Local service guide
Business Plan Consulting in Billings, MT
Arrange Business Plan Consulting around the decision you need to make: launching, borrowing, buying a business, or expanding. Before paying for a full plan, consider the Billings SBDC at Big Sky Economic Development, which offers no-cost one-on-one advising on planning, financial projections, market research, and loan packaging. Hire a consultant when you want defined drafting or modeling work, and agree on the recipient’s requirements before approving the scope. [1]
Define the assignment before comparing consultants
Tell each consultant who will read the plan and what that reader needs to decide. For an internal launch decision, ask for customer research, startup costs, cash requirements, and an operating plan. For a financing application, obtain the lender’s document list and projection requirements before requesting a quote. For a purchase, identify which seller records you can access.
Separate writing from analysis in the proposal. Ask who will research customers and competitors, build the financial model, check your source documents, and revise the narrative. Request a redacted sample and ask the consultant to explain how they developed its revenue assumptions. Choose someone whose explanation you can follow.
Define acceptance criteria in writing: the documents you will receive, editable file formats, research citations, model formulas, review meetings, and included revisions. Ask whether the consultant will respond to follow-up questions from your lender and how they charge for changes after delivery.
Choose between local advising and paid drafting
Big Sky Economic Development houses the Billings center of the Montana SBDC network. Its published services include no-cost one-on-one advising and affordable training, with help in business planning, financial analysis, market research, strategic planning, loan packaging, and financial projections. [1]
Use an initial advising conversation to identify gaps in your plan. Ask whether you need help testing the idea, organizing financial information, or preparing for a funding discussion. If you want a consultant to produce finished documents, describe that expectation in the agreement and clarify which inputs you must supply.
For an equipment or property project, discuss the financing route before commissioning a general fundraising plan. Big Sky Economic Development describes SBA 504 financing for eligible major fixed assets, including commercial real estate and major machinery or equipment. Ask the financing team which project details they need before your consultant builds the model. [1]
Prepare records that support the numbers
For a startup, Big Sky Economic Development’s checklist calls for market research, startup and ongoing monthly expenses, two years of cash-flow projections, and a personal financial statement. It also includes financing options, employer requirements, and local zoning and building-permit checks. [3]
Collect supplier quotes, proposed rent, equipment costs, staffing assumptions, and your expected customer volume. Label each input as a quote, an existing result, or an assumption. Ask the consultant to show how changes in sales, hiring, or the opening date affect the cash you need.
For an expansion or acquisition, the local checklist calls for three years of historical year-end profit-and-loss statements and balance sheets, three years of tax returns, an estimate of expansion costs, and an existing business plan if available. Discuss missing records before agreeing to a completion date. [3]
Keep legal-structure advice in a separate professional review. Big Sky Economic Development’s checklist recommends consulting a CPA or attorney when choosing the structure. Ask your plan consultant to identify questions for that professional rather than treating the plan draft as the final decision. [3]
Compare fees and schedule the review
Request a written quote for the same assignment from each consultant. Compare the research, financial-model work, meetings, revisions, and recipient follow-up they include. Ask them to identify exclusions and explain the payment milestones. Keep registration fees, permit expenses, and other professional services separate from the consulting fee.
Set the schedule around your submission or opening deadline. Agree on dates for supplying records, reviewing the first model, commenting on the draft, and receiving the final files. Leave room for your lender or professional advisor to review the assumptions before you submit.
The fee chart lists selected Montana business filings from the Secretary of State’s published schedule. These amounts can inform individual startup-budget lines. They do not establish a consulting rate or the total cost of opening your business. Confirm the filing appropriate to your structure before budgeting it. [5]
Selected Montana startup filing fees
Local details that affect your job
City licensing reaches businesses based outside Billings
The City of Billings requires a business license on or before business begins for anyone conducting business in the city or based there. The city also requires home businesses to comply with its zoning ordinance and directs applicants to its online registration portal. Give your consultant the operating address and service area, and include licensing and premises checks in the launch scope. A city business-tax receipt confirms payment; the city says other permits may still be required. [2]
Yellowstone County gap financing has specific conditions
Big Sky EDC describes its Revolving Loan Fund as gap financing for eligible Yellowstone County small businesses. Its policies say loans will primarily go to businesses with at least 24 months of operating history, prefer bank participation and at least 10% borrower equity, and require sufficient cash flow and positive net income. Ask the program team about eligibility before paying for an application-focused plan, especially for a startup. Have the consultant distinguish your own contribution, bank financing, and any proposed gap funding. [4]
Match the help to your planning need
| Your situation | First step | Scope to discuss |
|---|---|---|
| Testing an idea | Discuss no-cost Billings SBDC advising | Market research, startup expenses, and planning gaps |
| Preparing a financing application | Obtain the lender’s requirements | Loan packaging, cash-flow assumptions, and document preparation |
| Buying or expanding a business | Gather three years of statements and tax returns | Historical performance, project costs, and projections |
| Considering the Yellowstone County RLF | Discuss eligibility with the program team | Operating history, cash flow, equity, and bank participation |
Your hiring checklist
- Name the plan’s reader, purpose, and submission deadline.
- Ask the Billings SBDC what advising can cover before defining paid work.
- Gather customer research, supplier quotes, premises costs, and staffing assumptions.
- For a purchase or expansion, request the seller’s or business’s historical financial records.
- Ask the intended lender for its document and projection requirements.
- Agree on editable deliverables, model assumptions, revisions, and payment milestones.
- Assign responsibility for city licensing, premises checks, and professional reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get business-planning help without paying a consultant?
Yes. The Billings SBDC at Big Sky Economic Development offers no-cost one-on-one advising, including business planning and financial projections. Ask what the advisor can help you develop and which drafting tasks you will handle. [1]
What should I receive from a paid consultant?
Specify an editable narrative and financial model, documented assumptions, research sources, and agreed revisions. Ask for a handoff meeting where you can change an assumption and discuss the result. Define any lender follow-up in the contract.
Does working from home remove the city-license requirement?
No. Billings says home businesses need a business license and must comply with its zoning ordinance. Include the intended home activity in your planning discussion and confirm requirements before setting an opening date. [2]
How much should I budget for consulting?
The supplied sources do not establish a local paid-consulting price range. Request quotes against a written scope and compare the included work. Keep state filing fees and other opening expenses in separate budget lines.
Sources and scope
This guide combines the sources below with practical planning guidance. Figures apply to the stated geography and period; request a written quote for your property.