The American Dream Story of Michael Dailey

Published on July 07, 2025

By Office of Communication

Retired U.S. Army Special Forces member Michael Dailey continues to live his American Dream in Arlington as a small business owner and youth mentor.

After serving a combined 23 years in the Army and Air Force, five of those as a Green Beret, Dailey retired from the military and spent the next decade working for Homeland Security.

When tragedy struck his immediate family, Dailey felt the call to be more present with his loved ones and moved to Arlington. With a deeply ingrained sense of community from his military service, Dailey wanted to find something similar now in the business sector. He jumped in with the Greater Arlington Chamber, joining as a Corporate Leadership Council (CLC) member with his commercial real estate company in 2018.

“When you think about legacy, that impact is something that people take and they pass on because if whatever dies with me or just one generation behind me, then it's just not good enough,” Dailey said. “So how can I help others build a legacy that's enduring?

In 2021, Dailey founded Invictus Legacy Builders, a company he felt better encompassed who he was: a developer of high-performing people, teams and cultures. Invictus Legacy Builders helps entrepreneurs and business owners overcome challenges and achieve their vision. Through coaching and advising, Dailey is a catalyst for business growth, igniting transformative change and providing effective strategies that turn goals into achievements.

“Being a veteran and knowing that difficulty and transitioning from the military into the private sector, and not really knowing how to operate,” he said. “The things that they bring to the table that some people overlook, like their leadership skills, their ability to have that unconquerable spirit, and that ability to persevere through adversity. Now let's add in their ability, their business acumen to actually run a successful business.”