I’m Andrew Kamphey. Yes, I’m the lead Google Sheets creator behind Higher Sheets. Higher Sheets is a set of tools, templates, and tutorials for Google Sheets users.
In its first three years, the corporate generated total revenue of $200,000. These are very high revenues from month to month, but they sometimes average around PLN 5,000. dollars and should reach a peak of around 10,000. dollars during months like Black Friday and once I increase the worth of LTD.
I recently added a $9/month membership after testing several other pricing tiers. And my LTD price is now over $200, so along with free videos on YouTube, Tiktok, and paid courses on Udemy, I needed a greater entry point into the world of Higher Sheets.
What’s your story and the way did you provide you with this concept?
After 5 years of managing Google Sheets in an enormous internal database and toolkit at a startup, I went solo. But what did I do? I began a newsletter in regards to the Influencer Marketing industry. After which he sold it. After which I attempted to start out constructing SaaS. Hda is a technical co-founder, but we have now never achieved a sustainable profitable position.
It is not nearly Google Sheet, right? By no means. I never thought I might turn into a Google Sheets guru. I still don’t think I’m. But people kept mentioning that my Google Sheets planners were completely unique. I could do things in Google Sheets that others could only dream of.
In April 2020, at the peak of the pandemic isolation, I promised myself that I might release something, anything. And inside 24 hours I gave myself an appointment. Launch something!
Higher Sheets’ absolute first idea was dribbling for Google Sheets. I desired to create a set of great Google Sheets. But I could not find any.
So I believed perhaps I could show people tips on how to create great Google Sheets and at last have enough to indicate off. I made 8 instructional videos in in the future. Put 4 free of charge and 4 behind a paywall. This was the primary version of BetterSheets.
Launched on Saturday. The primary sale was made on Monday. The second sale lasted one other 2 weeks.
At first I treated it as a side project. The premiere itself was a hit. It began then as a one-time payment and to at the present time there’s an choice to pay for all times. That is now just a rather higher price than once I only had 8 videos total.
Describe the strategy of starting and growing an organization.
The beginning in the primary 24 hours is fairly boring. I just made videos. Arrange a Gumroad sales page and a Carrd page. That is the point. I look back and think, “wow, did that actually take me all day?”
I feel so because now I can create a brand new tabbed page in about 10 minutes. Yes, I feel the writing, hand-wringing, and general uncertainty that I won’t ever do that particular thing before can take up many hours of the day.
Currently, I open a Google Doc, start writing, and inside the last week I even launched a Google Doc as an internet site. SellingSpreadsheets.com was available and matches the name of the following course I’m teaching. So I simply redirect the domain to a Google Doc explaining the course. Functionally it took about 3-4 minutes. But yes, it took weeks to put in writing and years to achieve the experience I needed.
I actually have made an enormous change or adjustment over the past 12 months. I began creating more tools for Google Sheets users.
I originally created Higher Sheets as a library of tutorials which have some structure. Built around courses where the videos should be watched in a selected order, and topics where the videos could be watched in any order.
I used to be creating tools in sheets that weren’t intended for Google Sheets users, but fairly for users of other things. Like Higher Letters is a set of worksheets to allow you to run your chosen newsletter. 100 Twitter Templates is a worksheet that may allow you to tweet.
Nonetheless, as of 2022, I actually have been creating Google Sheets add-ons and web tools. Up to now I actually have 6 Google Sheets add-ons published on Google Workspace Marketplace. The likes of Sheet Styles and Tiny Sheets do well with 1000’s of downloads. They’re all free.
In mid-2022, I began constructing web tools that allow you to do more things in Sheets, reminiscent of: make a copy of the URL ia PDF export URL.
I actually have also created formula generators, you’ll be able to just explain your problem and it’ll create a formula. Some are specific REGEX MATCH Or Conditional formattingbut additionally A generic Google Sheets formula generator you could ask about anything.
What helped attract latest customers?
Crucial thing that pulls latest customers is getting them listed on the AppSumo Marketplace. Once I got there, I had a whole lot of customers. 80% of my customers come through the AppSumo Marketplace. I generate 85% of my revenue through the AppSumo Marketplace.
They were superb to me and me. It helped me create high-quality links to my work and spread it. I offered a bundle of 19 Google Sheets templates on AppSumo that was downloaded over 40,000 times. They featured Higher Sheets of their blogs and videos.
