Improving Data Literacy

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Sam McKay

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Businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of data analytics in making informed decisions across all aspects of their operations. However, simply having access to data is not enough. They need to be able to extract value from it as well. They also need to have the skills and tools to analyze it effectively. How can businesses become more literate about their data in order to identify and respond to opportunities and threats strategically?George Mount is the founder and CEO of Stringfest Analytics, a consulting firm specializing in analytics education and upskilling. He has worked with leading bootcamps, learning platforms, and practice organizations to help individuals excel at analytics. He is the author of Advancing into Analytics: From Excel to Python and R (O’Reilly, 2021) and Enterprise DNA expert specializing in these topics.George is also an award-winning blogger, consultant, and educator at leading data science bootcamps and academic institutions. Combining a diverse background in academia and the private sector ranging from start-ups to nonprofits, his interests lie at the intersection of design and innovation through data-driven insights.In this episode, George talks about data analytics and literacy. He will discuss why data literacy is important to businesses, how Excel remains a powerful tool for organizing data and performing financial analysis, and how he provides value to clients.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode
  • What defines a data-literate company?
  • How Microsoft Excel remains a powerful tool
  • How adding more advanced languages to Excel can enhance its capabilities
  • What he gains from writing newsletters
  • His best strategy for building his own personal profile online
  • What's the next big thing in data analytics
Key Takeaways

"Typically, there's a lot of fear about automation. There's a lot of fear about sharing your knowledge. But really, the more knowledge that you can share, the more you grow and advance your career." - George Mount

"There's a value-add proposition in optimizing a process, diving deeper into the data, and building of analytical application that enable better decision-making. That inquisitive mind I think is a really strong trait for someone to naturally evolve their data analysis, data literacy skills, and really build a career in this space." - Sam McKay

Connect with Sam McKay

Connect with George Mount

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjmount/

Stringfest Analytics Website: https://gregdeckler.com/

Advancing into Analytics: From Excel to Python and R: https://www.amazon.com/Advancing-into-Analytics-Excel-Python/dp/149209434X

About The Show

The Analytic Mind is your guide to navigating the evolving frontier of data, AI, & intelligent business.

Hosted by Sam McKay, CEO of EnterpriseDNA, this show dives into real-world use cases, technical strategies, and the mental models behind smart decision-making.

Each episode challenges you to move beyond tools to think critically, act strategically, and build with impact.

Whether you're refining your analytics skills or shaping your organization's data vision, this is where insight meets execution.

Stay sharp. Stay ahead. Think like an analytic mind.