"Have my business plan made" is one of the most searched founder phrases in Germany, and the honest answer depends on your budget, your deadline, and how much of the thinking you want to keep in your own hands. There are three realistic routes, and the cost gap between them is wide.
Should you write the business plan yourself, hire an agency, or use AI?
Writing it yourself costs 20 to 40 hours but keeps every assumption in your head, which matters when a bank or the Agentur für Arbeit asks you to defend the numbers in person. A consultant or agency takes that load off you for a fee that usually runs from 1,500 to 5,000 euros, and complex cases with detailed financial modelling reach 8,000 euros or more.
AI-assisted writing sits in between on both cost and control. You answer structured questions, the tool drafts the sections and the finance tables, and you edit. You keep authorship, you spend a fraction of an agency fee, and you still own the assumptions you will have to defend. Before you hand the writing to anyone, the strategy should be clear; this piece on why AI understanding fails in SMEs due to strategy is a useful reality check.
What does a good business plan consultant actually deliver?
A strong consultant does three things beyond typing: they pressure-test your market assumptions, they build a finance plan a house bank will accept, and they know which funding program fits your case. The document is the by-product; the judgement is what you pay for.
Ask for references in your industry and a sample plan before you sign. The BAFA program "Förderung unternehmerischen Know-hows" subsidises 50 to 80 percent of consulting fees depending on your Bundesland, with up to 3,500 euros of eligible costs for companies in their first two years, so a 3,000 euro engagement can cost you far less out of pocket. If a consultant cannot name that program, treat it as a warning sign.
How fast can you get a finished plan with AI support?
Speed is where AI support changes the calendar. A structured first draft, including a capital requirement table and a three-year forecast, takes a few hours instead of the two to four weeks an agency typically needs. You spend the saved time on the parts only you can judge: pricing, the sales ramp, and the story.
The workflow is simple. Answer the guided questions, let the business plan tool assemble a bank-ready structure, then refine over a day or two. A free bank-ready template gives you the skeleton, a worked example shows you the finished shape, and the tool keeps the finance tables consistent as you edit.
What should you check before you let someone write it?
Whoever writes it, the plan has to survive a reviewer who did not sit in the room. Check that the numbers in the text match the finance tables to the euro, that the assumptions are written down and arguable, and that the plan carries the documents your funding route needs.
One document trips up founders coming from unemployment: the Gründungszuschuss requires a fachkundige Stellungnahme, an expert opinion on your plan from a body such as the IHK or a tax advisor. Book that early. And whoever drafts the plan, read every line yourself before you send it, because you are the one who signs it.
What does it cost to have a business plan written?
An agency or consultant usually charges 1,500 to 5,000 euros, with complex cases at 8,000 euros or more. AI-assisted writing costs a fraction of that, and doing it yourself costs mainly your time.
Can I get the consulting subsidised?
Yes. The BAFA program "Förderung unternehmerischen Know-hows" covers 50 to 80 percent of the fee depending on your Bundesland, with up to 3,500 euros of eligible costs for young companies.
How long does an agency take?
A typical engagement runs two to four weeks. With AI support a structured first draft is ready in a few hours, and you spend the rest of the time refining.
Do I still need to understand the plan myself?
Yes. You defend the numbers to the bank or the Agentur für Arbeit in person, so the assumptions have to be yours regardless of who typed them.
Is an AI-written plan accepted by banks?
Banks judge the content and the consistency of the numbers, not who wrote them. A well-built AI-assisted plan with sound finance tables is accepted like any other.