropriate adviser.
Business Plans for Lenders and Investors
If your plan will support a funding application, tell us who will receive it and share their stated requirements.
The document needs to explain the business coherently and align with the information the recipient expects.
Financial forecasts and assumptions need appropriate input and review, usually involving your accountant or financial adviser. I can help connect the operational plan to that information and identify where additional evidence is required.
A plan cannot guarantee approval or investment.
Choose Measures That Help You Make Decisions
Tracking everything makes it harder to see what matters.
The measures should connect to your objectives. Depending on the business, that might include delivery capacity, customer concentration, repeat work, outstanding actions or progress against certification requirements.
We agree who reviews the information and what happens if progress differs from the plan.
A review should lead to decisions, rather than simply confirm that a meeting took place.
How We Work Together
Establish the Purpose
We agree on what the plan needs to help you decide or achieve.
Review the Business
We examine your current position, available information and assumptions.
Develop the Plan
We set out the priorities, resources, risks and actions.
Agree Ownership
Your business approves the decisions and assigns responsibilities.
Review Progress
We can discuss further support to update the plan and respond to changes.
We can provide a focused planning project or discuss ongoing review support. The format and frequency depend on what you need.
Business Planning in Essex and East London
Eye Bray is based in Brentwood, Essex, and primarily supports businesses across Essex and East London.
Much of the discussion and document development can happen remotely. Meetings at your workplace can help where understanding your team and operations is useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you help write a business plan?
Yes. We can help develop a written plan around its intended purpose and your business information. We agree on the required content and any specialist input at the start.
Do you work with established businesses?
Yes. Planning is useful when an established business changes direction, grows or needs to organise its next stage.
Can you prepare the financial forecasts?
We establish what financial input is required and involve your accountant or suitable specialist. The operational plan needs to be consistent with the financial assumptions.
How often should a plan be reviewed?
At agreed intervals and when significant assumptions change. We can choose a review rhythm that suits the pace and needs of your business.
How much does business planning consultancy cost?
The cost depends on the purpose, complexity and available information. I provide a proposal after we establish the scope.
What Does Your Next Stage Require?
Tell me where you want the business to go and what is making that difficult.
We can turn the objective into priorities and a practical plan.