Dylan LaValley Start a conversation
Business analysis, improvement & software training Missoula, MT / working anywhere

Practical help to make your business work better.

I help small businesses make sense of their numbers, improve everyday processes, and get more from the software they use.

Start with what you want to accomplish. We agree on the work and a fixed quote after a conversation.

Let’s talk Explore the two offers

How I can help.

Numbers to understand. Work to improve. A tool to put to use. You don’t need to know the solution before we talk.

Business Analysis & Improvement

Understand more.
Make better decisions.

When this helps

You need a clearer picture of your numbers, an answer to a business question, or a better way to get work done.

What we do

Examine the relevant numbers or how the work happens, check the evidence, and deliver an agreed analysis, recommendation, or practical change.

What you leave with

  • A checked analysis or practical improvement for the agreed question
  • Findings, recommendations, and the limits of the evidence
  • A clear explanation and next steps you can use

For example: understanding product margins, improving a monthly report, or making job handoffs easier.

Talk through a business question

Software & AI Setup and Training

Make your tools
useful every day.

When this helps

You want to get more from a tool you have, or help choosing and using software or AI for specific tasks.

What we do

Choose useful tasks, configure the setup, create examples and templates, and help your team learn through practice.

What you leave with

  • Your tool configured for the agreed tasks
  • Templates, practice examples, and simple instructions
  • Hands-on practice, checks, and the follow-up we agree on

For example: using existing software features or reviewing AI-assisted drafts before sharing them.

Get help with a tool

A clear scope. A fixed quote. After a conversation, you’ll receive the proposed work, deliverables, timing, and price before committing. Ongoing support is optional.

If the problem needs a deeper investigation, we can scope that separately. Major software migrations and custom integrations also receive their own scope and quote.

What useful work
can look like.

Illustrative projects, not client results. We choose the deliverable around your question and agree on what’s included before work starts.

“Which jobs are actually making money?”

We review the relevant sales and costs, check what’s missing, and explain what the numbers support.

You receive: a checked margin report, clear findings, and questions or actions to consider. An analysis can be the whole project.

“We keep chasing the same information.”

We follow one job handoff, find where details get lost, and try a simpler way with your team.

You receive: an agreed handoff process, a usable checklist, and clear responsibilities in the tools you already use.

“We have the software. We’re not using it well.”

We choose a useful task, configure the tool, and help your team practice it with realistic examples.

You receive: the agreed setup, a reusable template, instructions, and practice your team can repeat. AI is optional.

Talk through something you’d like to improve

Keep what works.
Make everyday work easier.

These are starting points. The right change might be a clearer process, a feature in software you already own, an automatic rule, or AI with appropriate review. We choose it around the work.

Business first.
Practical by nature.

I’m Dylan LaValley, based in Missoula, Montana. My background is in finance, operations, and continuous improvement. I enjoy understanding how a business works and helping people put useful changes into practice.

We start with your goals, the people doing the work, and the tools you have. AI is one option when it helps.

A useful starting point:

  • A business question you want clearer numbers for
  • Something you want to make easier or more consistent
  • A tool you want your team to use better
  • A change you’re preparing for as the business grows
  • Someone on your team who can help try the improvement

You don’t need a technical brief or a finished diagnosis. We’ll talk through the situation, decide whether I can help, and agree on a manageable project.

Tell me what you have in mind

From a conversation
to a useful change.

  1. 01

    Talk it through

    Describe the goal, the work, or the tool you have in mind. We decide whether I can help.

  2. 02

    Agree on the work

    You receive the scope, deliverables, timing, and a fixed quote before committing.

  3. 03

    Do the useful work

    We check the numbers, improve the process, or set up and practice with the tool, depending on your goal.

  4. 04

    Hand it over

    You get a clear explanation, usable materials, and the guidance and follow-through we agreed on.

See how the steps fit together.

  • Trigger Request arrives by email Becomes a rule
  • Re-keying Attachment re-typed into the tracker AI-assisted
  • Wait Sits unnoticed in an inbox Becomes a rule
  • Decision Manager approves the exception Human owns it
  • System CRM updated by hand Becomes a rule
  • Chase Missing info, chase the customer AI-assisted
  • Copy Re-copied into a report sheet Becomes a rule
  • Judgment “Is this one in scope?” Someone decides Human owns it
Automatic rule AI-assisted Human judgment

An illustrative process map: a request moves between people, an inbox, and business software. For a real project, we map the steps with your team.

Then we decide what to simplify, what software can handle, and where a person needs to make the decision. The colors show those choices in this example.

See one improvement
in action.

This scripted example shows how a customer request could move through a process, with checks and a person reviewing problems. It does not connect to a real customer system.

Illustrative example, not a client project
  1. Input Customer email + PDF arrives
  2. AI-assisted Read the details into a form
  3. Rule Check totals and missing information Flag: PO total ≠ line items
  4. Team review when flagged Exception review by your team Skipped, no flags
  5. Rule Customer record updated
  6. Record Completion visible to the whole team

Test log, run a case to watch the system respond.

Try the usual case.
Then see what goes wrong.

In the example, a mismatched total pauses the work for review. For a real project, we check the agreed tasks and likely problems before your team relies on the change.

Useful. Understandable. Yours.

You leave with the agreed analysis, improvement, or setup, guidance you can use, and a clear understanding of what happens next.

  • Clear findings or instructions you can use
  • Clear review steps where AI is used
  • Guidance or practice suited to your project
  • The follow-through agreed before work starts

Fair questions.

What does it cost?

After a conversation, I’ll propose a clear scope and fixed quote. You’ll know what’s included, the timing, and the price before committing. Any extra work is agreed separately.

Do we have to know exactly what needs fixing?

No. Bring a business question, a goal, a recurring difficulty, or a question about a tool. We’ll decide on a sensible starting point. An analysis or recommendation can be the whole project. If deeper investigation is needed, we can scope it as a separate paid engagement.

Do we need new software or AI?

No. We start with the tools and processes you have. Sometimes a clearer handoff or an unused software feature is enough. If a new tool would help, we discuss its cost and upkeep before choosing it.

What if our business already works well?

That’s a good starting point. You might want to make a task easier, help staff use a tool, or prepare for growth. We focus on the change you want while keeping what serves you well.

What would you need from our team?

Someone who knows the work, a few relevant examples, and time to try the change or practice with the tool. We agree on that involvement when we scope the project. For the first conversation, a non-confidential description is enough.

What happens after the project or training?

You keep the agreed analysis, setup, or materials, with guidance on how to use them. We define any follow-up in the proposed scope. Ongoing support is optional and agreed separately.

What would you like
to make easier?

Tell me what you’d like to understand about your numbers, what takes too much effort, or which tool you’d like help using. A few sentences are enough.

  1. 01Send a short description of what you have in mind.
  2. 02We have a short conversation to see whether I can help.
  3. 03If there’s a fit, you receive a proposed scope and fixed quote before committing.
Tell me what you’d like to make easier

Opens your email app. Please share a non-confidential description; there’s no need to send customer records or sensitive documents.

You can also email dylan.lavalley@gmail.com directly.