Aleksey曾在上市公司和风投支持的私营公司担任首席财务官. 作为一名投资者，他参与了25笔以上的私募股权交易，投资总额达5亿美元. He has advised 50+ clients on raising $1.在医疗保健、消费、媒体、软件、能源和工业领域投资60亿美元. 阿列克谢喜欢与早期和成熟小盘公司的高管一起工作, 他做自由职业者是因为这能让他接触到各种各样的公司.
Josh是一名投资银行家，现为风险投资家，居住在科罗拉多州丹佛市. 在摩根士丹利, 他追踪了全球顶级对冲基金，为阿里巴巴等公司的ipo销售了超过50亿美元的资金, LendingClub, GrubHub, 和更多的. 他也有M&A, startup fundraising, and as a founder. 目前, Josh is one of the managing partners of Konvoy Ventures, a VC firm focused on esports and video gaming.
Gary is a serial entrepreneur with CEO and 首席财务官 experience. Before co-founding an aerospace startup in 2017, Gary是一家收入1.2亿美元的SaaS公司的财务总监, 在那里他负责多个部门的财务管理，并支持了三次合并. Gary leverages his unique blend of finance and entrepreneurial experience across early and growth-stage businesses to add value to Toptal clients.
Marc is a Harvard Business School graduate with honors, a former investment 银行家 from Goldman Sachs, and private equity investor at The Carlyle Group. He has helped execute more than $70 billion worth of global M&A and financing transactions in the tech, 媒体, 电信, infrastructure and sports facility finance markets. 马克喜欢自由职业，在他自己的早期企业工作的同时，为他人贡献他的知识和技能.
作为一名经验丰富的首席执行官，尼尔维卡帮助筹集了200多亿美元的资金，并建立了一系列业务, 银行家, 也是印度工业信贷投资银行的策略师, 花旗, 美国银行, 和工厂. 一个企业家, Nirvikar is an active board member for startup companies, advising on strategic initiatives and capital raising. 作为一个自由职业者, he enjoys leveraging his background as an entrepreneur and executive to drive profitable growth at companies from various industries.
Travis was part of the founding team at Moelis & Co., a $2.50亿的全球投资银行, 拥有18年为客户提供400多亿美元资产356平台服务的经验&A, capital raising, and restructuring transactions. In 2015, he founded a socially responsible advisory firm, 基恩顾问, 被评为2017-2019年度“世界最佳. Travis加入Toptal是为了扩大他的网络，并分享他为初创公司和财富500强公司提供咨询的专业知识.
安迪两次被《356平台》评为全明星分析师. 他曾担任战略家、运营主管、金融家和顶级行业分析师. 作为一个自由职业者, Andy advises a range of companies—from early-stage and middle-market to large caps—delivering customized solutions including effective investor presentations, 动态财务模型, 以及项目融资结构.
Bertrand是一位拥有25年财务经验的资深人士，拥有真正的360度经验, 作为投资银行家的磨练, 风险投资顾问, 项目开发人员, 首席财务官, and expert witness consultant in international arbitrations. 他曾为超过100项交易和投资计划提供咨询和合作，总额超过160亿美元. 伯特兰是一位经验丰富的问题解决者和决策者，拥有专业的促进技能. 伯特兰建议M&A、企业发展、风险成长、项目开发、融资.
Olivia has over a decade of advisory experience, 专业估值, 财务及商业规划, M&A、融资和尽职调查. 她在融资和退出过程中为全球企业主提供财务规划和战略优化方面的建议. Olivia also works with investors for portfolio valuation work, 基金模型的发展, 尽职调查. 她是一名注册估值分析师，专门从事早期估值.
安德鲁在2017年金融建模世界锦标赛中排名第五. 他曾担任拉脱维亚领先零售商的首席财务官七年, navigating the firm through the global financial crisis and executing a turnaround that led to profitability and international expansion. 他继续从事自由职业咨询，将他的客户群扩大到250多个，分布在17个国家. Andrew joined Toptal to work with clients on FP&A，金融建模，M&A.
Business plan consultants help define the long- and short-term goals of a business and draw up an action plan to achieve these goals. 本指南提供了商业计划顾问需要具备的关键技能和属性.
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
引领数字化转型
Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer
奖状
到目前为止，马丁是一个十足的摇滚明星.
