Daryl Waits

Business Owner / Operations Lead @ Ampersand Cafe on Alki

About

I’m a business owner with over 20 years of experience managing operations in fast-paced, high-volume environments. My background spans small-business ownership, creative project development, and day-to-day operational execution — from scheduling and logistics to documentation, problem-solving, and meeting deadlines under pressure. As a restaurant owner, I handled the full scope of operations: coordinating staff schedules, managing vendors and inventory, maintaining workflows, and adapting quickly when priorities shifted. Alongside this, I’ve led and contributed to long-term creative projects as a musician, recording artist, and visual/design artist, which strengthened my ability to plan projects, manage timelines, and communicate clearly across different roles. I work well independently, thrive in structured but flexible environments, and bring a calm, solutions-focused approach to complex or ambiguous situations. I’m especially well-suited to remote roles that value organization, clear communication, and consistent follow-through.

Country

United States

City

Seattle

Industry

Retail

Skill

Operations Management, Project Coordination, Process Improvement, Problem Solving, Cross-functional Communication, Content Management, Scheduling, Workflow Coordination, Vendor Management

Experience

Business Owner / Operations Lead

Ampersand Cafe on Alki

2013-1 - Present · 13 yrs 9 mos

Seattle, Washington, United States

Led day-to-day business operations for a high-volume café, overseeing scheduling, vendor coordination, purchasing, bookkeeping, and compliance Designed and maintained operational workflows to support staffing, inventory, and daily service execution Managed hiring, onboarding, and training, creating clear processes to ensure consistency and reliability Coordinated multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, adapting workflows as needs changed Took full ownership of deadlines, problem resolution, and operational decision-making

Founder / Operator — Independent Creative & Digital Projects

2000-1 - Present · 26 yrs 9 mos

United States

Led and managed multiple long-running creative and digital projects, including music production and releases, e-commerce operations, and online publishing. Coordinated end-to-end workflows such as content creation, documentation, publishing, website management, and release scheduling across parallel projects. Built and maintained systems for organizing assets, timelines, and deliverables while working independently and asynchronously. Balanced creative execution with practical operations, problem-solving, and consistent follow-through on deadlines.