Updated July 16, 20266 min read
Written by Malcolm Reid Sr
Founder, President & CEO of ProGlobal Business Advisors
TL;DR
Most business advisors charge $1,500–$10,000 per month for one-to-one work, or $500–$2,500 per month in a group programme. Hourly rates run $150–$500. Price tracks the advisor's operating experience and the scope of the engagement — not the number of hours you get.
Typical price ranges
Pricing in this profession is unregulated and wildly inconsistent, which is exactly why the question gets asked so often. These are the honest ranges you will encounter in the US market:
- Group programme or mastermind: $500–$2,500 per month
- One-to-one advisory retainer: $1,500–$10,000 per month
- Hourly consulting: $150–$500 per hour
- Project-based engagement: $5,000–$50,000 depending on scope
- Equity or performance-based: rare, and usually reserved for larger companies
What actually drives the price
Very little of the price is the hours. What you are paying for is the pattern recognition — whether this person has already solved your problem in a real company, and how quickly they can spot the constraint. An advisor who has run a business through the exact wall you are hitting is worth several times one who has read about it.
The expensive advisor is not the one with the highest fee. It is the one who takes nine months to identify a problem the right person would have named in the first meeting.
How to judge whether it pays back
Advisory is one of the few purchases where you can do the arithmetic in advance. Work out what the constraint is costing you per month, then compare. If your pricing is 20% below market and you do $80,000/month, that gap is $16,000/month — a $4,000/month advisor who fixes it in a quarter has paid for itself several times over.
The same logic works in reverse, and it is worth being honest about. If you cannot articulate what problem you are buying a solution to, no price is cheap.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- What specific outcome is this engagement targeting, in numbers?
- Have you personally run a business, or only advised them?
- What does the first 30 days look like?
- What is in scope, what is not, and what happens if we finish early?
- Who else have you helped with this exact problem, and can I speak with them?
An advisor who welcomes those questions is usually a good sign. Vagueness at the pricing stage rarely improves after the invoice.
Why the cheapest option often costs more
A low fee usually signals one of two things: the advisor is new, or the model is leveraged so heavily that you are really buying a course with a group call attached. Both can be fine — as long as you know which one you are buying. The failure mode is paying advisory prices for content.
How much does a business coach charge per hour?
Typically $150–$500 per hour in the US, though most established advisors have moved away from hourly pricing because it rewards taking longer. Retainers and project fees are more common.
Is business coaching tax deductible?
In the US, business coaching is generally deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense when it relates to your existing trade or business. Confirm your specific situation with your accountant — this is not tax advice.
How much does an executive coach cost?
Executive coaching typically runs $200–$600 per hour, or $1,000–$5,000 per month for an ongoing engagement, with rates at the top end for coaches working with senior leadership at larger companies.
Key takeaways
- One-to-one advisory: $1,500–$10,000/month. Group: $500–$2,500/month.
- You are paying for pattern recognition, not hours.
- Do the arithmetic: what is the constraint costing you per month?
- If you can't name the problem you're solving, no price is cheap.
About the author
Malcolm Reid Sr
Founder, President & CEO of ProGlobal Business Advisors
Malcolm Reid Sr is the founder, President and CEO of ProGlobal Business Advisors. Before founding the firm he spent more than 25 years in operating leadership, and by his own account generated over $1 billion in sales across the companies he led. He now advises business owners and trains the advisors who do this work.
- 25+ years in business and sales leadership
- $1B+ in sales generated across companies led (career total)
- Founder of ProGlobal Business Advisors, Columbia, Maryland