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"I worked as an accountant for eight years, and I used Microsoft Excel every day for numerous hours" commences Google Sheets as well as Apps Script's teacher professional Ben L Collins. "Almost everything I worked on utilized Excel but I did not hold a formal degree. I'd written code, but never done anything directly related to spreadsheets.

"Pretty during the very beginning of my first week in the workplace I was being instructed by my supervisor to accomplish a few things by using Excel such as "Combine tables".. but I was doing everything with my hands!" His supervisor showed him his formulas to save time and Ben recognized that one of the key capabilities required for professionals in finance is to process information.

"The people who have the capability to accomplish it will beat out everyone else who must struggle to get through."" Ben continues. I had been thinking "Right now is the time to build my abilities and I came across lots of websites online including mrexcel.com and chandoo.org The websites did precisely the same thing as I do now, only using Excel 15 years before."

The more Ben was able to glance at formulas and spreadsheets, more interested he became: "It was this rabbit tunnel that kept getting deep." Ben could see that some of the programming skills he acquired in his early years of school was able to be merged with the other languages of programming that work with databases like VBA.

Over the course of his professional accounting career He has been is more enthralled by technological advancements as opposed to the realm of accounting and finance. "After more than 8 years working I decided that I've had enough and am done!. I wasn't sure what my next steps however, among my first thoughts was to change careers and become an engineer." Ben tells me.

     HTML1 Ben L Collins speaking in an evening party    

He attended a few classes, and began applying to work. "It was a brief time to leave, however I created my own site and began to write posts. The first pieces I wrote included Google Sheets and were the ones that Google added to it's Search." This led to the emergence of customers requesting free-lance positions.

"In 2014 and 2015, there was a steady stream of clients seeking assistance "Hey Could I be assisted in constructing the dashboard using spreadsheets? or "Can you go through my Excel spreadsheets for the company and assist me to determine how I can improve these formulas? ? '."

The task needed Excel, Google Sheets, SQL as well as Tableau. "It doesn't require a lot of effort, however it gave me an opportunity to think "Maybe there's something here. You could make yourself an independent contractor rather than returning to my previous job . I'd rather not go back into a job in accounting!" Ben smiles. "I will continue trying to advance technology and innovating."

Goodbye accounting, hello education

The site for educational General Assembly was just a startup and was providing courses specifically geared towards data analysts as well as developers. "They are planning to launch an online course for data analysis that was partially-time. As I'd previously attended a class within the program in the course they offer for developers, I developed an established relationship with individuals who were there when I took the course. This was around the time they first launched of their Data course. It was the year 2015. They were in search of instructors. The class was comprised of Excel, SQL and Tableau," Ben continues. "I was thinking"This is the same thing I've done since the age of eight ! '." He went through the process of being interviewed to obtain the position. He was also an instructor several times in the year 2015.

"That motivated me to return to teaching" Ben recalls. "I'd taught in the college setting and as an instructor for children towards the end of my graduation year." He was able to incorporate some corporate training into the online courses, including lessons and tutorials. "As I noticed an increase in the amount of people who are curious about what I do I decided to create my own online course in order to see if it was an appropriate idea."

) A course on the Google Query feature within Sheets

The course was adored by the students and appreciated thoroughly which was enough to spur Ben to develop a fresh course. "I used a platform that is known as Teachable as I was looking to develop a rapport directly with my students, and continue to maintain the relationship myself instead of transferring it onto an online marketplace like Udemy."

I felt compelled to conduct some digging and one name that kept appearing was the man who is responsible for the journal for tech called Stratechery. Ben Thompson. Ben Thompson is known as"the OG!" Ben is laughing. "I registered for a couple of accounts on my own, to see the ways that users like Flowing Data and Craig Mod did the same." Ben was a subscriber to their newsletter when that he was just a kid. I was curious about the processes they used in order to establish their own membership-based business. I was thinking "I wish my business to have the same look like theirs.'. I was very impressed by the registration process. It was simple and swift I thought"I'm desperate for that member's feeling..'

