Startup Consulting
What is a startup consultant?
By offering their experience in management, finance, strategy, marketing and development, startup consultants provide the expertise necessary to bring an entrepreneur’s dream to reality. A startup consultant can review your business plan, compare it with your goals, and suggest ways to improve your chances for success.
How do you hire a startup consultant?
You can source startup consultant talent on Upwork by following these three steps:
- Write a project description. You’ll want to determine your scope of work and the skills and requirements you are looking for in a startup consultant.
- Post it on Upwork. Once you’ve written a project description, post it to Upwork. Simply follow the prompts to help you input the information you collected to scope out your project.
- Shortlist and interview startup consultants. Once the proposals start coming in, create a shortlist of the professionals you want to interview.
Of these three steps, your project description is where you will determine your scope of work and the specific type of startup consultant you need to complete your project.
How much does it cost to hire a startup consultant?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced startup consultant may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their startup consultant services more competitively.
Rates typically charged by startup consultants on Upwork are:
- Beginner: $56 per hour
- Intermediate: $97 per hour
- Advanced: $150 per hour
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project. For more information on startup costs, check out our free startup cost calculator which can help you estimate the cost required to set up a startup business.
How do you write a startup consultant job post?
Your job post is your chance to describe your project scope, budget, and talent needs. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
Job post title
Create a simple title that describes exactly what you’re looking for. The idea is to target the keywords that your ideal candidate is likely to type into a job search bar to find your project. Here are some sample startup consultant job post titles:
- Business plan consultant needed to help with company launch
- Consultant needed for help developing launch plan for toy company
- Seeking startup consultant to provide finance expertise
Project description
An effective startup consultant job post should include:
- Scope of work: From business plan development to marketing expertise, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, phases of startup, or post launch consultation, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Startup consultant job responsibilities
Here are some examples of startup consultant job responsibilities:
- Review and refine financials in business plan
- Help define business goals and objectives
- Identify potential sources of funding and handle initial outreach
- Develop go to market strategy
Startup consultant job requirements and qualifications
Be sure to include any requirements and qualifications you’re looking for in a startup consultant. Here are some examples:
- Experience improving business plans for startups
- Existing relationship with financial institutions and funding resources
- Track record of taking businesses from concept to launch