Fide Strategic Advisory
Dan Daniel
Strategic Advisor  ·  Phoenix, AZ
The proposition

For mid-market companies ($10M–$100M) at scaling inflection points, I provide the strategic clarity and operational rigor needed to stabilize the present and build what comes next. 25 years of enterprise execution. A venture I built from scratch to Top 10% on Amazon. The scar tissue to know which controls matter — and which ones just slow you down.

Signature Achievements

$1B Network Redesign — Board-Funded, 24% Cost Reduction, Architecture Selected Enterprise-Wide
Wells Fargo  ·  2006–2018
  • In 2006, proposed and received Board of Directors authorization to commit $200M/year over five years to fundamentally redesign Wells Fargo's WAN infrastructure across 7,500 locations. Cradle-to-grave ownership. Bet-your-career assignment.
  • Delivered the committed 24% cost reduction — $24M in annual savings against a $100M portfolio others considered already optimized. Established and chaired the enterprise Wireless Product Management Council.
  • When Wells Fargo combined with Wachovia — a bank of comparable scale — my OneNet architecture was evaluated against Wachovia's existing plans and selected as the go-forward WAN for the combined 15,000+ location enterprise.
Why it matters

I find the money inside what already exists and redeploy it toward what is next. That discipline applies at any scale.

Crisis-Scale Deployment — Zero to 200,000 Users Under Fire
Wells Fargo  ·  2020
  • When COVID-19 forced Wells Fargo to go remote overnight, led the emergency enterprise-wide deployment of Zoom — ramping from zero to 200,000 users and scaling the managed device fleet 18× (1,400 to 25,000+) while designing OCC/Audit-compliant risk frameworks in real time.
  • Bypassed normal 12–18 month procurement cycles. Zero security breaches.
Why it matters

Speed was a lagging indicator of preparation made during calm. The frameworks were built before the crisis. When it hit, execution was fast because the thinking was already done.

Founder Execution — Dream Drop Lights, LLC
Founder  ·  2008–2019
  • Founded in 2008 and operated concurrently with a full-time Wells Fargo career — built from concept to a Top 10% Amazon performer at its 2013–2014 peak.
  • First to market with LED "snowfall" effect lighting. Managed end-to-end: international supply chain, manufacturing, Amazon marketplace, P&L.
  • Wound down operations in 2019 when unit economics changed. Read the numbers and left on my terms. Full lifecycle ownership — from launch through a disciplined exit.
Why it matters

I know what it feels like when a wrong unit economics decision follows you for two years. I bring that founder's P&L discipline to your operation.

What I Do for Clients

"We're growing fast and everything is breaking."
You scaled past $10M and the processes that got you here are crumbling. Decisions bottleneck at you. New hires don't know how things work because nobody wrote it down. I build the operational frameworks — financial models, decision rights, vendor strategy — that let you run like a company twice your size without hiring like one. Control without force. Structure without bureaucracy.
"Our tech stack is duct tape and prayers."
You're paying for 14 tools that don't talk to each other, your team built workarounds on top of workarounds, and nobody knows what you're actually spending. I've rationalized collaboration platforms for 200,000 users. I diagnose what's broken, optimize what's working, and maximize what you're already paying for — so your stack scales with you instead of against you.
"Something big just happened and we're not ready."
You just acquired a competitor, lost a key leader, landed a contract that doubles your capacity requirements, or a regulatory change just moved your timeline up by a year. I've had my architecture selected enterprise-wide when two banks of comparable scale combined, and deployed tools to 200,000 users under crisis deadlines. I know which corners you can cut and which ones will cost you everything.
"Revenue is good but margins aren't."
You're selling more than ever and somehow keeping less. Your cost structure grew unchecked while you were chasing growth. Most corporate executives can't operate leanly. Most entrepreneurs can't scale processes. I've done both — simultaneously. I dig into the P&L, find where money is leaking, and restructure so good revenue turns into real profit.
"We're doing too many things and none of them well."
You launched three product lines, two partnerships, and a new market — and now your team is spread across all of them with no clear priority. I sort through the noise, identify what's actually driving growth, and help you kill or park the rest. Trust without naivety. Your best people on your best bets.

Career Timeline

Wells Fargo
1999–2024  ·  25 Years
Product Lead, Enterprise Collaboration Technologies 2018–2024
  • Matrixed leadership across engineering and risk teams for 250,000+ employees.
  • Directed enterprise-wide hybrid work transition via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Telepresence.
  • Designed OCC/Audit-compliant risk frameworks during the fastest technology deployment in company history — zero to 200,000 Zoom users with zero security breaches.
Portfolio Manager — Access, WAN, WLAN & Collaboration 2007–2018
  • Conceived and championed the OneNet global WAN redesign — hand-picked the team and led a full year of planning before Board submission. Secured Board-authorized commitment of $200M/year over five years; owned the 7,500-site program cradle-to-grave.
  • Delivered a 24% cost reduction ($24M in annual savings) against a $100M portfolio. Authored the Network Strategic Roadmap, recognized internally as a CIO best practice. Established and chaired the enterprise Wireless Product Management Council.
  • Post-Wachovia combination, OneNet evaluated against Wachovia's existing plans and selected as the go-forward WAN for the combined 15,000+ location enterprise.
Business Systems Consultant 1999–2007
  • Analyzed enterprise cost structures and built technology business cases. In 2006, originated the OneNet WAN redesign and won Board authorization — work that created the Portfolio Manager role I was promoted into to lead it.
Dream Drop Lights, LLC
Owner & President  ·  2008–2019  ·  Concurrent with Wells Fargo
Owner & President 2008–2019
  • Founded in 2008 and scaled to a Top 10% Amazon seller at its 2013–2014 peak.
  • First-to-market with LED snowfall lighting. Full lifecycle: product development, international supply chain, Amazon marketplace operations, P&L.
  • Deliberate strategic exit in 2019 when unit economics changed; operations wound down on founder's terms.

Education & Recognition

MBA, High Technology Management
W. P. Carey School of Business  ·  Arizona State University
B.S., Finance & Entrepreneurship
Eller College of Management  ·  University of Arizona
14×
Gold Coin Award — Wells Fargo's top 1% leadership recognition across 250,000+ employees. Awarded for enterprise excellence across a 25-year career.
Good Samaritan Company of the Year — Catholic Social Services. Team leader for the award-winning community initiative.
Protea Technologies — Winner, ASU Business Plan Competition. Semiconductor chip venture; pitched to Sand Hill Road VCs.