Gather the real requirements
I talk to the people with the problem, not the people who will approve the slide deck.
Turn "we should" into "we did."
That project you've been talking about for three quarters. The idea rolling around in your head that you haven't really scoped. That one initiative that if you just found a way to get to would take the company to the next level.
A stuck project. Off your plate. Out the door.
Every business owner has one. The project you keep talking about. The workflow bleeding hours. The system that should've rolled out two quarters ago. The integration still living in someone's head.
You know what needs to happen even if you can't explain it. You don't have the bandwidth to drive it, the right person to hand it to, or the patience for a consulting firm that'll spend six weeks 'discovering' what you already know.
Build on what you have
Your existing stack can do more than you think. Let's prove it before anyone signs a new contract. Quickly.
Quick wins for the team
If the people doing the work don't know what's in it for them, the project is going to fail. Adoption is the deliverable.
A long-term owner, trained.
Before I leave, someone inside your business will own this. No dependency.
Operational Redesign
The workflow bleeding hours. The hand-off between sales and ops that customers feel. The process you built in 2019 and nobody's touched since.
System Implementation & Adoption
The CRM, ERP, or platform you bought and nobody uses. The migration that stalled. The tool that solves the wrong problem because nobody talked to the team that has to use it.
Product Management
The roadmap nobody owns. The release that keeps slipping. The product decisions waiting on someone with bandwidth and authority.
Go to Market Execution
The launch, segmentation, pricing model, or sales motion you've been talking about rolling out for two quarters.
M&A Integration
The integration from the deal that closed eight months ago and still lives in someone's head. Systems, teams, workflows, customer-facing surface.
AI Operationalization
Figuring out what AI actually means for your business — without buying something stupid. Where it goes in your workflow, who owns it, what changes downstream.
Advisor. Operator. Owner.
I'm Dillon Friedman, a reformed management consultant turned operator, and I feel that entrepreneurship is the highest calling of an American citizen. Over the last fifteen years, I've advised, operated, or owned ten companies and learned what the textbooks miss.
Prior to founding Daelus, I acquired and served as CEO of APA Medical, a PE-backed healthcare services business in Minneapolis. Before that, Sonder, a Series-C hospitality startup where I led city operations in Austin and scaled the market from 8 doors to 300 during the company's fastest-growing years. I started my career at Deloitte, where I advised Fortune 500 companies through M&A and change management — the messy work after the deal closes.
Three chairs. Three vantage points. Advisor. Operator. Owner.
Nothing bothered me more than the academic outsider who had no clue what it felt like to sign payroll, navigate a post-close integration, or watch a 'transformation' eat my quarter.
Fixed scope. Defined exit.
Every engagement ships a working deliverable and identifies a long-term owner inside the business before I leave. No dependency.
Diagnostic Sprint
A paid 2 to 3 week scoping engagement to identify blockers, confirm fit, and decide whether a full engagement makes sense. You own the results and any outputs from our discussions.
We always start here.
Defined Project
Best when the work is bounded and the team can absorb the deliverable once it's built. You know what needs to ship. I run it and hand it off.
Interim Executive
Best when the work needs internal authority to move. Fractional COO, Head of Ops, or Integration Lead. Same scope. Same exit. Just with the title the job actually needs.
Coaching
Change is hard. I know. Sometimes the problem isn't the tech or process... It's about mindset. Whether you or the team, I am here to help you make the decisions that need to made.
Enough "should." Let's do.
Twenty minutes. No pitch. Tell me about the project. I'll tell you whether I'm the right fit.
If I'm not, I'll try to point you to who is.