In the marketplace, they take about 30% of revenues, but generate almost 100% of consumers. A good deal in my book.
Over the past 12 months, I actually have also been sharing my courses on target platforms like Udemy. It was very nice to have access to a market of people who find themselves actively trying to improve. As an alternative of spending money on ppc ads, influencer marketing, paid marketing, or earned marketing on podcasts and newsletters, I get essentially free traffic.
Sometimes it’s possible you’ll claim that I’m paid to search out latest clients for me. Because anyone who takes any of my Google Sheets courses on Udemy has a high percentage of probabilities that they’re going to need to get a tool to assist them do something higher, learn more to get well, or buy a template to save lots of time .
What are your plans for the long run and what are you currently working on?
I’m currently making a Spreadsheet Sales course. I’m attempting to describe my very own experience selling spreadsheets over the past 3 years. While also considering the perspectives of other sellers and considering what steps are most vital for the primary person to sell versus the one that desires to sell more.
I need to cover each paths, and each can profit from some basics. But each can fully profit from just considering from an abundance mindset. There simply aren’t enough “spreadsheet salespeople” nowadays.
Everyone should sell spreadsheets. You need to sell spreadsheets.
It is so easy and will help people in such a pleasant way.
For a long time, we needed to share Excel files as in the event that they were a physical product. Now Google Sheets enables you to collaborate online and within the cloud. For a $6/month tool like Google Workspace, it is a GREAT value for anyone.
But one thing stays the identical: everyone wants to gather their sheets.
Share your sheets more often. Learn from one another. Let’s create amazing spreadsheets! Not boring.
I’m creating an increasing number of tools based on the recommendation I give. If I often give advice and make a tutorial on it, I now take into consideration how I could make the result possible with one click. I’ve made add-ons like Button Styles which create cool cells in sheets that appear to be buttons. And built a coupon code generator that generates 1000s of Gumroad coupons in a single click. That is specifically for sellers who can offer their products in additional markets.
I’m currently searching for an increasing number of tool constructing opportunities
What tools do you employ in your enterprise?
Google Sheets – do all the things
Google Workspace – organize internally
Gmail – on email
Loom – for recording videos
Gumroad – for selling tools
Sumo App Marketplace – sell a limited liability company
Description – for video editing
Do you have got any advice for other entrepreneurs who are only starting out or want to start out?
Find an accountability group. It might be a lonely person or, hell, a rubber duck. It is not about finding people who find themselves accountable to you or who hold you accountable, but fairly finding the best people to whom you would like to be accountable. It might be a writing group, a marketing group, or a hacking group.
Meet with them no less than once every week and do something. Tell one another what you might be working on. So go and do it. Then show it to one another. That is it.
I actually have this group. A gaggle called Hackagu and I find this format endlessly useful. This is beneficial in the event you are running. This is beneficial in the event you are in marketing. This is beneficial in the event you are creating features or latest business models.
Just meet once every week and say what you are going to do and do it. That is it.
There are two advantages to having the ability to show another person your work. It forces you to take motion, nevertheless it also gets you used to public criticism. Showing something to someone generally is a very difficult task for somebody just starting out.
Moving into the habit of claiming what you’ll do and doing what you say you’ll do every week gets the accountability pump going.
You’ll have a greater understanding of what you say you’ll do and what you truly do. You may even have more freedom to indicate more of yourself on this planet.
If you would like to do more along with your tweet, organize a weekly tweet group at your local coffee shop.
Relating to writing blog posts, run a weekly blogger group.
9:30 Introduce yourself what you might be working on and what you will probably be doing today. Should take about 2 minutes per person.
Have lunch and a break together.
16:00 Shows. Show what you have done/written/worked on. In any form.
By doing this every week, you’re going to get into the habit of desirous about what to do and what you’ll be able to do. By specializing in this thing. Doing this. And sharing it.
The entire process is significant.
As you’ll be able to see, a lot of the tools I’ve built over the past 12 months have been built this manner. I had an issue or thought “oh I’d love to try this” after which I shared it at 9:30 and had it done by 4:00 that day. He showed it. It was then shared with Higher Sheets members.
When you cannot discover a single other person, make it a weekly habit. If anyone feels lonely and reads this. Do it in the future after which email me what you probably did. I’m completely happy to read every email.
I feel it might probably be done online and I might like to see it from a distance, but there’s something magical about sitting down and doing work with other people in the identical room.