Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Writer & Consultant
Rhode Island Business Plan Writer for WaterFire and the Navy
In Providence, WaterFire nights fill Downcity, and Brown students keep weekday business steady during the school year. On Aquidneck Island, Naval Station Newport and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center keep paychecks coming long after the sailboats are hauled out. Dr. Paul’s plan sorts those customers by season, so you know which ones carry your Rhode Island business each month.
Busy season or Navy season? Call or text (321) 948-9588. Dr. Paul answers personally.
Last Updated: 10/31/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Funding and Licensing Snapshot
Rhode Island Agencies, Funds and City Halls
In a state this compact, most plans pass through a short list of desks. Know each one before you send anything.
SBA Rhode Island District Office
The Providence office covers every city and town, from Woonsocket to Westerly, and connects owners with SBA lenders statewide.
Rhode Island Commerce
The state’s economic development agency runs a Loan Participation Program, with lending partners including Nectar Community Investments, and a venture capital program for startups.
Providence Business Loan Fund
The city fund lends to businesses located in Providence or moving there, and often fills the gap behind a bank loan.
Rhode Island SBDC
The University of Rhode Island hosts the center. Owners get pricing, cash flow and planning advice there without a fee.
Department of State
Corporations and LLCs register with the Business Services Division and file an annual report there. Add the report to your yearly calendar.
City or Town Hall
Restaurants and other food businesses need a victualing license from the city or town, and zoning sign-off comes from the same place. Check before you sign a lease.
Four Ways to Plan Around WaterFire, Summer and the Navy
Festival nights, summer weekends and Navy paydays each move your sales differently. Decide how you want those patterns turned into a plan.
Business Consulting
Summer cash vanishes fast once the visitors leave. Dr. Paul works with Rhode Island owners on the February questions: what to charge, how many people to keep on, and how much cash to hold back in August.
See consulting options →Business Plan Writing
FeaturedWaterFire nights, boat show week and Navy contract work each get their own lines in the forecast. The finished plan carries monthly projections your lender can match to the Rhode Island calendar.
Start your plan →Business Plan Templates
Newport wedding and boat show planners can book revenue event by event in the event planning template. Each party goes into the Excel model, and the Word plan explains the season to a lender.
Browse templates →Small Business Education
February is where Rhode Island shops learn whether summer was enough. Dr. Paul’s short lessons and YouTube walkthroughs on break-even, marketing and cash flow are free, and the Fabled Forest Business School books on Amazon add the longer version.
Start learning →From Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest
A Book for Rhode Island Owners Competing for the Same Visitors
Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School · Book 4
Marketing for Small Businesses
Getting found matters when Providence shops chase WaterFire crowds and Newport rivals chase the same summer visitors. The book covers finding your customer, getting in front of them and keeping them coming back, using Fabled Forest shopkeepers as the examples.
A crowd that comes for a festival night is not the customer who returns on a quiet weekday. Know which of them keeps your lamps lit.
Doctor Owl, Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business SchoolHow Dr. Paul Helps
How Dr. Paul Sorts Rhode Island Customers by Season
The festival crowd and the steady weekday buyer are not the same customer. A strong Rhode Island plan counts them separately.
- The right state program for the right lender. Rhode Island Commerce runs a Loan Participation Program through lending partners such as Nectar Community Investments, plus a venture capital program for startups. Your plan matches the request to the program your lender is using.
- Revenue built event by event. Providence, Newport and South County hospitality businesses get a forecast that shows each big night or weekend on its own, so a single festival never hides a weak month.
- Navy work counted as steady demand. Naval Station Newport and its contractors keep Aquidneck Island busy after the summer crowd leaves. The plan shows how much of that steady demand your business can win.
- Weddings and boat show parties, priced one by one. Newport planners can build from the event planning template and test each booking against staff and venue costs.
- Pricing help before the lender meeting. Dr. Paul’s break-even guide shows the sales a slow week has to reach. For pricing questions, the URI-hosted Rhode Island SBDC also meets with owners without charging for it.
Rhode Island owners tend to plan around their best night instead of their average Tuesday. Dr. Paul builds the forecast from the quiet weekday first, then adds WaterFire, the boat show and summer weekends on top. A lender who sees the baseline trusts the peaks.
City Spotlight
Rhode Island Customer Calendars, City by City
Rhode Island is small, but Downcity, Thames Street and City Centre Warwick sell to very different people. Festival crowds, Navy families and air travelers each move the numbers on their own schedule.
| City | What Drives Demand | The Plan Question |
|---|---|---|
| Providence | WaterFire nights, Federal Hill diners, Brown students during the school year | Can the Providence Business Loan Fund cover the kitchen? |
| Newport | Naval Station Newport, Naval War College staff, the September boat show | Navy contracts or boat show season first? |
| Warwick | T. F. Green travelers, InterLink rail riders, airport hotel guests | Do departures alone justify a shuttle van? |
WaterFire lights the rivers through Downcity on select nights from spring through fall, and Federal Hill dining rooms fill before and after.
“Should a Providence restaurant staff up for WaterFire nights?”
The Plan FixPull the posted WaterFire season into the sales forecast and staff Federal Hill shifts around those nights. Downtown office and hospital staff fill the weekdays, and the Providence Business Loan Fund can help pay for the kitchen.
Naval Station Newport and the Naval War College keep paychecks steady long after the boat show docks clear and the Fort Adams festival stages come down.
“Can a Newport marine services firm balance Navy contracts and boat show season?”
The Plan FixPrice Thames Street dockside repairs against the September boat show surge, and add Naval Undersea Warfare Center contractor jobs as winter revenue. Slip rent near the Newport Bridge belongs in fixed costs, every month.
City Centre Warwick surrounds T. F. Green airport and the InterLink rail station, a short hop from Warwick Mall and Bald Hill Road.
“Is an airport shuttle business viable from City Centre Warwick?”
The Plan FixUse daily departures at T. F. Green and InterLink train arrivals as the demand base, and run hotel loops along Post Road and Route 2. Standing weekday runs for the airport hotels keep the schedule full between flight peaks.
Expanding next door? The plan math shifts by state, so compare the pages for Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Learn It Yourself
Learn the Skills That Carry a Rhode Island Business Through Winter
Summer covers a lot of mistakes. These lessons help you catch them before the visitors leave.
Watch
See a Real Plan Before You Write Yours
Rhode Island lenders want to see how you will find customers and how the whole plan fits together. These two walkthroughs show both.
What’s in a Marketing Plan: An Organize-Plan-Grow ExampleA real marketing plan built on Dr. Paul’s Organize-Plan-Grow strategy, section by section.
Basic Business Plan ExampleA complete business plan walked through so you can see what each section should hold.
FAQ
Rhode Island Questions on Leases, Loans and Menus
Does a Nectar Community Investments loan through Rhode Island Commerce need a full plan?
Should a Thames Street shop in Newport sign a year-round lease when most foot traffic comes in summer?
How should a Federal Hill kitchen reprice its menu when Rhode Island raises its wage floor?
Will a Warwick shop near the InterLink station need a different market section?
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Writer, Consultant & Author | 14+ Years | 1,000+ Clients Served
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA is the founder of Quality Business Plan. He writes business plans and financial projections for owners across the United States and Canada, works remotely with clients in every state, and has written plans behind more than $100M in funded projects. He is the author of the Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School series and has published over 1,000 business videos on YouTube. He has taught as an adjunct college instructor and teaches in Florida public schools.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, lending, or financial advice. Program rules, loan sizes and local requirements change, so confirm them with the program or agency before you apply. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional.