Terms

"I was an accountant for eight years, working with Microsoft Excel each day for several hours" starts Google Sheets as well as AppsScript Professional teacher Ben L Collins. "Almost every task I worked on was completed by using Excel but I did not have any prior experience. I'd coded previously but did not have experience using spreadsheets.

"Pretty when I started my work I was tasked from my supervisor to accomplish several tasks within Excel such as "Combine the tables" etc. Then I had to do it all manually!" His boss demonstrated how he could utilize formulas to speed up the process and Ben realized the primary skill to have in finance is the ability to alter the information.

"The ones who are able to master it efficiently are miles ahead of those who fail," Ben continues. I was thinking "Right I'm going to improve my abilities." I came across a number of sites on the web that I was interested in, such as mrexcel.com and chandoo.org These sites have the exact capabilities that I have, however they were created they are using Excel approximately 15 years ago."

The more Ben was able to look at formulas and spreadsheets, more enthralled he was: "It was this rabbit hole that was just getting deeper into the dark." Ben was aware of the training in programming he had received from his school could be combined together with different programming languages which help to construct databases. This would include VBA.

Through his time working as a bookkeeper, he became more interested in the area of technology than in the financial or accounting fields. "After eight years as an accountant within the area of accounting, I thought"I'm finished! I'm done!. I wasn't sure of what the what my next project would be but the first thought I had was the subject of engineering." Ben tells me.

The name is yWYQFjXiawUjOZ9. Ben L Collins speaking during an event which took place at night.

He took some classes before he began searching for work. "It did not have a lot of initial success but I did create my own site as well as wrote essays. One of my early pieces I wrote about Google Sheets and they're those that eventually appeared in Google Search." It resulted in a variety of clients requesting the services of freelancers and even offering them money for their services.

"In 2014 as well as in 2015, we saw an inbound flow of customers seeking help "Hey can I be assisted in creating that dashboard in Sheets?' or "Can you review my Excel spreadsheets on behalf of our company, and help me figure the most effective method to enhance these formulas? ? '."

The position called for Excel, Google Sheets, SQL as well as Tableau. "It was an ordinary job but it offered me the opportunity to consider"Maybe it's a sign of something greater. There is a possibility to become a freelancer without having to go back to my old job . I'm not planning to go back into the accounting field!" Ben smiles. "I want to remain on top of my game in addition to my knowledge of the latest technologies."

Goodbye accounting, hello education

The first phase of the website's mission to provide educational opportunities General Assembly was just a start-up company with plans to offer advanced classes specifically for programmers, as well as Data analysts. "They have also launched an online program for analysis of data, which is only part-time. As I'd previously been in one of their programs specifically designed specifically for developers, I was aware of the group that was there. At the time of their first launch the course that dealt with data was when they first began to recruit instructors. The class comprised Excel, SQL and Tableau," Ben continues. "I thought, 'Hey it's exactly what I've been doing over the last eight years. ! '." Ben was interviewed procedure and was offered the job. The course was also taught by Ben for several occasions.

"That motivated me to back into teaching" Ben recalls. "I'd taught at the college level as a mentor to young students once I finished my academic year." Additionally, he provided training for companies via online courses, such as the selling of courses and tutorials. "As I started to increase the list of people that were interested in my business, I decided to start my own course and test the waters."

) A course on the Query function in Google Sheets

The teaching of the course was well-loved. It was such a great course that it enticed Ben to create a new course. "I made use of a website called Teachable as I tried to discover a method for creating a connection that was personal to my students and ensure that I could keep it for myself instead of handing it over to a marketplace for instance Udemy."

I conducted some investigation and found a name repeatedly appearing. It was the name of Ben Thompson, editor of the Tech news magazine Stratechery, Ben Thompson. Ben Thompson is often referred to as"the OG!" Ben smiles. "I I have signed up for a couple of subscriptions to look at what other businesses such as Flowing Data and Craig Mod were doing this." Ben has been reading their newsletters while the young age of him and I was eager to learn how they build their business around subscriptions. I thought "I wish for my business to be run the same way as they did.'. It was easy and simple that I was thinking"I would like to experience the same experience as a member..'

