Consulting Business Plan Template (Solo Consultant Example)
A consultant's plan is mostly a sales plan: which offers, at what price, to whom, with how many conversations a week to hit the number. This example for a fictional HR consultant fits on four pages and is enough for a bank, a spouse, or your own nerve.
Example business: Northstar People Advisory, a solo HR consulting practice serving companies with 20 to 200 employees. Fictional; the numbers are illustrative and consistent with each other.
Executive summary
Northstar People Advisory is a solo HR consulting practice offering three fixed-price services to companies with 20 to 200 employees: an HR audit ($4,500), a handbook and policy build ($6,500), and fractional HR at $3,200 a month. The founder was HR director at two companies of that size. Startup costs are $6,200; the plan requires no outside funding and a personal reserve covering five months. Year-one revenue target is $148,000 from 6 audits, 5 handbook projects, and 3 fractional clients, with a pipeline of 12 first conversations a month from referrals, LinkedIn, and two local business groups.
Key numbers
| Offers | HR audit $4,500; handbook build $6,500; fractional HR $3,200/month |
| Year 1 revenue | $148,000 |
| Clients | 6 audits, 5 handbooks, 3 fractional |
| Pipeline | 12 first conversations a month, 25% to proposal, 40% close |
| Costs | $1,150/month (software, insurance, accounting, memberships, marketing) |
| Startup costs | $6,200 |
| Reserve | 5 months of personal expenses |
| Break-even (personal) | Month 4 |
Market
There are about 1,900 companies with 20 to 200 employees in the metro area; most have no HR staff below 80 employees and rely on the office manager. Employment law changes in 2025 and 2026 (pay transparency, leave rules) create a compliance reason to buy an audit now.
Competition
Two PEOs sell bundled HR with payroll at $80 to $150 per employee per month, more than most targets want to spend. Three regional HR consultancies serve 200-plus employee companies. Solo consultants exist but mostly sell hourly; Northstar sells fixed-scope projects with a written deliverable, which is easier to buy.
Marketing and sales
Referrals from two employment lawyers and one accounting firm (agreed). A monthly two-page briefing on employment law changes, emailed to 400 contacts. Two speaking slots at local business groups a quarter. LinkedIn: three posts a week. Every audit ends with a proposal for the handbook or fractional service; target 50% conversion.
Operations
Home office, client sites two days a week. Contracts, invoicing, and time tracking in one tool; a document template library built in month one. Professional liability insurance. An employment lawyer on retainer for review of policy language at $250 an hour, billed through.
Risks and what the plan does about them
- Feast and famine: fractional clients are the stabiliser; the plan caps project work at 60% of hours once three fractional clients are signed.
- Single-person capacity: a contract HR generalist is identified for overflow at $85 an hour.
- Scope creep on fixed-price work: every offer has a written scope and a change-order rate.
Your consulting / freelance plan, from your numbers
Answer twelve questions about your own business and get all ten sections written with the arithmetic shown, plus a one-page summary. Nothing invented; every figure to verify is listed. $29, once. Write my business plan