Stop firefighting.Start building.
A practice for finance and analytics professionals buried by the gravity of their own potential. A way out and a way up. Climb the next rung.
$59 / month founding rate. Or read the manifesto first.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revenue | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| 2 | Product A | 1200000 | 1.5M | #REF! | ??? |
| 3 | Prod B old | 0.8M | #VALUE! | 1.1M | 1.3M |
| 4 | Total | #REF! | 2.4M | #REF! | hardcoded |
| 5 | // matt check these numbers before board mtg | ||||
Your next move in finance and analytics.
A weekly newsletter for finance and analytics professionals climbing the next rung. By Matt Brattin, TMB Analytics.
SubscribeFree. Unsubscribe anytime.
Most career advice was written for people who haven't started yet.
You already started. You got really good. The work that built your reputation now keeps you pinned to the operator seat.
The way up is not another sprint. It is a staircase.
Get the weekly noteStop digging
When every day is a fire drill, it is hard to see the path forward. The first step is recognizing where you are and deciding that next month starts now.
Pick your direction
The right improvement moves you forward. The wrong one just creates a new problem. Orient first, then build with purpose.
Build one stair at a time
Find the lowest-effort, highest-impact win. Invest the time once. Stand on it. Use the freed-up bandwidth to build the next one. Every stair converts maintenance into infrastructure.
Three doors. Same staircase.
A newsletter to start. A membership to stay in. A cohort to break through. Pick the one that matches where you are.
The Climb
A monthly rhythm. Live session, insider note, course library, planning instrument, small community. The recurring practice for the next rung.
See The ClimbThe Next 90
A hands-on twelve-week program for one focused quarter. Two tracks: Individual Contributor and People Manager. Application-based, three cohorts a year.
See the programExcel 4 Academy
The analyst's career operating system. Three modules, three bonus trainings, one year of access. Bring it back any quarter you need it.
See the AcademyWhat climbers say
Real notes from finance, analytics, and data professionals who've worked with Matt.
"I learned and did things over the course I never thought I'd be able to do on my own. This course pushed me to my 'learning' limits, but in the best way possible [and] helped me land my dream job."
"Matt has been very helpful to me as I pivot careers to data analytics. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and helpful. He provided valuable guidance to me for this career path, and I'm happy to say that I just accepted my first analytics position."
"Matt is not only passionate about analytics, he's passionate about his team. He encouraged me in and advocated for my analytic pursuits. He is a person you can trust and learn from. One of my favorite things about Matt is that everyday he strives to grow personally and professionally. If you have an opportunity to work with Matt, I highly recommend that you take it."
Matt Brattin
"Brilliant finance professionals buried by the work. Spending 80% of their time on execution in reaction mode and 20% on the thinking that actually moves the business forward. I left the corporate track to fix that."
Founder of TMB Analytics. Author of The Art of Analytics. Twenty years in the trenches of corporate finance, from junior analyst at Citi to CFO of a PE-backed international software vertical.
I've run the close, built the models, defended the forecast, and sat in the board meeting where the number got questioned. I saw the same pattern everywhere: really good people getting promoted for being indispensable, then getting trapped by it. I left the corporate track to help finance and analytics professionals build careers as architects, not responders.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about the practice and how to start.
Latest Insights
Financial Planning and Data Analytics career advice from the trenches.