Startup Operator-Turned-Author Launches The Start-Ops Playbook, a Field Guide for Building and Scaling Consumer Brands

Operations leader, announces the release of his first book— a no-fluff guide designed to help founders and operators navigate the chaos of startup operations

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, January 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dave DiLoreto, veteran operations leader, announces the release of his first book, The Start-Ops Playbook — a no-fluff guide designed to help founders and operators navigate the chaos of startup operations with structure, confidence, and speed.

Part memoir, part manual, The Start-Ops Playbook was born out of DiLoreto’s experience building the supply chain and operating model for Ritual Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic spirits company that defined a new category in beverage before being acquired by Diageo in 2024.

“In 2020, our CEO told me, ‘there’s no playbook for running ops at a startup, you’ll have to figure it out,’” DiLoreto recalls. “After years of building that playbook from scratch, I realized other founders were asking the same question: Now what? This book is my answer.”

The book combines real-world stories from the front lines of startup operations with actionable frameworks founders can use immediately. It spans supply-chain fundamentals, trade-off decision-making, data modeling, and scalability. It does so with a blend of economics, startup philosophy, and the occasional obscure movie quote for good measure.

Drawing from two decades of experience across Fortune 500 corporations and scrappy startups, DiLoreto distills industry-tested tools into a lean, flexible framework designed for modern founders. “My goal is to help startups operate like the pros and shed the processes that slow them down,” he said. “This is about giving teams the freedom to move fast while staying grounded in operational excellence.”

The Start-Ops Playbook includes companion spreadsheets, templates, and exercises to help readers apply the lessons to their own data, plus video tutorials on the Start-Ops Playbook YouTube channel.

The book is available now on Amazon.

About David DiLoreto
David DiLoreto is the Chief Operating Officer of Ritual Zero Proof, the nation’s leading spirit-alternative brand, acquired by Diageo in 2024. With an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and over 20 years of experience leading operations for consumer brands, DiLoreto brings a rare blend of corporate discipline and startup agility and always a bit of humor. The Start-Ops Playbook is his first book and the culmination of his two decades of experience helping companies build, scale, and thrive.
Learn more at www.startopsplaybook.com or follow @start_ops_playbook on YouTube, and Instagram.

Lisa Zahn
Glimmer Public Relations
+1 610-500-1275
lisa@glimmergiftshop.com

The Start-Ops Playbook

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