If you're starting off in financial analysis, my number one piece of advice would be to focus on truly understanding the story that the numbers are telling, rather than just crunching them. Early in my career, during my banking apprenticeship, I used to think it was all about getting the math perfect. But when I moved to N26 and started working in the fast-paced world of startups, I realized that investors and stakeholders rarely fall in love with numbers alone -- they're drawn to the narrative behind them. How does the data show value? Where are the opportunities? What's the risk angle? One lesson that stuck with me came from a market research project I worked on at Civey. I spent weeks analyzing survey results and produced a pile of charts, thinking the job was done. In the end, a colleague politely asked, "What's your takeaway here, for people who don't eat spreadsheets for breakfast?" That was my aha moment -- it's not just about analysis but transforming those insights into actionable, digestible strategies. At spectup, we apply the same principle when developing financial models for startups: contextually tying the projections to their growth story, market trends, and strategic goals. The best analysts don't just analyze; they translate.