“Garbage in, garbage out” is a mantra often used by many of us that use and build financial or other predictive models as a reminder that your model and results are only as good as your inputs. However, I find the phrase to be reflective of a much broader scope of business as a whole. Speaking as someone who once picked up actual garbage from homes as one of my first jobs, I can see the analogy play out in scenarios ranging from simple (Burning embers in trash barrels leads to truck fires!) to more complex (Acquiring a cultural misfit via M&A can sink a franchise). While one of my stronger areas has been in model building and analysis, I am generally driven by a natural curiosity of both the model at hand and the larger business I am building it for with questions of: • How does the model work?• What inputs will maximize growth and efficiency? • What inputs can yield a truly bad result?• Knowing these, how do I build a better model?I followed this process to build the first DFAST projection model for City National Bank following the recession of 2008. A regression model at its core, the results initially gained were ones that would have been looked upon unfavorably by the bank regulators. Reviewing the data inputs and business decisions inherent within allowed me to make disclaimed assumptions about idiosyncratic balance sheet movements and produce more satisfactory results. I also used the process to develop an acquisition target filter that narrowed down the scope of M&A activity for the Bank given stated growth objectives, risk tolerance, preferred business segments, and geography. I used the results of the filter to make recommendations as part of a broader push for inorganic growth within my company, and to provide statistical backing to counter questions of the strategy.These questions have led my career from the teenage garbage collector to a Corporate Finance and M&A Strategist with an MBA from UCLA. There is a lot of metaphorical garbage out there when building a business and trying to find the best path to profitability. I pride myself on being an advisor that can steer companies clear of it.