Bevel & Sloane helps the District businesses of 10 to 250 people build training programs, onboarding academies, SOPs, manager training and KPIs, then trains an internal successor to run them. We work from Chicago, remote and on site by arrangement, on a fractional basis from $4,500 a month.
The District small business at a glance
The District's private economy orbits the federal government: law firms, associations and nonprofits, consultancies, contractors, hospitality and a dense restaurant scene. Many organizations are knowledge businesses where expertise is the product, and where onboarding a new hire into a client or member relationship is the slowest, most expensive step.
| Measure | The District | Source year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses (under 500 employees) | 82,666 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 1 to 19 employees | 13,806 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 20 to 499 employees | 3,730 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 259,181 | 2022 |
| Share of private employees at small businesses | 49.1% (US 45.9%) | 2022 |
| Monthly quits rate, average Jul to Dec 2025 | 1.8% (US 2.0%) | 2025 |
The small business share of jobs is above the national 45.9% (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 District of Columbia profile). From March 2023 to March 2024, small businesses there had a net increase of 2,678 jobs (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, in the same profile).
In the District, the quits rate averaged 1.8% a month from July to December 2025, below the national rate of 2.0% (BLS State JOLTS, Table 4, released July 22, 2026). People tend to stay, which is good news, but it also means know how piles up with long tenured staff and is rarely written down.
Where small business jobs are in the District
The industries with the most small business employees in the District are repair, personal and membership services (63,960), professional services (53,687) and hospitality and food service (36,832) (SBA, 2025 profile, 2022 data). Among firms with 20 to 499 employees, the size band closest to the teams we serve, the largest groups are professional services, repair, personal and membership services and hospitality and food service.
Bottlenecks we expect in this mix
Repair, personal and membership services
Small firms in the District employ 63,960 people in repair, personal and membership services, 83.1% of the sector's jobs. Repair shops, cleaning and restoration crews, personal care and membership organizations. Teams are small and the owner usually does the training. A few clear SOPs and a 30 day plan for new hires take the owner out of the help desk role. See Restoration companies.
Professional services
Small firms in the District employ 53,687 people in professional services, 47.1% of the sector's jobs. Accounting, law, engineering, agencies and consultancies. Expertise is the product, and it often sits with partners and senior staff. One study found 42% of institutional knowledge is unique to one person, which is why client intake, delivery checklists and structured onboarding pay off here. See Professional services.
The third largest, hospitality and food service, has its own patterns; see Multi location restaurants.
How does a remote engagement work in the District?
Most of the District is on Eastern time, one hour ahead of Chicago, so the weekly 60 minute calibration lands at a normal hour for your team. The rest runs in a shared Slack channel.
- Week 1. Free checkup and a discovery session by video.
- Weeks 1 to 2. Shadowing by video and screen recordings, plus interviews with the people who hold the know how.
- By Day 30. You name an internal successor who co-pilots every build.
- Months 2 to 6. SOPs, onboarding, manager training and KPIs piloted, then handed over.
We have no office in the District. Work is remote and on site by arrangement: if a kickoff or a shadowing day in person would help, we scope it in up front.
Cities in the District with their own page
We have metro pages with local data for:
- Washington DC: about 770,000 small businesses in the metro, 49.1% of metro employees at small firms
Businesses anywhere else in the District work with us the same way.
How much does an operations consultant cost in the District?
Pricing is published and the same in every market: retainers run from $4,500 to $7,500 a month by headcount and tier, and the two week Operational Diagnostic is $5,000, fully credited toward a 3 or 6 month engagement. See every package and price and how the six step method works.
Questions owners ask
Do you have an office in the District?
No. Bevel & Sloane is based in Chicago and has no office or address in the District. We work remotely, and on site by arrangement when a kickoff or workshop in person is worth the travel.
How many small businesses are in the District?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 82,666 small businesses in the District, using 2022 Census data. Most have no employees; 13,806 have 1 to 19 employees and 3,730 have 20 to 499.
Is employee turnover high in the District?
The monthly quits rate averaged 1.8% from July to December 2025, below the US rate of 2.0%, based on BLS state JOLTS estimates. Your own industry and roles matter more than the state average.
What would a 50 person the District company pay?
Companies of 36 to 85 people usually start around $5,200 a month for The Prelude (3 months) or $5,800 for The Blueprint (6 months).
The Prelude
3 months, from $4,500 a month
Most the District engagements start with a free business checkup, then the two week diagnostic or The Prelude.
Not sure yet? Start with the 2 week Operational Diagnostic, $5,000 and fully credited if you continue.
