Should you have a consultant write your business plan

A business plan is such an important document that you probably should not trust it's entire writing to a consultant.

"Good consultants run anywhere from $300 an hour down, and generally the quality of the services is commensurate with the fee," says Linda Pinson, author of Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future. She says that having a consultant craft a good plan will run you $5,000 to $10,000.