Moving forward in a manner which is long-term

Actually, Ben's current subscription offer includes high-quality (or "gated") materials which is hosted on WordPress and an exclusive email newsletter delivered via email, using Kit (formerly ConvertKit). In order to provide details, the service is based on Google Sheets and includes specific details about the capabilities of the product and updates as well as strategies to maximize the use of the software.

"The following newsletter will provide an in-depth look at the latest tools Google have released over the last 12 months," Ben adds. Google Sheets are highly useful that allow you to alter data. This is why you'll see an instructional video on Google Sheet's capabilities, as well as an option of downloading Google Sheet, a Google Sheet template people are able to download. Also, he'll conduct one-on-one chats on the topic. "I make use of emails that give details about the day, time as well as the location. In addition I utilize the Google Meet link for the live chat."

If asked about the future of his company, Ben thinks membership could be the primary source of income for his business. "I definitely want to attract lots of members as I'd like for the membership to become the primary service offered," he says. "I offer an array of content for free but you can also choose of being a member active with the premium edition, or helping me to gain access to more details."

Playing a game of Chess with Google Sheets Google Sheets

He claims that he was capable of giving consults, as well as incorporating advertisements into his journal, however his goal is to stop with the words: "if I can build enough members, it would be great to eliminate all other stuff. There are a few minor concerns to take into consideration, however growing the membership is vital. "

The man reveals that he's considered several ideas to expand the range of events that he hosts. "I've thought of a few ideas for ways I could do a better job of staging these events live. And we've come up with initiatives that will encourage more members to join in the coming year. The product itself will evolve. The product will not differ from the expectations, however it will be live streaming of media."

Another member says that he'd like to find the best way for members to discuss their data issues they're working on and issues they'd like to resolve within the near future "That could be done through "office timing" or a technique that's efficient in asking questions" provided that the process is done in a durable, efficient and efficient manner that's advantageous to all parties affected.

Ben says that at the moment his interaction with his fans is done through emails. "I would suggest people respond by sending a message such as 'Hey, give me a brief description of the work that you're involved in'. It's fun because it's manageable.

Forum chats could be made available, as could "cohort classes" which would let students take on Google Sheets issues online together as a small group. "We have completed two of them in 2021 since they were in the forefront of technology. It was a great success, but it was very intense in the initial five weeks that we were a part of. There was a constant number of questions. It's been a while when I've been a member of this group before, but I'm concerned that should I decide to change it again, and I'll be unable to shut it down. It's something I'd like to consider, but how do you manage this in the long-term perspective?

"I had no live streams at the time I thought of thinking"Just go live and observe what the response is. Determine if it's enjoyable to live stream before I commit to the whole thing. It's going well! Owner is eager to the addition of live shows "They're fun and attendees benefit of these shows. It'll be fascinating to find out what's going on!"

Ben runs the Zoom Sessions for his guests.

"Right right now, I'm teaching topics that will be selected by me. The topic will then be discussed during the live course," he continues. For the cohort course this approach was for a general audience "People were able to drop in and tell me "Hey I've got a question that I'm having difficulty dealing with. I'm struggling with this formula and am struggling to solve this problem" and we'd talk about the issue live in real time. Other participants could observe. We'll think about this during the next year. It's a great occasion for everyone to be able to participate."

Ben concludes that there's a chance of creating an online forum for Q&A could be definitely an alternative, but he says "I only want to make certain that I'm in the right position to accomplish the work in a manner that doesn't take too much of my time." This conversation indicates Ben has already begun his process of establishing the basis for a continuous and robust relationship with his community. Our opinion is that keeping a relationship with time is crucial to the longevity of a community "Little steps, we'll eventually expand!" He smiles.

More details

Ben Collins is an educator as well as a writer, programmer along with co-founder of The Collins School of Data. Ben Collins develops online classes as well as write to Google Workspace. Google Workspace tools. My focus is the automation of the analysis of data by using Google Sheets and Apps Script.

Ben L Collins' website

He enjoys creating lightweight software that's data-driven. It works alongside the Google stack of products: Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Google Apps Script, Forms, Docs, Gmail and many more. For more details, visit benlcollins.com.

Article was first seen here. is here.

Article was first seen on this site

Article was posted on here