Latrice Prater on Building Identity-Aligned Operations for Visionary CEOs

Please share a brief introduction and your business:

I’m Latrice Prater, a former Navy veteran turned ADHD Business Architect and CEO of The Digital Solutions Team (DST). I specialize in identity-aligned operations for high-functioning visionary founders who are scaling fast and need structure that actually fits how they think, lead, and grow.

DST is a Strategic Operations Agency that designs and manages the systems, tech, and workflows that keep high-growth businesses running smoothly. My team and I focus on energy-aware systems, thoughtful tech, and operational clarity so CEOs can make decisions from strategy instead of survival.

I’ve built DST around a simple truth I learned navigating life, ADHD, motherhood, and entrepreneurship: chaos doesn’t disqualify you from success. With the right structure and the right support, it becomes a catalyst. Through DST and my personal work in neurodivergent leadership architecture, I help founders stop drowning in the day-to-day and step into the clarity and capacity they’ve been craving.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes. Even before I had the language for it, I knew I wasn’t built for traditional paths. I’ve always been the person who sees a better way to do things, questions the systems everyone else accepts, and naturally steps into leadership. Losing both of my parents young, serving in the Navy, and navigating life with ADHD only sharpened that instinct.

Entrepreneurship felt less like a choice and more like the place where my independence, creativity, resilience, and strategic brain finally made sense. It’s the path where I get to build what I couldn’t find: clarity-driven support for leaders who think like me.

Do you have a co-founder?

I don’t have a co-founder. Building DST has been a solo leadership journey, supported by a strong internal team rather than a business partner.

My best advice for anyone considering a partnership: choose alignment over excitement. Make sure your values, work styles, and long-term vision match before roles or titles. A great partner should expand your capacity, not complicate your clarity.

Are you a mamaprenista?

Yes, I am. My best advice is to stop chasing perfect balance and focus on clarity. Get clear on what actually matters each week, for your business and your family, and let everything else be optional. I structure my schedule around my real life, delegate early, communicate openly, and give myself room to adjust when life shifts. You can do both, but not by doing everything. You do it by deciding what deserves your attention and letting systems support the rest.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

When I first launched DST, my marketing strategy was simple: referrals. I focused on doing excellent work, building trust quickly, and solving problems so thoroughly that clients couldn’t help but talk about it. Word of mouth was my primary growth engine because my ideal clients value lived results and personal recommendations more than flashy marketing.

And honestly, it worked. Referrals filled my roster long before I ever considered a broader visibility strategy. Over time, I realized that while referrals are powerful, they can also create a ceiling. That pushed me to expand my brand presence and thought leadership so clients could find me intentionally, not just through someone else’s introduction.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

I’m most proud of building a business that actually reflects who I am and supports the way I lead. Publishing my book, Chaos Queen, was a major milestone, but the accomplishment that stands out the most is restructuring DST into a true Strategic Operations Agency, one that no longer depends on me being in the weeds to deliver exceptional results.

Creating a team I trust, developing offers that create real transformation for neurodivergent founders, and shifting into a CEO role where I can lead with clarity instead of survival mode… that’s the accomplishment that changed everything.

It’s one thing to build a business. It’s another to design one that aligns with your identity, your energy, and your long-term vision. That’s what I’m most proud of.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

I wish I had known that clarity is more powerful than effort. In the beginning, I tried to outwork every problem instead of stepping back to build a business that actually fit me. Once I realized my ADHD was a blueprint, not a barrier, everything aligned and growth became easier.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

My go-to interview question is: “Tell me about a time you solved a problem before anyone asked you to.” Proactive thinking is the heartbeat of operations, and that question tells me everything: how they think, how they communicate, and whether they can support a fast-moving CEO without needing constant direction.

My biggest hiring tip: hire for alignment, character and initiative, not just skill. Skills can be trained. Mindset, communication style, and self-awareness cannot. When someone’s natural way of working matches the way your business functions, onboarding becomes smoother and the partnership lasts longer.

What did you go before starting your own business?

