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

Make better decisions. Make work easier.

I help small businesses understand their numbers, improve everyday work, and get more from software and AI. That might mean explaining a report, fixing a handoff, or helping your team use a tool.

Start with a free conversation about what you need. You receive a written plan, timing and fixed price before deciding on paid work.

Let’s talk See a workflow example

How I can help.

Two ways to work together: understand a business problem, or get help using a tool. Bring the question; we’ll work out the next step.

Business Analysis & Improvement

Understand the problem.
Know what to do.

When this helps

You want to understand a report, find out why jobs get held up, or make a task easier for your team.

What we do

I review the relevant numbers and walk through the work with your team. We find where the problem starts, compare options, and agree on a recommendation or a change to try.

What you get

Depending on the project we agree on:

  • A report explaining what I found and what I recommend, or a map showing the steps and who does what
  • The numbers or examples behind the recommendation, with costs and limits explained
  • If we make a change: the agreed improvement and a check of whether it helped

Possible project: simplify a monthly report and leave your team a checklist for preparing it.

Talk through a business question

Software & AI Setup and Training

Make your tools
useful every day.

When this helps

Your team has a tool but isn’t confident using it. You want help setting it up, choosing software, or using AI for a specific task.

What we do

We choose a useful task, set up the tool for it, and try it with realistic examples. I show your team how to do the task and check the result.

What you get

Depending on the project we agree on:

  • The agreed software setup, or a test setup for the agreed task to try before making a bigger change
  • Simple instructions and reusable templates for the task
  • Hands-on practice, including what to do when something goes wrong

Possible project: set up an AI drafting task and teach staff how to check and edit the draft before using it.

Get help with a tool

Agree the work. Know the price. The first conversation is free. Analysis, setup and training are paid work. Before you decide, you receive a written plan with what’s included, what you’ll get, timing, a fixed price and how we’ll check the result.

A project can finish with an answer and recommendations. If you want to try a change or put it into use, we agree on that work too. Extra work and ongoing support are quoted separately.

Less chasing.
A clearer process.

  • Trigger Request arrives by email Can be automated
  • Copying Details typed into the job list AI-assisted
  • Wait Sits unnoticed in an inbox Can be automated
  • Decision Manager approves the exception Your team decides
  • System Job list updated by hand Can be automated
  • Chase Ask the customer for missing details AI-assisted
  • Copy Re-copied into a report sheet Can be automated
  • Judgment “Can we take this job?” Someone decides Your team decides
Can be automated AI-assisted Your team decides

Picture a customer asking for a quote. The details get copied between an inbox, a tracker and your team. We map the steps so you can see where work gets stuck.

This map shows where software or AI could help and where your team decides. Below, a fictional request illustrates one possible change.

See one improvement
in action.

A customer asks for a quote. Watch the request move from an email to a clear next step. If their phone number is missing, the work pauses for your team to check it.

A scripted illustration, not a live customer system. No real customer information is used.

Illustrated workflow · fictional customer request
  1. Email Customer asks for a quote
  2. AI-assisted Organize the request details
  3. Automatic step Check name and contact details Missing phone number
  4. Team check if needed Your team checks what’s missing Not needed, details are complete
  5. Automatic step Add the request to your job list
  6. Next step Ready for your team to follow up

Choose an example to see what happens.

A clear next step.
A team that knows what to do.

For a project like this, we agree on the steps to improve and test them with your team. You keep the process map, any setup we agreed to make, and instructions for using it. We also agree who on your team will look after it.

Here’s how
we work together.

One question or task is enough to start. You can hire me for advice, a practical change, or help using a tool.

  1. 01

    Talk it through

    Tell me what you want to understand or make easier. We use a free conversation to decide whether I can help.

  2. 02

    Agree the work and price

    You receive a written plan: the work, what you’ll get, timing, what I need from your team, a fixed price and how we’ll check the result.

  3. 03

    Do the work and check it

    I complete the agreed analysis, change or tool setup. We check the result together. If it includes a tool or process change, we try realistic examples and things that could go wrong.

  4. 04

    Explain it and hand it over

    You receive the results and materials we agreed on, with an explanation of how to use them. Training and follow-up are included when they’re part of your plan.

Business first.
Practical by nature.

Dylan LaValley

I’m Dylan LaValley, based in Missoula, Montana. My background includes analyzing financial reports, improving business processes, and running a small video-production business. You work directly with me.

I start by listening to the people doing the work and looking at the tools you already use. Then we choose a manageable project. AI is an option when it helps.

Bring a question like:

  • “What are these numbers telling us?”
  • “Why do we keep copying the same information?”
  • “How can our team use this tool better?”
  • “What needs to change as we get busier?”

You don’t need to know what’s causing the problem or which solution to buy. A description of what happens today and what you want to improve is enough to start.

Tell me what you have in mind

Fair questions.

What does it cost?

The first conversation is free. For paid work, you receive a written plan and fixed quote. You’ll know what’s included, what you’ll get, timing and price before deciding. Extra work is agreed and priced separately.

Do we have to know exactly what needs fixing?

No. Describe the question or task that’s giving you trouble. The free conversation helps us decide where to start. Detailed investigation is paid work; it can finish with an answer and recommendations without a software build.

Do we need new software or AI?

No. We start with what you already use. Clearer instructions or a feature you haven’t used may be enough. If a new tool would help, we discuss its price and who will maintain it before choosing it. If we use AI, we include how to check its answers.

How will we know the work helped?

Before we start, we agree on what should improve and how to check it. That might mean a report answering a specific question, fewer missed requests, or staff completing a task on their own. At the end, we review those checks together and explain any limits.

How long does a project take?

It depends on the question, the work involved and your team’s availability. Your written plan includes a schedule and the time needed from your team before you decide.

What would you need from our team?

Someone who knows the task, a few relevant examples, and time to review the work or practice with the tool. The written plan explains what I need from your team. We agree on any data or system access before you share it. For the first conversation, a general description is enough.

What happens after the project or training?

You keep the agreed reports, setup, templates or instructions. I explain how to use them, and we agree who will look after any ongoing process or tool. Any follow-up is written into your plan. Ongoing support is optional and quoted 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 free conversation to see whether I can help.
  3. 03If I can help, you receive a written plan, timing and fixed price before deciding.
Email Dylan

Opens your email app. Share a general description of what you need; please leave out customer records and sensitive documents.

If you use webmail, copy dylan.lavalley@gmail.com into a new email and send a few sentences about what you need.