Nobody Certifies Business Plan Writers. The Bank Does.
Search for a certified business plan writer and you will find plenty of websites using the phrase. Here is the problem. There is no licensing body, no state registration, no exam and no professional board for business plan writers. The word is doing a job on those websites, and the job is not what you think. This page explains what it actually means and what to check instead.
Last Updated: 10/25/2026 · Reviewed by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
No. There is no recognized certification for business plan writers in the United States. Nothing like the CPA for accountants, the bar for attorneys or a state license for contractors exists for this work. When a website says certified, the certificate was issued by the writer to himself, by a company he works for, or by a business that sells certificates. None of those tells you whether the plan will get funded. Judge a writer on what can be verified instead: graduate credentials, plans written, who builds the model, and dollars funded.
Three Things "Certified" Usually Means on a Writer's Website
A self-issued badge
The writer or the firm designed a seal and put it on the site. It costs nothing and means nothing. It is marketing, not a credential.
A paid certificate
Several companies sell business plan or consulting certificates after a short online course. Completing one proves the person paid for a course. It does not prove a lender has ever approved a plan they wrote.
A real credential, mislabeled
Sometimes the writer does hold a real degree or professional license and the website collapsed it into the word certified. That is the only version worth anything, and you find it by asking what the certification actually is.
Ask one question: certified by whom? If the answer is an organization you can look up that has standards, exams and the power to revoke the credential, it is real. If the answer is a company name you have never heard of, or silence, you have your answer.
Four Things That Can Actually Be Verified
A certification would be useful if it existed. Since it does not, these four do the same job better.
Graduate credentials
A master's or doctorate in business or finance from an accredited university. You can look the school up. Dr. Paul holds a Doctor of Business Administration from National University and an MBA with a focus in Finance from Webster University.
Plans written, as a number
Not "many" or "hundreds of satisfied clients." A figure. Dr. Paul has written more than 1,000 business plans over 14 years. A writer who cannot give you a number has not been counting, or does not want to.
Who builds the financial model
The single most important question. Ask whether the writer personally builds the five-year model in Excel or hands it to someone else or pastes a template. Dr. Paul builds every model himself. Ask to see a redacted one.
Dollars funded
Ask how much lenders and investors have actually funded on plans the writer wrote. Dr. Paul's plans have supported more than $100 million in funded projects. That is the only certification that counts, and it is issued one loan at a time.
The Cost of Trusting the Badge
A plan from a writer who cannot build the model shows up at the bank with projections nobody can defend. The lender flips to the numbers, asks where the revenue came from, and there is no answer, because the person who typed the numbers in is not on the call. The owner loses the time it took to write the plan plus the time it takes to find out why it failed.
That is the real cost of the word certified. It replaces the four questions above with a badge, and the badge does not go to the loan committee with you. A professional business plan writer who publishes his credentials, his volume and his prices does not need the word. Dr. Paul publishes all three. See plans and prices.
Certification Questions
Is there an official certification for business plan writers?
No. There is no government license, no state registration and no nationally recognized professional board for business plan writers in the United States. Some companies sell certificates after a short course, and some writers issue themselves a badge. Neither is a credential in the way a CPA license or a bar admission is.
What should I look for instead of a certification?
Four things you can verify: graduate credentials in business or finance from an accredited school, the number of plans written as a specific figure, whether the writer personally builds the financial model, and how many dollars lenders have funded on plans they wrote. Dr. Paul holds a DBA and an MBA in Finance, has written more than 1,000 plans, builds every model himself, and his plans have supported more than $100 million in funded projects.
Is Dr. Paul a certified business plan writer?
No, because no such certification exists, and he will not claim one. He is a Doctor of Business Administration with an MBA in Finance who has written more than 1,000 business plans over 14 years. Every one of those claims can be checked, which is the point.
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Dr. Paul Borosky holds a DBA from National University and an MBA with a focus in Finance from Webster University. For 14+ years he has helped 1,000+ owners turn ideas into funded businesses, supporting $100M+ in funded projects. He is the founder of Quality Business Plan, creator of the Organize-Plan-Grow™ Strategy, author of more than 25 business books, and publisher of over 1,000 business videos on YouTube. He writes every plan personally, builds every financial model himself, and answers his own phone.
Skip the Badge. Check the Record.
DBA, MBA in Finance, 1,000+ plans written, $100M+ funded, every model built by hand. Dr. Paul publishes his prices too. Pick a plan and he calls you.
See Plans and PricesStatements about certification reflect the absence of any government or nationally recognized credentialing body for business plan writers at the time of publishing. Always verify any writer's stated credentials directly with the issuing institution.