There's a difference between getting help constructing your business plan and hiring a "ghostwriter" to make up a plan for you. The former is a sensible course of action. The latter is dangerous, foolish and bad for your business. Don't think that because you've hired a professional that you don't have a lot of work to do yourself. Most of your plan will come from you, not someone else who is not emotionally invested in your business and your life.

A business planner can point you in the right direction and give you a shove. You must do all the "grunt" work yourself. The real value of professional help in creating your business plan is the overview of the process you will receive, the helpful pointers you'll receive along the way and a thorough review of your finished product, based on experience and practical knowledge.

Finding a good business planner for your particular business may take some digging and research. Someone with a sound knowledge of accounting, and experience in creating plans, will be a good start. A planner with practical experience in your field of business is a plus. The closer your prospective planner is to your model of business, the more detailed advice and counsel you will receive.

The amount of help you will need depends on how complicated and far-reaching your business will be. If you're going to be the sole proprietor of a single Web site on dachshund training, with a few affiliate products and three AdSense fields, you won't need much more than an outline from your planner and a critique of your finished plan.

If you're going to be incorporating your business and building an "Authority" membership-based site in the area of Real Estate and Mortgages, with several levels of membership, many products and Joint Venture programs, ongoing A/R campaigns and annual live seminars, you'll need serious help. A team of professionals to help you craft an effective and complete business plan will be necessary.

The real value of having a business planner involved with your business will be when you decide to expand, increase your level of exposure in the marketplace, or diversify your efforts. A sound business planner will be able to point out potential threats and weaknesses that you may overlook out of ignorance or enthusiasm. Having someone who can point you in the direction of increased profits and opportunities to "leverage' your current assets is invaluable. A good business planner can do all this, and more.

You will have certain responsibilities to your planner, which you must accept. You can't lie, you can't guess and you can't hold back when you are asked for specifics regarding your business. If you don't know something, it's up to you to say so and do what you can to find out on your own. Your plan will only be as good as the information you supply to it and your planner. Your planner can only help you as far as you are able to trust and inform him/her as to your specific goals, problems, assets, and liabilities.

A business planner is one of the most underrated assets a company can have. Too many business owners fly by the seat of their pants, and wonder why they fail. The answer is simple - they failed to plan properly. While you may not need the detailed, far-ranging plan of a Fortune 500 company, you do need to plan your business thoroughly. If you don't have the skill or experience in putting together a real business plan, consider hiring a business planner that meets your needs and your budget.