Forge Groundworks Consulting helps small and mid-sized businesses in the greater Franklin County region cut what isn't working, adopt the right tools, and build operations around the people who actually do the work.
Start a conversationIf you want to make something 10% better, build a perfect process. If you want to make it 140% better, stop doing something that's actively hurting you.
Forge exists because most businesses are drowning in procedures, tools, and systems that were built for a situation that no longer exists. Meanwhile, new challenges—AI disruption, supply chain volatility, workforce turnover—demand clear thinking, not more complexity.
We come in, observe how your operation actually works (not how it's supposed to work on paper), and give you a short, honest assessment: what to stop doing, what to change, and what tools will genuinely help. No jargon, no 50-page reports, no solutions that require a PhD to implement.
A one- to two-day on-site evaluation of your business. We observe your workflows, talk to your people, and deliver a clear written report identifying waste to eliminate, misalignments between teams, and practical changes you can act on immediately. Built on Six Sigma methodology, delivered in plain English.
AI is changing every industry, but most of what you're hearing is hype. We help you separate what's real from what's noise for your specific business. Which tools will actually save you time and money? Which processes are candidates for automation? Where should you wait? We give you answers grounded in your operation, not someone else's.
Half-day and full-day sessions for business owners and their teams. Topics include practical AI adoption, process improvement fundamentals, and navigating economic disruption. Available for individual businesses, chambers of commerce, and industry groups throughout the I-44 corridor and greater St. Louis region.
Some changes need more than a report. For businesses implementing significant operational shifts, we offer monthly advisory retainers—ongoing support to help you execute, train your team, and adapt as conditions change. Think of it as a fractional operations partner without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Forge Groundworks is led by Jake Little, a Six Sigma Black Belt and operational improvement specialist based in St. Clair, Missouri.
With a background spanning instructional design, workforce training, and organizational development, Jake has spent years inside institutions and businesses watching how work actually gets done—and where it breaks down. The pattern is almost always the same: good people trapped in bad systems, solving the wrong problems, measuring the wrong things.
Forge was built on a simple conviction: the people inside your organization already know what's broken. They just need someone from outside the building who can see across the silos, name the real problem, and help leadership act on it.
We serve manufacturers, healthcare providers, hospitality operators, and small businesses throughout Franklin County, the I-44 corridor, and the greater St. Louis region.
No pitch, no pressure. If you're a business owner with an operation that's frustrating you, I'd like to hear about it.