Bevel & Sloane helps Michigan 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.
Michigan small business at a glance
Michigan is still the center of the US auto industry, with a deep base of suppliers, tooling and engineering firms, plus healthcare, furniture and office products in West Michigan, and tourism up north. Its quits rate has run above the national average, and supplier quality systems reward companies that can show exactly how each job is done and trained.
| Measure | Michigan | Source year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses (under 500 employees) | 983,079 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 1 to 19 employees | 151,687 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 20 to 499 employees | 21,966 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 1,879,244 | 2022 |
| Share of private employees at small businesses | 47.7% (US 45.9%) | 2022 |
| Monthly quits rate, average Jul to Dec 2025 | 2.3% (US 2.0%) | 2025 |
The small business share of jobs is above the national 45.9% (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Michigan profile). From March 2023 to March 2024, small businesses there had a net increase of 27,947 jobs (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, in the same profile).
In Michigan, the quits rate averaged 2.3% a month from July to December 2025, above the national rate of 2.0% (BLS State JOLTS, Table 4, released July 22, 2026). More people leave each month than in a typical state, so every week of slow onboarding is paid for again and again.
Where small business jobs are in Michigan
The industries with the most small business employees in Michigan are healthcare (270,839), manufacturing (256,182) and hospitality and food service (241,634) (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 hospitality and food service, manufacturing and healthcare.
Bottlenecks we expect in this mix
Healthcare
Small firms in Michigan employ 270,839 people in healthcare, 44.1% of the sector's jobs. Clinics, dental groups, therapy practices and home care agencies. The usual bottleneck is front desk and clinical support onboarding, plus patient intake that works differently at every site. Hiring is hard too: 74% of dentists recruiting hygienists call it extremely challenging, so keeping and ramping the people you have matters. See Dental groups.
Manufacturing
Small firms in Michigan employ 256,182 people in manufacturing, 43.0% of the sector's jobs. Fabricators, food producers and contract manufacturers. Work instructions drift from how the job is really done, and each shift has its own shortcuts. Visual SOPs at the station, a skills matrix and trained leads who can teach are usually the first build. See Inconsistent quality and rework.
The third largest, hospitality and food service, has its own patterns; see Multi location restaurants.
How does a remote engagement work in Michigan?
Most of Michigan is on Eastern time (four Upper Peninsula counties are Central), 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 Michigan. 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 Michigan with their own page
We have metro pages with local data for:
- Detroit: about 480,000 small businesses in the metro, 47.2% of metro employees at small firms
Businesses anywhere else in Michigan work with us the same way.
How much does an operations consultant cost in Michigan?
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 Michigan?
No. Bevel & Sloane is based in Chicago and has no office or address in Michigan. 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 Michigan?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 983,079 small businesses in Michigan, using 2022 Census data. Most have no employees; 151,687 have 1 to 19 employees and 21,966 have 20 to 499.
Is employee turnover high in Michigan?
The monthly quits rate averaged 2.3% from July to December 2025, above 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.
