Most businesses don't struggle because the owner isn't working hard enough. They struggle because the systems never caught up, and the owner becomes the only thing holding it together.
Groundwork is built for owners who are tired of running everything from memory, texts, scattered notes, or one person's head.
Our strongest experience is in restaurants, bars, food trucks, and fast-moving service environments, but the work applies anywhere a business is growing faster than its systems.
Based in the Twin Cities. Built for real hospitality and service operators.Most small business owners are not short on effort, ideas, or pride in their work. The problem is usually structure. So instead, the thoughts sound like this:
Groundwork Business Co. was founded by Austin Regino, a Twin Cities operator who has spent years inside restaurants and bars, serving people at scale, training teams, and building the systems that hold an operation together when things get busy.
His background spans high-volume hospitality, from supper club service near a major pro sports arena to a lakeside restaurant, with stretches in craft cocktail and whiskey programs where the room moves fast and every detail still has to hold up. He came up bartending in one of Minneapolis's busiest bars, learned the trade from mentors he still calls today, and spent time in the kitchen alongside some of the best chefs in Minnesota.
He's been part of several restaurant openings since, the kind of work that means doing a little bit of everything: wiring, menu development, and whatever a concept needs before it opens its doors.
Along the way, he built the handbooks, training programs, and service standards that hold a hospitality team together, and he's watched businesses start, flourish, and fail. That range is what shapes the way he thinks about structure now.
That belief didn't start with Groundwork. Since 2014, Austin has shown up for communities from Jacksonville to the Twin Cities through meals, groceries, outreach, and volunteer work, built on the same idea that people do better when something solid is under them, whether that's a meal on a hard week or a system that keeps a business from falling apart.
Groundwork exists because the right structure can turn hard work into something stable, something that grows, and something that can support a family for the long haul.
The documents are the tool. The outcome is freedom: fewer repeated questions, faster training, smoother shifts, and a business that runs without everything going through you.
For businesses that need to get their day-to-day running smoothly.
For businesses ready to scale, seek funding, or plan their next move.
For businesses building structure to support a team and long-term growth.
We learn about your business and identify what is creating friction or slowing you down.
We create the documentation, systems, and structure your business actually needs.
We walk through everything together and refine it to fit how your operation really runs.
You leave with practical tools your team can put to work immediately.
Groundwork Starter Package
A focused first step for owners who are tired of repeating themselves, training from memory, or carrying every process in their head. Low-risk, real value, no big commitment up front.
Everything created during the Starter Package is yours to keep, whether or not you continue into a larger project.
Once we see where the gaps are, we can map out the right next step. Bigger projects are scoped clearly before you commit.
See What Comes NextEmployee handbook projects are built for operational clarity and should be reviewed by a qualified legal or HR professional for compliance with your state and industry requirements.
The Starter Package identifies the gaps. These are the projects that close them, sized to where your business actually is, whether that is a kitchen, a service van, or a sales pipeline.
For when one area of the business needs real structure, not the whole operation.
For a business with people, repeat work, or execution that has become inconsistent.
For opening, expanding, adding a location, or launching a serious new offer.
These examples show the type of practical tools Groundwork builds: simple, usable systems that help owners train, follow up, open, close, and hand off work without everything living in their head.
Built an employee handbook, onboarding structure, service standards, and operational systems for a large hospitality operation. This work included role expectations, service standards, opening and closing responsibilities, training structure, guest experience procedures, and accountability systems designed to help the business run more consistently when things got busy, messy, or unpredictable.
More case studies coming as Groundwork grows.
Want the proof? See exactly what was built and how it was structured.
Groundwork is built for owners who are tired of running everything from memory, texts, scattered notes, or one person's head. Our strongest experience is in restaurants, bars, food trucks, and fast-moving service environments. That is where the proof lives. But the same problem shows up anywhere a business is growing faster than its systems.
Restaurants & Bars
Food Trucks
Caterers
Contractors
Mobile Mechanics
Salespeople
Service Businesses
Startups
Owner-Operated Teams
You get a 30-minute operations review, a clear list of your biggest gaps, 3 priority SOPs or checklists built for your business, and a 7-day action plan. These are real, usable tools. Not a sales pitch disguised as a consultation.
Yes. The SOPs, checklists, and action plan from the Starter Package are yours whether or not you ever hire Groundwork again. There is no obligation to continue into a larger project.
Most Starter Packages are delivered within 5 to 7 business days after the discovery call. Larger Operations Buildout or Launch packages get a clear timeline before you commit. If there is an opening date, launch date, or rollout schedule, the timeline is built around that.
Groundwork's deepest experience is in hospitality and fast-moving service environments. That is where the strongest proof lives right now. But the underlying problem shows up in many businesses: owner-dependent chaos, scattered leads, inconsistent training, repeated questions, and no written system. If that sounds familiar, the discovery call is where we figure out honestly whether Groundwork is the right fit.
Pricing is based on scope. A Starter Build may include a smaller set of SOPs, checklists, and training tools. An Operations Buildout may include a full handbook, hiring and onboarding process, manager tools, lead systems, and a larger SOP library. You will always see what is included, what it costs, and what the timeline looks like before agreeing to anything.
Yes. The Sample Work section shows the types of tools Groundwork builds, including checklists, SOPs, lead trackers, training tools, and operations documents. The Featured Work section also shows a real case study from a hospitality operations project.
Austin does the work directly. No handoff to a junior associate. No outsourced writer. No generic document mill. That also means timelines are set honestly based on real capacity, not overpromised just to win the job.
Employee handbooks and policy documents are built for operational clarity and should be reviewed by a qualified legal or HR professional for compliance with your state, industry, and business requirements.
Tell us what you're building, what feels messy, or what you need help organizing. We'll help you identify the right first step.
Use the short inquiry form to tell us what you're building, what feels messy, and where you need structure. It takes about two minutes, and your response comes straight to Groundwork.
Open the Inquiry FormRequest a 15-Minute Call