Terms

"I was an accountant over the last eight years and utilized Microsoft Excel every day for lengthy durations of time" commences Google Sheets and Apps Script an experienced instructor Ben L Collins. "Almost all the things I worked on was completed using Excel however I didn't know what Excel was about. I wrote some codes, but I didn't have any knowledge of spreadsheets.

"Pretty in the initial months I was employed, I was contacted by my supervisor to complete different tasks with Excel such as "Combine all tables" as well as "Combine the tables. The problem was that I had to complete the task using my hands!" His boss explained the use of formulas to help speed up the process. Ben instantly realized that one of the fundamental skills required of anyone working in finance is the capacity to change the data.

"The individuals who possess the capability to succeed in this particular field are an impressive distance from those that appear chaotic," Ben continues. I thought "Right right now, I'm going to need to improve my skills and I found a myriad of sites on the web like mrexcel.com and chandoo.org The users of these sites had exactly the same workflow as I do today, using the power of Excel for the last fifteen years."

The more Ben was able to look over data and spreadsheets as he did, the more fascinating intensified "It was this tunnel that was becoming more captivating." Ben recognized that some of the instruction in programming that he had received in his time at college could be implemented by programming languages that connect with databases, like VBA.

In his time as a certified accountant expert, accountants were most fascinated by technology, but more so with financial or accounting. "After more than eight years being in a field I loved, I was as if I had finished!. I didn't know what the next step would be. My first thought was becoming a programer." Ben tells me.

 Ben L Collins speaking at an event later in the evening.

He took a few courses and then began applying to work. "It was not a comprehensive initiative, but I did begin building my own website, as well as began to write posts. My first few articles I made were all about Google Sheets and they're the ones I found on Google Search." Google Sheets brought in a many requests from customers as well as pay-per-hour jobs.

"In the years 2014 and 2015 I was able to receive a lot of customer calls that were outbound asking "Hey do you need help in creating my dashboard using spreadsheets, spreadsheets, or any other spreadsheets? This is "Can you glance at the spreadsheets of my business and help me determine what I can do you can improve my spreadsheets to be more effective? ? '."

The task comprised Excel, Google Sheets, SQL along with Tableau. "It wasn't a real task, but rather an instance of think"Maybe there's something to be found in the field. Perhaps I'll become an independent contractor, instead of having to go back to the role in which I was before . This is not the intention for me to return to my accounting job!" Ben smiles. "I would like to keep up on the most recent technological advances in research and development."

Goodbye accounting, hello education

The site for education that was first launched by General Assembly was just a initiative that was in its beginning stages and was preparing to launch classes for professional programmers along with analytics analysts. "They are developing a class for part-time students on analytics of data. Because I've taken one of their courses within that designed by developers for students, I knew of the students who took the class. Once they declared the course on data, they immediately began to recruit for instructors. The curriculum was composed of Excel, SQL and Tableau," Ben continues. "I was thinking"Ooh this is what I was doing when I was just eight years young. ! '." The applicant was through the interviewing process before being hired and became an instructor on the course at a range of occasions throughout 2015.

"That resulted in me becoming an instructor again" Ben recalls. "I'd taught at a college level as a mentor to children before beginning my final semester at college." The first step was to add corporate training to the courses online, which included tutorials and lessons. "As I observed an increased number of people who are interested on my site I decided to develop my own course and test to see how feasible it could be to implement it."

) A course on the Google Query feature within Sheets

The course's material was well received, and that inspired Ben to develop a new course. "I made use of the online platform Teachable to discover a way for me to stay in touch with my students, and to maintain the relationship rather than transferring that relationship to an online marketplace, such as Udemy."

I conducted a Google search and discovered that the name popping up in the internet was the man who owns the magazine for technology news Stratechery, Ben Thompson. Ben Thompson is known as"the OG!" Ben has a wonderful time. "I have been a member several times, and was able to see how others use Flowing Data and Craig Mod used similar methods." Ben was reading through the newsletters of their members for quite a long duration, and I was interested in learning about the strategies they employed to run their businesses that were based on the membership. I thought "I would like my business to follow the same principles which they employ.'. I was amazed by how simple and straightforward it was to do. I was thinking"I I would love to get this feeling of membership..'

It is essential to maintain the rate of development.