Before launching DST, I spent years building my career around education, service, and operational leadership. I served in the U.S. Navy, earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, and worked in roles that required structure, problem-solving, and people development.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I started my business because I reached a point where I was tired of being the person everyone relied on to fix broken systems while having zero control over the environment I was expected to “fix” them in. I knew I had the skill, the insight, and the lived experience to build operations in a way that honored how people actually work, especially neurodivergent leaders who were being overlooked or misunderstood. I also wanted to be more present for my children.

Starting DST allowed me to build a business around clarity, integrity, and identity-aligned structure. It gave me the space to create the kind of support I wish I had earlier in my career, and now I get to offer that to founders who are ready to lead with more confidence, capacity, and ease.

Do you have any recent wins?

Yes, this past year has been a year of real elevation for both me and DST. I published my book, Chaos Queen: Embracing the Mess & Creating Success with ADHD, which has opened doors for deeper conversations around neurodivergent leadership.

On the business side, I redesigned DST’s entire service suite to better serve high-functioning visionary founders and stepped fully into the CEO role, removing myself from day-to-day client work. That shift alone increased our clarity, our client results, and our internal team alignment.

I also launched The Clarity Capsule, a high-touch container for ADHD entrepreneurs, and signed my first client immediately, confirming that there’s a real need for this level of strategic and emotional support in the ADHD founder community. Overall, it’s been a year of expansion, alignment, and stepping into the version of leadership I always knew was possible.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

ChatGPT. It’s the only app that keeps up with the way my brain works. I use it for systems thinking, decision support, creative ideation, and simplifying the mental noise that comes with running a business and a household. It’s like having a strategist, a sounding board, and a clarity tool in my pocket at all times.

Who are your customers?

My clients are high-functioning visionary founders, often neurodivergent, emotionally intelligent women running 6 and multi-6-figure businesses, who are scaling quickly but quietly overwhelmed behind the scenes. They’ve outgrown the DIY stage, they already have support on their team, and they’re ready for strategic operational leadership rather than another task-taker.

They come to DST because they want identity-aligned operations, systems that match the way they actually think, and a trusted partner who can turn their big-picture vision into clear structure, sustainable workflows, and a more ease-filled way of running their business.

What's your top productivity tip?

My top productivity tip is this: stop forcing yourself to work against your brain. Design your tasks, your tools, and your environment around your actual energy patterns instead of the imaginary version of you who “should” be more disciplined.

What's your favorite business tool?

Ivorey is my favorite business tool because it brings everything, offers, client communication, invoicing, and systems, into one place. As a neurodivergent CEO, the fewer platforms I have to mentally juggle, the smoother my brain (and my business) runs. Ivorey keeps my operations centralized, simple, and scalable.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

My approach to work-life integration is simple: I design my business to support my life, not the other way around. As a wife, mom of three, leader in my church, and a neurodivergent CEO, my capacity shifts, and instead of fighting that, I build around it.

Practically, that means creating spacious weeks, honoring the Sabbath, protecting my deep-work time, and delegating anything that doesn’t require my strategic brain. I treat my energy like a resource to steward, not an endless supply to drain.

For me, balance isn’t about perfect symmetry. It’s about alignment, making sure the way I work matches my values, my family rhythm, and the version of leadership I want to model for my team and clients.

How do you avoid burn-out?

I avoid burnout by building my business around my energy, not my ego. I pay attention to the early signals—decision fatigue, irritation, overfunctioning, and adjust before it becomes a crisis. I’ve learned that burnout isn’t just about doing too much. It’s about doing too much of the wrong things. So I delegate proactively, keep my schedule spacious, and only say yes to work that aligns with my role as CEO.

Most importantly, I honor rest as a strategic tool, not a reward. When I protect my capacity, the quality of my work and leadership skyrockets, and my team and clients feel the difference.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

My advice is simple: build a business that matches who you are, not who you think you’re supposed to be. Clarity beats hustle every time. Get honest about your energy, your strengths, and the kind of life you actually want, then design your offers, systems, and schedule around that.

And don’t wait until everything is perfect. Momentum comes from aligned action, not endless planning.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today

‍