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"I was an accountant for the last 8 years, and I was able to utilize Microsoft Excel every day for long hours" commences Google Sheets and Applications Script expert teacher Ben L Collins. "Almost everything about my work was done using Excel however I did not have an Excel background. I'd written code, but I had never used spreadsheets before.

"Pretty very early on in my professional life I was asked by my boss to finish a number of tasks by using Excel and Excel "Combine these tables" and I did everything by myself!" Manager showed Ben certain formulas that could reduce the duration to a minimum and Ben immediately realized the main ability required by anyone in working in the field of finance must be able to work using the information.

"The those who have the ability achieve this feat will go a long way over those who do not," Ben continues. I thought "Right today, I'm going be required to improve my skills. I then went through a few websites online like mrexcel.com as well as chandoo.org This is precisely what I've been doing with Excel in the past fifteen years."

The more Ben was able to understand equations, worksheets, and formulas the more intrigued the man became: "It was this rabbit tunnel that seemed to take you into the depths of in the darkness." He realized that some of the programming education in college could be used together with the other languages of databases such as VBA.

In the course of his professional career as a bookkeeper, he was much more interested in the fields of science and technology in contrast to finance and accounting. "After nearly eight years working, I realized that I had ample money to pursue a career!'. I wasn't certain what the next steps were, however the first of my objectives was to be Engineer." Ben tells me.

Ben L Collins speaking during an evening party

He attended some classes prior to beginning to submit applications for positions. "It was not going as well, but during that time I started my own website and also wrote articles. The first article I wrote was on Google Sheets which are those that are indexed by [GoogleSearch. Search." This led to a lot of requests from clients, as well as freelance jobs.

"In the period between 2014 and the year 2015, we saw a significant amount of an outbound flow of people asking"Hey Would you like to help me with designing my dashboard with spreadsheets and spreadsheets or spreadsheets?' Would you like to have an overall view of my spreadsheets for business so that I can help me with discovering ways to improve these formulas? ? '."

The task called for Excel, Google Sheets, SQL and Tableau. "It was not a huge amount of work, however it did indicate of something I need to think"Maybe this is a sign something. Perhaps I'm working as a freelancer instead of returning to my previous position I worked in the past . It was never my intention of going back to accounting!" Ben smiles. "I wanted to persevere in my quest to learn and improve my technological skills."

Goodbye accounting, hello education

The education website General Assembly was just a start-up and offered training courses especially for data analysts. "They introduced the concept of an all-time data analysis course. When I've been to an instruction within their program in one of their courses intended specifically for developers, I found myself in awe of the instructors who were there. They introduced the data-focused course, and they needed instructors. The course was Excel, SQL and Tableau," Ben continues. "I thought, 'This is exactly what I've been doing for the last eight years! '." Ben was able to complete the application process after which he was given the job and was instructed in the course in a variety variations in the year 2015.

"That inspired me to get to teach," Ben recalls. "I'd held a teaching job at a university level as a tutor for students in the last year of my studies." He began to incorporate corporate training within the online options including courses and tutorials. "As I began to build audiences, in the year 2017 I decided to develop my own online training course, and then, later, find out what the results were."

) A course on the query function of Google Sheets

The class was extremely popular and the students loved it the point that they were able to encourage Ben to create a second course. "I utilized a website known as Teachable in order to establish a strong connection with my students. I wanted to be the one who controls the relationship rather than leaving it to a marketplace like the one offered by Udemy."

I looked up a few names and a name that stood out for me was that of the person who was the writer of the magazine on technology called Stratechery, Ben Thompson. Ben Thompson is one of the OG!" Ben is smiling. "I have joined several accounts and I have been able look at how other companies such as Flowing Data and Craig Mod were able to achieve this." Ben has been a member of the newsletter at no cost for many months, and I was interested to learn more about what they did to develop their membership service. I was thinking to myself, "I want mine to get the same service.'. I was awed with how simple it was to join, and how easy it was to join. and I thought "I'd like that member experience.'

