Scale Your Business With Data with Crawford McMillan
Scale Your Business With Data with Crawford McMillan
Podcast Description
The Scale Your Business with Data podcast is the no-fluff guide for leaders who know there’s money buried in their data but need a proven map to dig it up—fast.
Hosted by Graham Crawford (co-founder of Crawford MacMillan and longtime “data whisperer” for high-growth teams), each weekly episode distills decades of front-line experience into conversations you can act on immediately. Forget buzzwords and theoretical frameworks; this show zeroes in on the real-world moves that turn:
- Chaotic spreadsheets into clear signals, so you see which levers actually drive revenue, margin, and customer loyalty.
-Everyday metrics into decision intelligence, so you stop debating dashboards and start reallocating budgets, products, and people with confidence.
-Expensive AI hype into practical advantage, learn how to define and govern data first, then layer automation without sacrificing explainability or control.
-“Hope” strategies into repeatable playbooks—so multi-million-dollar calls happen in minutes, not months.
Whether you’re scaling a startup, steering a Fortune-500 unit, or simply tired of dashboards that look good but do nothing, you’ll walk away each week with:
-Actionable insights you can deploy before the next meeting.
-Battle-tested stories that de-risk your own transformation.
-A clearer mental model for leading people, processes, and technology around data—not the other way around.
-No jargon, no ivory-tower theory—just candid talk, unexpected analogies, and an unwavering focus on value creation.
Subscribe today and join a community that turns hidden numbers into breakout growth.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores a range of topics focused on data strategy, decision intelligence, and AI implementation. Episodes cover practical aspects such as transforming chaotic spreadsheets into clear signals for revenue growth, optimizing corporate KPIs, and utilizing data for effective decision-making. For instance, one episode features Nick White discussing how data strategy can bridge the gap between data collection and actionable insights, enhancing business performance.
This channel makes data simple. I break down how data shapes the decisions we make every day in business, in society, and in life.
From why numbers don’t always tell the full story, to how small changes in data can have big impacts, you’ll learn to see data not as something abstract, but as a practical tool for better choices.
Join former Fortune 100 data leader and CEO of Crawford McMillan, Graeme Crawford, to cut through the noise, show you how data really works, and share what he has learned learned helping organizations big and small turn confusing data into clear strategy.
If you want to think smarter with data but without the jargon, you’re in the right place.
I sat down with Scott Golder, Senior Director of Data Science at Home Depot, to talk about what actually works when you’re building data teams. Scott has spent 20+ years fixing what others couldn’t, from Capital One to running algorithms behind one of the top five e-commerce platforms in the world. He breaks down why deeper academic backgrounds don’t always make better data scientists, how to make AI trustworthy at scale, and what happens when you fall in love with your methodology instead of the problem you’re supposed to solve.
This conversation gets into the messy reality of deploying machine learning in the real world. Scott shares how Home Depot uses recommendations differently than selling sweatpants, why human accountability can’t be replaced by 10,000 AI coworkers, and which AI tools he actually uses when his kids go to bed. If you’re building data products or trying to figure out where AI fits in your business, this one’s for you.
Chapters:
- 00:00 – The Importance of Seasonality
- 01:43 – Connecting Data Science with Real-World Challenges
- 10:17 – Understanding Customer Empathy in Product Design
- 16:15 – Transitioning to AI and Machine Learning
- 21:41 – Navigating Accountability in AI Decision-Making
- 25:00 – AI in Everyday Life: Personal Experiences and Insights
- 33:10 – The Future of Software Engineering and AI
- 38:14 – The Importance of Data Governance in AI
Companies Mentioned
Home Depot
Capital One
IBM
Duolingo
Guest Information
Scott Golder is Senior Director of Data Science at Home Depot, where his team powers the algorithms behind one of the world’s top five e-commerce platforms. He previously helped scale data science at Capital One and has a background in sociology, linguistics, and computer science. Scott specializes in building data teams that blend academic depth with real-world implementation in hostile corporate environments.
Key Takeaways
Academic credentials don’t predict data scientist performance. Fall in love with the problem, not your methodology. AI works best for summarization when you fence the data. Human accountability can’t be replaced by software. Speed and cost of AI models dictate where they’re feasible. Your data foundation must be solid before AI can help.
Disclaimer
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