His first bit of work produced a tool for us to model and forecast our financials and is far and away worth every penny we paid 和更多的.
我只是想和你分享一下.
Pete Pellizzari，首席执行官
巴德公司.
Erik一直是我们团队中非常有价值的成员，他在我们的生命周期阶段对初创企业有着丰富的经验. 使他的贡献独特而高效的不仅仅是他出色的金融建模技能和知识, 还有他在Vault处理每一段关系的情商, 了解我们的团队动态, and helps us tackle start up challenges effectively. 很难找到一个兼职顾问，让你觉得他/她真的在为你公司的成功投资.
罗米·帕齐克，首席运营官
学生贷款福利公司. dba库
Toptal has been an incredible key partner for Sidekick. 作为一家早期创业公司，我们利用了设计和财务人才. 这段经历令人难以置信, with those professionals bringing creativity, 专业知识, 以及确保Sidekick成功的建议. 我的Toptal财务专家帮助指导了Sidekick的商业模式, 从而产生650倍的初始投资回报率! 我在Toptal的经历让我对未来充满信心.
Doug MacKay，创始人/首席执行官
伙伴
和克里斯一起工作很愉快，他总是能满足我的时间安排. His communication skills and personality were a 10/10. His outputs on the project were top notch and allowed us to develop more efficient forecasting and initiative prioritization frameworks. 我肯定会再次使用克里斯.
Chris Pozek，首席执行官
退伍军人Rideshare
真正让Toptal与众不同的是他们网络中可用的金融人才的水平. 我有一个非常具体而紧迫的需求, Toptal很快为我找到了最合适的人选. The expert produced a thoughtful and robust financial analysis that has ultimately allowed us to forecast and prioritize initiatives much more efficiently.
Chris Pozek，首席执行官
退伍军人Rideshare
Scott had a lot of finance experience which he used to ask the right questions and help us do things more quickly than we would have done without him. The commission model is crucial to us being able to scale, 他与我们的财务团队无缝整合，并有效地为我们提供了所需的产出.
创始人兼首席执行官Naushad Parpia
德牧
Toptal网络中金融人才的素质给我留下了深刻的印象. 我们的专家的经验通过他富有洞察力的问题和我们行动的速度立即显现出来. 从配对到项目的成功完成，Toptal一直处于整个过程的顶端. I've already recommended Toptal 金融 to my network.
创始人兼首席执行官Naushad Parpia
德牧
How to Hire 商业计划 Consultants through Toptal
1
与我们的行业专家交谈
财务总监将与您一起了解您的目标, 技术需求, 团队动力.
2
与精心挑选的人才一起工作
几天之内，我们就会为您的项目介绍合适的商业计划顾问. 平均匹配时间在24小时以下.
3
绝对合适
与你的新商业计划顾问一起试用一段时间(满意才付薪水), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.
How are Toptal business plan consultants different?
在Toptal, 我们仔细筛选我们的商业计划顾问，以确保我们只为您匹配最高水平的人才. 在200多个中,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, 只有不到3%的人能达标. 你将与财务专家(而不是一般的招聘人员或人力资源代表)一起了解你的目标, 技术需求, 团队动力. 最终的结果是:经过专家审查的人才从我们的网络，定制匹配，以满足您的业务需求.
我可以在48小时内通过Toptal聘请商业计划顾问吗?
Depending on availability and how fast you can progress, 你可以在注册后48小时内开始与商业计划顾问合作.
Toptal商业计划顾问的无风险试用期是多长?
我们确保您和您的商业计划顾问之间的每一次合作都从长达两周的试用期开始. 这意味着你有时间确认订婚是否成功. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, 我们会给你开时间单的，你愿意多久我们就多久. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. 从那里, 我们要么分道扬镳, 或者我们可以为您提供另一位可能更合适的专家，我们将与他开始第二轮谈判, 无风险试用.
分享
How to Hire a Great 商业计划 Consultant
精心构思的商业计划, rigorously researched and shared among stakeholders, is a key asset for businesses at any stage in their lifecycle. 有效的现金流管理, 可持续增长, and successful strategic exits happen not by chance but through careful adherence to a business plan that’s based on a thorough analysis of the existing business and deep industry 专业知识.
