Bevel & Sloane works with St. Louis area businesses of 10 to 250 people on training programs, onboarding, SOPs, manager training and KPIs, and trains a named internal successor to run it all. We are Chicago based and work remote and on site by arrangement, from $4,500 a month.
Doing business in st. Louis
St. Louis brings healthcare and biosciences, financial services, manufacturing, aerospace and logistics on the Mississippi River, in a metro that spans Missouri and Illinois. Many mid size firms here are long established family or founder businesses where a few tenured people hold most of the operating knowledge.
| Measure | St. Louis metro | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 268,541 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 20 to 499 employees | 7,152 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 552,276 | 2022 |
| Share of metro employees at small businesses | 44.4% | 2022 |
| Missouri quits rate, average Jul to Dec 2025 | 2.0% (US 2.0%) | 2025 |
In 2023, 10.8% of private workers in the metro were self employed (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 metro profiles (Midwest)). In Missouri, the quits rate averaged 2.0% a month from July to December 2025, close to the national rate of 2.0% (BLS State JOLTS, Table 4, released July 22, 2026). Turnover is about average, which still means a steady flow of new hires to onboard and a steady drain of know how.
Who we work with here
By small business employment, the biggest industries in the metro are healthcare (82,233), hospitality and food service (72,620) and construction and trades (58,980). Among firms with 20 to 499 employees, the largest groups are hospitality and food service, healthcare and construction and trades.
Bottlenecks we see most
Healthcare
Small firms in the metro employ 82,233 people in healthcare, 43.2% 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.
Hospitality and food service
Small firms in the metro employ 72,620 people in hospitality and food service, 60.3% of the sector's jobs. Restaurants, hotels and catering. The industry posts the highest quits rate in the BLS data, 3.5% in August 2026, which means the training program is running all year whether or not anyone designed it. Station checklists, a shift lead playbook and a short first week path keep standards steady.
For a deeper look, see Onboarding takes too long and the free Bottleneck Finder.
How it works from Chicago
Most of the St. Louis area is on Central time, the same time zone as our Chicago base, 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 St. Louis area. 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.
How much does training and operations help cost in st. Louis?
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 St. Louis?
No. Bevel & Sloane is based in Chicago, Illinois, with no office or address in St. Louis. Engagements run remotely, and on site by arrangement for kickoffs, shadowing days or manager workshops.
How many small businesses are in the St. Louis metro?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 268,541 small businesses in the St. Louis metro area, using 2022 Census data, and 7,152 of them employ 20 to 499 people.
Can a St. Louis team really be trained remotely?
Yes, for most of it. SOPs, modules and manager training are built over video and screen recordings, and your named successor runs the in person parts. Field shadowing can be filmed or scheduled on site.
What industries do you work with in St. Louis?
Teams of 10 to 250 in any industry where training and operations are the bottleneck. Here that is most often healthcare, hospitality and food service and construction and trades.
The Prelude
3 months, from $4,500 a month
Most St. Louis 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.
