Bevel & Sloane helps Tennessee 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.
Tennessee small business at a glance
Tennessee has a large healthcare management industry in Nashville, auto and battery manufacturing, logistics in Memphis, music and tourism, and a fast growing population in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Hospitality and healthcare businesses here grow by adding locations, and each new site multiplies whatever training gaps already exist.
| Measure | Tennessee | Source year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses (under 500 employees) | 741,196 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 1 to 19 employees | 88,881 | 2022 |
| Small employers with 20 to 499 employees | 14,975 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 1,182,437 | 2022 |
| Share of private employees at small businesses | 41.5% (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 below the national 45.9% (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Tennessee profile). From March 2023 to March 2024, small businesses there had a net increase of 40,433 jobs (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, in the same profile).
In Tennessee, 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 Tennessee
The industries with the most small business employees in Tennessee are hospitality and food service (175,458), healthcare (157,314) and retail (111,165) (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, healthcare and manufacturing.
Bottlenecks we expect in this mix
Hospitality and food service
Small firms in Tennessee employ 175,458 people in hospitality and food service, 58.0% of the sector's jobs. Restaurant groups, hotels and event businesses. Accommodation and food services had the highest quits rate of any industry, 3.5% in August 2026, so crew onboarding, shift lead training and the same standard at every location carry most of the weight. See Multi location restaurants.
Healthcare
Small firms in Tennessee employ 157,314 people in healthcare, 37.0% of the sector's jobs. Think multi site clinics, dental and therapy groups, behavioral health and home care. New front desk and care staff are often trained by whoever is free that day, and documentation habits vary by provider. With 74% of dentists recruiting hygienists calling it extremely challenging, a faster, structured ramp is worth more than another job posting. See Dental groups.
The third largest, retail, has its own patterns; see Retail.
How does a remote engagement work in Tennessee?
Most of Tennessee is on Central time (East Tennessee is Eastern), 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 Tennessee. 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 Tennessee with their own page
We have metro pages with local data for:
- Nashville: about 264,000 small businesses in the metro, 41.4% of metro employees at small firms
Businesses anywhere else in Tennessee work with us the same way.
How much does an operations consultant cost in Tennessee?
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 Tennessee?
No. Bevel & Sloane is based in Chicago and has no office or address in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 741,196 small businesses in Tennessee, using 2022 Census data. Most have no employees; 88,881 have 1 to 19 employees and 14,975 have 20 to 499.
Is employee turnover high in Tennessee?
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.