当然，一份高质量的商业计划取决于它的作者. 而企业主, 的执行者, 和更多的 senior employees need to provide input, 请第三方顾问协助编写初始计划或对现有计划进行压力测试是值得的. 这个商业计划的作者和顾问将作为一个综合的行业专家, 金融分析师, 高级顾问, drawing on their 专业知识 to collect and analyze data, 回顾企业的财务模式和基本假设, 帮助CEO战略性地思考公司在商业战略领域的发展方向, 营销策略, 和更多的 over the next three to five years.
在这份招聘指南中, we will address how to identify the right candidate for the business plan writing role and create the best environment for a successful engagement.
Professional business plan consultants are often brought on to help executives identify the optimal ways to grow their business in the near-term. 这不应该只是增加销售或削减成本的问题, 而是讨论如何根据战略优先级最好地分配资源. 下一级商业计划顾问不只是评估现有的选择, 但借鉴他们的经验，提出其他增长途径.
案例研究:cut It Close, 一家专注于剃须刀片的B2C初创公司, 需要帮助撰写商业计划，规划未来五年的主要增长计划. 它们的带宽有限, and can’t decide how to prioritize between a set of potential initiatives: expanding to new geographies or aggressively renegotiating contracts with key suppliers. 一个专业的商业计划顾问是如何写商业计划的, keeping these growth initiatives in mind?
在这种情况下, an expert business plan consultant should consider these initiatives in the broader context of the business and its goals over the given time horizon. While expanding to new geographies may seem like a good idea, it shouldn’t be done at the expense of the business’ ability to pursue growth opportunities with a higher ROI that are more in line with existing operations (i.e.(更容易获得)，除非有强有力的战略理由这样做. 当然, 增长并不是唯一的优先事项——如果业务的偿付能力受到威胁，这些雄心应该大大降低.
Conduct customer research to determine demand for their existing products in new target markets and informally survey suppliers (if appropriate) to estimate potential cost reductions.
Think through a go-to-market strategy in the new geographies and suggest potential marketing channels or marketing plans (based on competitor and customer research as well as industry knowledge).
建立一个可以在不同增长情景之间切换的财务预测的财务模型, providing you with the opportunity to see where your business will stand in three to five years if it expands to the new geographies (or if it does not) and if the business can realize a reduction in COGS from the renegotiated contracts (or not).
Propose and assess other growth strategies, 比如切换到订阅模式或提供新的产品线.
上述类型的分析将受益于熟悉消费品包装行业. 另外, the right candidate will likely have experience in conducting primary and secondary market research and in building 动态财务模型 and financial plans.
挑战你的假设
An expert business plan consultant will not only provide solutions to the problem at hand but will help management look past the problem itself and pressure test all major assumptions. 有时候，换个角度看问题会让问题变得完全不同. 其中一个例子是通用电气聘请了著名的商业顾问 Ram Charan to discuss their plastics division. 查兰指出，沙特公私合营企业沙特基础工业公司(SABIC)正在进入市场, given no strong competitive advantage in GE’s pocket, it was in GE’s best interests to sell the business entirely. 通用电气聘请了一位顾问，目标是优化公司的一个部门, they ended up with a much different outcome.
案例研究:时机成熟, 这是一家初创公司，提供一款应用程序，用于确定某片水果何时达到最佳成熟度, 还有一个在线市场，供当地销售和购买水果, 聘请商业计划顾问审查他们现有的商业计划. The business plan consultant quickly realizes that the company’s technology strategy is outdated and a serious liability to the company’s long-term prospects. 一个专注于技术战略的精明的商业计划顾问应该在谈话中提出什么样的问题呢?
一个熟练的咨询师应该问的问题类型，按类别划分，包括:
竞争
谁是新兴的竞争者?
技术如何帮助你战胜传统的和新的竞争对手?
How can you use technology to enter new markets?
现有的能力
您是否具备从现有IT系统中驱动全部价值所需的能力?
What are the weakest links in your capabilities? 你有精通技术的管理人员吗?
技术支持的客户体验
你们的客户体验与其他行业的领导者相比如何?
What will your customers expect in the future, and what will it take to give them an optimal experience?
对于如何满足或超越客户的期望，你有明确的计划吗?
商业计划
What’s the existing plan for upgrading capabilities?
