S3E5 – Building Data Platforms That Actually Solve Business Problems

Stop Coding, Start Diagramming: How to Build Data Platforms That Deliver If you’re rushing to hire a data engineer before you have a clear business question, you’re doing it backwards.

I’m joined by Teddy Bernays (Freelance Data Engineer) to unpack his “business first” approach. Teddy shares his journey and explains why simplicity and a solid plan always beat the latest tech stack.

His top advice: “Find the problem you want to solve first. Is data the answer? Only then should you start building.”

In this episode, we cover:
 Why you should hire a Data Analyst before a Data Engineer
 The “Diagram First” rule for technical projects
 How to escape the painful world of legacy spreadsheets
 Finding freelance clients in the real world (get off LinkedIn!)
 Using AI to finally solve your documentation problems

Watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

 Teddy Bernays on LinkedIn
 Aaron Phethean on LinkedIn
 Data Matas Podcast
 YouTube
 Matatika Website