How Much Does a Business Consultant Cost in Australia?
The real numbers, what sits behind them, and what I charge.
Nobody in this industry publishes their prices.
You ring four consultants, get four versions of "let's jump on a call and see if we're a fit", and finish the week knowing less than when you started.
So here are the numbers.
What does a business consultant cost in Australia?
Most established Australian businesses pay between $2,500 and $6,500 a month for one-to-one work with an experienced business consultant.
The most common band sits at $2,500 to $4,000 a month.
Hourly work runs $250 to $600. A one-off diagnostic or business review is usually $5,000 to $25,000.
Here is the fuller picture.
| How you buy it | What you pay | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $250 to $600/hour Experienced operators average $350 to $650 |
One specific question |
| Day rate | $2,000 to $4,000/day Senior strategy work $5,000 to $10,000 |
A workshop or a planning day |
| Group coaching | $800 to $1,500/month | Owners who want structure and peers |
| One-to-one monthly | $2,500 to $6,500/month for established businesses | Ongoing change, not a one-off fix |
| Premium/executive | $8,000 to $15,000+/month | Businesses over $5M |
| Diagnostic review | $5,000 to $25,000 one-off | Finding out what is actually wrong |
| Strategic planning project | $20,000 to $60,000 | A defined piece of work with an end date |
| 8 to 12 week programme | $5,000 to $12,000 | A single goal with a deadline |
| Six month programme | $15,000 to $25,000 | Systems, margin, structural work |
That is a wide spread, and the spread is the whole problem.
Why does the range go from $250 to $10,000?
Because you are not buying the same thing at each end of it.
At $250 an hour you are buying someone's opinion for an hour. Useful when you have one question. Useless when you have a business that is turning over $1.5M and somehow not paying you properly.
At $5,000 a month you are buying someone's attention. Preparation time before the meeting. Somebody who has read your numbers before they walk in.
Somebody who remembers what you said six weeks ago and will ask you why it still has not happened.
The gap between those two things is not expertise. Plenty of $250 an hour people are clever. The gap is follow-through. I have watched owners spend thousands on advice they never actioned, because nobody was coming back to check.
What are you actually paying for?
Four things, and I suggest you ask about all four before you sign anything.
1. Access. Can you ring them on a Tuesday when a staff member resigns and your quarter is falling apart? Or do you wait 12 days for the next scheduled session? This is the single biggest difference between a cheap arrangement and one that works.
2. Preparation. Is somebody reading your P&L before the meeting, or are you spending the first 25 minutes explaining your business again? For me, the prep is where most of the value gets made.
3. Accountability. Weekly or fortnightly contact, with someone who will actually say the uncomfortable thing. Not a cheer squad. A cheer squad is worth nothing to you.
4. Commercial experience. Has this person run something? Have they made payroll on a bad month? Have they sold a business? Twenty-five years in tourism and hospitality taught me things a textbook cannot. When we bought Aquaduck in 2018 I had to work out how to lift net profit per passenger with the boat, the staff and the season I already had. That is a different kind of knowing.
Worth saying as well: a consultant is not the only option, and not always the right one. I have written about who fixes what, across bookkeepers, accountants, coaches and consultants.
What I charge
$3,000 to $4,400 a month.
That includes unlimited access to me, a weekly commitment, and a real accountability partner. Not a monthly catch-up where we agree things are tricky.
Weekly contact, honest conversation, and someone who will chase you on the things you said you would do.
Where you sit in that range depends on the size of the business, how much is broken, and how fast you want to move it.
Most engagements start with a Business Analysis, because I am not going to sell you 12 months of anything before I know what is actually wrong.
Roughly 80% of Australian SMEs had a significant cash flow hit in the past year, and in most of the businesses I look at, the money is leaking somewhere the owner has never thought to check.
Is it tax deductible?
Generally, yes. Business coaching and consulting fees are a deductible business expense. At a 30% tax rate, $3,000 a month is closer to $2,100 a month out of your pocket. Check it with your accountant, because your structure matters, but factor it in before you decide the number is too big.
How do you know if it is worth it?
Work out what the problem is costing you first.
Let's say your net margin is sitting three points below where it should be on $1.5M of revenue. That is $45,000 a year, every year, walking out the door. Against that, $3,000 a month is not a cost question. It is a timing question.
But be honest with yourself about the other side of it. If you are not going to do the work between sessions, do not spend the money. No consultant, at any price, can want it more than you do.
I have done the full arithmetic on a $1.5M business separately, including the situations where the answer is no.
In conclusion
Expect $2,500 to $5,000 a month for serious one-to-one work with an established business. Under $1,500 a month, you are buying sessions, not change.
Ask about access, preparation, accountability and commercial experience. In that order.
Start with a diagnostic before you commit to a programme. Anyone who sells you 12 months before looking at your numbers is selling, not helping.
Work out what the problem costs you per year. Then compare.
Get the deductibility confirmed with your accountant.
I charge $3,000 to $4,400 a month, and I will tell you on the first call if I do not think I am the right person for what you have got.
If you want to know where your business actually sits before you spend anything, the starting point is a Business Analysis. Call me at 0491 729 043, or book a conversation at sarahcolgate.com.au.
Sources: figures compiled from published 2026 Australian pricing guides for business coaching and consulting, and CommBank/UNSW research on SME cash flow.