It's due to the fact that Ben's subscription comes with top-quality (or "gated") data available on WordPress as well as an electronic newsletter that's excellent and sent to subscribers via emails using Kit (formerly ConvertKit). For information, the main emphasis is Google Sheets that include features, updates, and other alternatives - as well as how you can make the most from the application.

"The forthcoming newsletter will feature in-depth information on the most current tools Google released in the last year." Ben adds. These are extremely useful features which allow you to modify data. This is for the instructional video, as well as the URL to Google Sheet. Google Sheet template that people might download themselves. In addition, the speaker states that the discussion will take place regarding the subject to be held. "I use newsletters to provide additional information about the topic, as well as for providing Google Meet. Google Meet link for the live events."

If asked about the direction in which the business is headed, Ben thinks membership could be the foundation of his company. "I am definitely looking to attract new members. I'd prefer membership to be the only choice," he says. "I am a current member of an online library with no cost content. If you want to join, sign up as a professional in order to assist me in my work and keep me informed of any new info."

Z6fYkdbv3adzawtsO An online game that simulates the Chess game, developed using Google Sheets

The writer claims to have been able to provide consultancy services, and also to include advertisements in his newsletter. He's hoping to enhance his method of doing so "if I'm able to grow my membership to the point that it's sufficient, then take away any unnecessary concerns. There's a myriad of issues to consider however, expanding your membership is a must. "

He has a variety of ideas in mind that could assist in the expansion of his services. "I've been thinking for quite a while period of time how I'd like to increase the power of my broadcasting during the live event, particularly since we're planning to add more members this year. The service itself will change. It won't change significantly, but the process continues to develop."

The author further states that he'd like to create an internet platform for members to to share information about the kind of problems they're having and what problems they'd like to resolve "That can be achieved via "office times" or any other way for contacting" as long as it's done in the right amount of efficiency and in a way that is acceptable to everyone involved.

Ben states that, at the present, all communication with his customers is by email. "I suggest you respond by text with the subject line 'Hi I'd love to hear your thoughts'. My preferred method since it's easy to control.

He was well-known as an participant on discussion forums and also for his cohort sessions' in which people worked on Google Sheets problems online as part of a larger group. "We attended two sessions of this type in 2021. They're extremely well-known. This experience was fantastic, however it was also very demanding for the first 5 weeks. Everything felt as if it was a "firehose filled with" inquiries. This is my first experience in a similar group as I'm concerned that after turning on the light, it will be hard to turn the light off entirely. That's a concern I'm considering How would you approach this issue for the coming time?

"I had not taken the time to live-stream any events prior to the time I began the business, but I thought"Just perform it live to check how it goes. Test if it's fun to do it, before I commit to anything.' It's working! The company owner is considering including live events into the mix "They're entertaining and people get satisfaction from these occasions. Let's find out where this is occurring!"

Ben is the person who is in charge of Zoom sessions with his clients.

"Right right now I'm delivering the subject I've picked and giving in live classes," He says. But in the cohort classes, there was more of an open discussions "People were in the room asking questions like 'Hey, what is a problem that I'm unable to get my head around.' The discussion would take place directly on the spot. The event would be open for the public to watch. It's something we'll consider about during the next semester. It's a fantastic opportunity for students to get involved."

At the end of the day, Ben thinks it's feasible to set up Discord forums for Q&A to give another alternative. But, he says "I just want to be sure that I'm prepared to face the challenges in a manner that isn't taking over my life." The evidence suggests that Ben is well on his way to establishing the base of constant and consistent collaboration with his staff. We think that keeping that connection over time is crucial for the longevity of an participation in the community "Little Events" - and we'll continue to work on building this as time goes by!" he smiles.

More details

Ben Collins is an educator and writer. He is also a computer programmer. Ben Collins is the founder of The Collins School of Data. Ben develops online classes and blog posts about the tools available in Google Workspace tools. My primary focus is on studying data, and automatizing procedures using Google Sheets and Apps Script.

Ben L Collins' website

He's an advocate of developing simple, data-driven apps that can be an integral part of Google's Google stack. This includes Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Google Apps Script, Forms, Docs, Gmail and many additional apps. For more details, visit benlcollins.com.

The article first appeared on this site. the web site

The article originally ran here

The article was first published here. This site

This post first came up here. here

This post was posted on here