Making progress in a sustainable way

To provide you with a sense of the context, Ben's membership package is currently offering premium (or "gated") information that's located on WordPress and a weekly newsletter sent by email via Kit (formerly ConvertKit). The content is built around Google Sheets and contains information on product features and updates as well as tips to get the maximum benefit from the product.

"The following newsletter will provide an extensive look at current technology Google has introduced in the last year." Ben adds. They're extremely helpful instruments that allow you to alter information. The guide will explain this as well as the URL to Google Sheet, a Google Sheet template available for users to download. Additionally, there'll be a live discussion online on the topic. "I utilize periodic newsletters that provide information to the general public on dates and times, and Google Meet to link people via the Google Meet link for the live events."

When asked what the future holds for his company, Ben imagines that membership will become the basis of his company. "I sure want to attract new members since I'd like to make membership my sole option" he states. "I already have an online library with content for no cost. After that, you could join a professional membership and help me out to find additional content."

HTML0 A game similar to Chess that uses Google Sheets

The writer claims that it is possible to offer consultancy services and include advertising in his monthly newsletter. He wants to end this: "if I can build an audience sufficient and have it in place, I'd love to cut out the rest of it. There are a few small aspects to be focused on, but increasing the amount of subscribers is essential. "

He's told me he's exploring a number of possibilities to increase his offerings. "I've considered a few ideas regarding the present situation and I'm thinking about doing more effectively hosting events live for our members. Additionally, we are planning to bring members to the next meeting. Software will be updated. It's not likely to alter significantly, however we'll be doing more real-time work."

The member also states the desire to find a way to a faster means for members to speak with each other about the data issues they're dealing with and the things they'd like them to address this issue such as "That could be accomplished through "office hours" or a more efficient ways to make requests" - as long that the process is completed efficiently and in a beneficial manner for all parties.

Ben claims that, at present conversations with his followers is done by way of newsletters, which are electronic. "I really would like people to send me notes in the form of "Hey I'd love to hear what projects you're working on currently". It's simple to manage.

The man was known for facilitating discussion forums and "cohort classes" that saw participants work through Google Sheets questions online in the form of an online forum. "We had two of these courses back in 2021, when they were the rage. It was an extremely effective course. It was however extremely demanding over five weeks. The class was like an "firehose of questions. It was my first time taking part in a class, however I'm concerned that once I've turned on the switch and turned it off, I'll not be able to turn it off completely. It would be nice to think about it and figure out how I can do this without causing any harm to the environment?

"I had no commitments to host live sessions when I began thinking"Just test it out live to see what the reaction could be. Determine if it's fun to do this prior to me giving promises after promises.' It's working very good! He seems to be looking forward to adding live sessions "They're fun and everyone enjoys the sessions. It'll be fascinating to see how this plays out!"

Ben is hosting the HTML0 Zoom session with his clients.

"Right this moment, I'm giving subjects like choosing a topic and we'll cover that for the live lecture," he continues. In the past, lectures in groups were more like an open-forum "People would come in and inquire "Hey I've got an equation that I'm trying to understand.' It was then debated in real time. You could also be observing. The next time we consider doing it then we'll think about it for next year; it's the perfect way for all to be involved."

To conclude, Ben is certain that the concept of an Discord Q&A forums is likely, but Ben declares that "I want to be certain that I'm able to complete the task with a manner which doesn't make me feel overwhelmed." The message suggests Ben has started with the goal of building the basis of a lasting and ongoing friendship with his group. Our opinion is that keeping a good relationship with your group is crucial to the growth of the membership of an organization "Little little by little We'll build slowly!" He smiles.

More information

Ben Collins is an educator writer, designer and the creator of The Collins School of Data. He creates online courses and contributes articles to the Google Workspace tools. My focus is on the study of data as well as automating it with the help of Google Sheets and Apps Script.

Ben L Collins' website

He enjoys creating apps that are light that are data-driven and work alongside Google's Google stack. The stack includes Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Google Apps Script, Forms, Docs, Gmail and many more. For more details visit benlcollins.com.

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