业务计划是否反映了技术提高绩效的全部潜力?
总体技术战略是否需要多年的时间, rather than just part of the annual IT budget?
Does the business plan reflect a portfolio of short-term P&L机会(e).g.升级数字渠道)，中期平台投资(如.g., customer database), and longer-term bets (e.g.(数码化的商业模式)?
有效的现金流管理
适当的现金流管理对各种规模的企业来说都是一个巨大的挑战. Whether or not your business is profitable or poised for enormous growth quickly becomes irrelevant if the business becomes insolvent. 好消息是 哈佛商业评论最近的研究 有正式商业计划的公司达到正现金流的机会增加了16%. 对于更成熟的企业, 良好的现金流管理对于可靠地偿还债务，甚至在谈判还款条款时都是必不可少的, 尤其是利率.
案例研究:美国建筑工业公司.S. 公司专业生产用于建筑行业的重型机械零件, 是否准备在未来3年内出售给私人股本投资者. 为生意做准备, 管理层希望改写他们的商业计划，以优化未来的自由现金流. What areas would you look into with this goal in mind?
在这种情况下，商业计划顾问可以查看以下内容:
将企业现有的现金流与行业内部和外部基准进行比较. How does Builder 工业 compare on the basis of DSO, DPO, and DIO to other industrials companies in construction? 如果建筑业有所不足，这些都是需要进一步分析的领域.
商业计划顾问应该能够采取上述分析和, 与管理层协同工作, 确定公司努力的重点，以优化自由现金流. 在这种情况下, 聘请一位有私募股权投资经验的商业计划顾问会很有用, working for a private equity portfolio company, or working in operations at an industrials company.
探索战略退出
为企业的最终退出做准备，很大程度上取决于企业本身的健康状况, 寻找合适的买家, 有利的市场条件. Business plan consultants are invaluable resources when exploring potential exits due to their ability to forecast the performance of the business under a variety of operating scenarios.
Case study: The founder of Healthy Holdings, 医疗设备制造商, 她的年龄是否在增长，是否计划在未来5年内退出她的企业. 有几个买家找过她，但她还没有准备好出售. Prior to bringing investment banks into the process, 她聘请了一位商业计划顾问来起草计划，以探索不同的选择.
在这种情况下, 商业计划顾问会分析各种退出方案, including (depending on the business’ size) an IPO, 被主要竞争对手收购, 合并, 家族继承. 这些选项可以帮助告知业务在短期内的方向. 例如, if a major competitor has gone on an acquiring spree, 健康控股可以专注于能够增强其对竞争对手吸引力的活动.
The most effective business plan consultant for this type of engagement would be a high-level strategic thinker with experience selling companies. Deep financial analysis isn’t as important in this case as the ability to think creatively about maximizing the value of the business in a relatively short timeframe.
需要注意的技能
需要注意的硬技能
考虑到商业计划顾问可以提供的各种功能, 重要的是要考虑手头的工作需要什么样的具体经验. 在很多情况下, 正是因为无法回答这个问题，你才会首先聘请一位商业计划顾问, 你不确定哪个业务领域最需要关注。). 在这些情况下, 你应该找一个在财务分析方面有广泛技能的人, 金融建模, 数据收集, 数据分析. This will ensure that the business plan consultant can build and maintain 动态财务模型 as well as dig deeply into areas that need further investigation.
一旦你找到了理想的候选人, make sure to spend the time to adequately onboard the expert to increase the chances of a positive experience and a successful engagement.
这里有一些关于如何顺利过渡的建议:
1. 考虑介绍性咨询以确定项目的范围
Prior to digging in with any deep analysis, working with the business plan consultant to determine the scope of the project could unveil areas of opportunity that you hadn’t considered (e.g., 探索不同的增长计划, 考虑收购一家规模较小的竞争对手如何符合公司的五年发展规划). 写商业计划的目的是为你的企业探索许多不同的道路, so don’t limit yourself prior to even starting.
2. 确保商业计划顾问有他们需要的资源
入职过程应该包括与关键员工的会议，他们可能会告知商业计划顾问的工作. The consultant may need access to corporate documentation, 报告, 金融体系, as well as introductions to key advisors or relationships (e.g.、供应商、顾客).
3. Jointly Determine Milestones and Ask for a Project Plan