Moving forward in a sustainable manner

In order to give a general overview of Ben's subscription service, it is comprised of top-quality (or "gated") content and is hosted on WordPress and also an electronic newsletter that is distributed via emails using Kit (formerly ConvertKit). In terms of the content, it is based around Google Sheets - including products enhancements, features and so on and strategies to get the best benefit from the application.

"The next newsletter will feature an in-depth look at certain new features Google introduced at the end of the calendar year last year." Ben adds. They are very useful functions that allow you to modify the data. This tutorial will cover this topic, as well as links to Google Sheet, a Google Sheet template available for people to download. Additionally, there will be a live discussion regarding the subject. "I make use of the newsletters to share details about times, and to share my Google Meet link for the live sessions."

If asked about his future plans, Ben imagines that membership is the most important aspect of his company. "I definitely want to bring new members in because I'd prefer that this membership become my only source of revenue," he says. "I have the ability to offer archived content at no cost but there's also the option to become the professional member. It will allow me to obtain greater material."

Z6fYkdbv3adzawtsO playing the game Chess through Google Sheets

He says he was once in a position to provide consultations and even put ads on his site, however he is now trying to eliminate the practice "if I'm able to connect with at a sufficient number of people that I can remove the rest of the products. There are some minor areas that need to be focused upon, however, growing the number of subscribers is vital. "

It's possible to consider different options for expanding his service. "I've been contemplating ways I can be more efficient in broadcasting live events, and we've put together some plans to aid in attracting more members over the coming year. The streaming service is expected to change. It's unlikely to change in the manner we conduct things, however, we'll be broadcasting live content."

He adds the desire to come up with the best way for members to communicate on the issues they're facing aswell as the questions they'd like to address sometime in the future "That might be feasible through "office hours' or perhaps the ideal method to submit queries" to the extent that is sustainable and advantageous for all those affected.

Ben says that for the moment all interaction with his fans is through emails. "I would like to suggest that you contact me with a message that says "Hey please tell me what you're working on'. This is an excellent idea since it's easy to keep track of.

Forum chats were planned along with a "cohort class" that saw participants work on Google Sheets issues online together in a small group. "We took part in two in 2021, while Google Sheets were the talk throughout the city. It was a great experience but it was very stressful for the first couple of weeks It was like the "firehose of questions. This was my first time participating in an educational program, but I'm worried that once I turn on the device, it will not be possible to switch off the device. This is something I'd like consider, and how do I manage it with an eye on the long in the future?

"I didn't have live sessions before I started because I was thinking"Just perform it live and watch how people react. You should ensure that you are enjoying the process, before committing to everything. This is going well! Owner wants to have live sessions "They're fun and participants benefit of these sessions. It's going to be exciting as we'll watch how this goes!"

HTML0 Ben hosts an online meeting along with his guests

"Right this moment, I'm going to present subjects to the students. I'll pick a topic and then we'll discuss it in the live session," he continues. For the cohort course this was more of than a discussion that was open to all participants "People attended the class for the purpose of saying, "Hey, there's some method that's making me confused." It was a discussion live, with others would observe. This issue will be addressed over the course of the year. It's a great chance for the public to participate."

In the end, Ben believes the possibility of the Q&A forum may be a possibility however, Ben states: "I just want to ensure that I'm doing this in a way that isn't taking the control of my personal life." That suggests that Ben is already working towards establishing the longest-lasting and long-lasting connection with the local community. The ability to keep your connections strong is vital for maintaining a community membership that lasts "Little Step: Let's make further on it as time goes on!" He is smiling.

More details

Ben Collins is an educator as well as an author, developer and director for The Collins School of Data. Ben Collins creates online classes and writes about Google's Workspace tools. My focus is the analysis of data automated processes using Google Sheets along with Apps Script.

Ben L Collins' website

He enjoys creating simple programs that use data in order to utilize the features of his Google stack. It comprises Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Google Apps Script, Forms, Docs, Gmail and a host of others. For more information visit benlcollins.com.

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