About the Author
Brian Cariveau
25+ years leading data & analytics — small business to Fortune 5
I've spent my career watching analytics teams build the wrong things for the right reasons. From small businesses where every dollar counted, to mid-market consulting, to leading data strategy at a Fortune 10 healthcare company. Every level of maturity. Every flavor of dysfunction.
I've seen brilliant data scientists fail because nobody taught them to read a room. I've watched million-dollar platforms get unplugged because teams optimized for completeness instead of decisions.
A factory visit in Minneapolis changed how I see everything. Standing on a catwalk above a Toyota Production System floor — watching green, yellow, and red lights tell the truth about every station — I realized: this is what our data operations should look like. Physical. Observable. With bottlenecks and waste you can actually point at.
The Phoenix Project gave me the language. That catwalk gave me the vision. The Auction Block is the book I wish someone had handed me on day one.
"Most of what actually matters in analytics leadership was never taught in a class."
The 25-Year Journey
Started where most people don't talk about — small businesses where every dollar counted and every decision mattered. No fancy tools. No big budgets. Just figuring out how to make data work when resources are tight. Learned that simplicity beats sophistication every time.
Moved into consulting across multiple industries. Different companies, same pitfalls appearing again and again. Started cataloging what worked and what didn't. Built the muscle of translating data insights into business action. Saw that the principles that mattered weren't about the technology — they were about people.
Now leading data & analytics strategy at one of the largest healthcare companies in the US. The complexity is exponentially higher, but the fundamentals remain the same. The pitfalls just have bigger consequences. The principles just need to scale further.
The Book
The Auction Block
A business fable following Sarah Chen's 90-day journey transforming a broken analytics org into the engine of a $1.2B unicorn. Inspired by The Phoenix Project. Written for analytics leaders.
Why This Exists
The narrative around analytics is broken. Leaders feel isolated when they hit roadblocks. Teams repeat the same mistakes because knowledge isn't shared openly. Meanwhile, the solutions are sitting in the heads of people who've been through it before.
Analytics Pitfalls & Principles is how I expand what I call the halo effect of my work. These aren't academic theories — they're lessons from 25+ years transforming companies with data. Every pitfall here? I've either made it myself or watched talented teams hit it. Every principle? Battle-tested across hundreds of projects.
This isn't theory. It's lived experience, distilled into something anyone can apply.
Explore the Companion Cards
The principles from The Auction Block — distilled into quick-reference cards for your team.