Hi, I’m Carson Harwell, founder of Forge Growth. I was born and raised in Waterloo, Illinois — small-town roots that taught me how much local businesses matter to the communities around them. That’s part of why I started Forge Growth. I became fascinated by one question: why do great local businesses stop growing even when they’re doing great work?

As I looked deeper, I realized most businesses don’t need more marketing — they need more clarity. They need someone willing to step back, understand how their business operates, identify what’s holding it back, and build a plan that creates meaningful, long-term growth. That’s why I created the Forge Framework™.

Rather than selling generic marketing packages, every recommendation begins with understanding your business first. Whether the answer is a better website, stronger local visibility, improved customer follow-up, or smarter automation, my goal is always the same: help business owners make confident decisions that move their business forward.

My own path has been about the same kind of steady, deliberate growth I help my clients pursue. I earned my associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and am currently working toward my Bachelor’s in Business at Saint Louis University, with my sights set on law school there next. I bring that same discipline — asking the right questions, digging into the details, building things the right way — into every partnership.

Forge Growth isn’t built around selling services. It’s built around building lasting partnerships with local businesses that care about their future.

I look forward to learning about your business and helping you build what’s next.

— Carson H