I’m Andrew Kamphey. Sure I’m the resident Google Sheets Wizard behind Higher Sheets. Higher Sheets is a collection of Instruments, Templates, and Tutorials for Google Sheets customers.
The enterprise generated complete income of $200,000 within the first three years. It is vitally spiky income month to month however normally averages round $5k and may peak round $10k for months like Black Friday and once I increase the LTD value.
Just lately I added a $9 a month membership after testing out another value factors. And my LTD value is now over $200 so I wished a greater entry level into the Higher Sheets universe along with the free movies on YouTube, Tiktok, and paid programs on Udemy.
What’s your backstory, and the way did you give you the thought?
After 5 years managing Google Sheets into an enormous inside database and gear package at a startup, I went off by myself. However what did I do?
I began a publication concerning the Influencer Advertising and marketing trade. After which offered that. After which tried to begin constructing a SaaS. Had a technical cofounder however we simply by no means received it to a sustainable worthwhile place.
Not all about Google Sheet is it? Under no circumstances. I by no means thought I’d be a Google Sheets Guru. I nonetheless don’t assume I’m. However individuals stored mentioning how my google sheets planners had been completely distinctive. I might do issues in Google Sheets individuals might solely dream of.
In April 2020, in the course of the peak of covid lockdown I vowed to myself that I’d launch one thing, something. And in 24 hours I gave myself a deadline. Launch One thing!
The completely first concept of Higher Sheets was a Dribbble for Google Sheets. I wished to make a group of nice Google Sheets. However I couldn’t discover any.
So then I used to be like properly possibly I can present individuals the best way to make nice Google Sheets and finally there can be sufficient to showcase. I made 8 tutorial movies in 1 day. Put 4 up without spending a dime, and 4 behind a paywall. That was the primary model of BetterSheets.
Launched on a Saturday. Made the primary sale on Monday. The 2nd sale took one other 2 weeks.
At first I set it up as a facet undertaking. The launch in and of itself was successful. I began it on the time as a one-time cost and to at the present time there may be nonetheless a lifetime cost choice. It’s only a bit increased value now, than once I had solely 8 movies complete.
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Describe the method of launching and rising the enterprise.
The launch within the first 24 hours is reasonably boring. I simply made the movies. Put up a Gumroad gross sales web page and a Carrd web site. That’s about it. I’m trying again and pondering “wow did that basically take me a complete day?”
I believe that as a result of I could make a brand new carrd web site in about 10 minutes now. Yeah I suppose the writing, the hand-wringing, and the final insecurity of not doing this specific factor ever earlier than can take a variety of hours of the day.
Lately I open a google doc, begin writing, and I even launched a Google Doc as a web site inside the final week. SellingSpreadsheets.com was accessible and matches the title of the my subsequent course I’m making. So I simply redirect the area to the Google Doc that explains the course. The functionally of that took about 3-4 minutes. However yeah the writing has taken weeks and the expertise I wanted has taken years.
Inside the previous yr I made an enormous change, or adjustment. I began making extra instruments for Google Sheets customers.
Initially I created Higher Sheets as a library of tutorials, that occur to have some construction. Structured round Programs that you need to watch the movies in a selected order, and Subjects the place you’ll be able to watch movies in no specific order.
I had been making instruments in sheets that weren’t for Google Sheets customers however reasonably for customers of different issues. Like Higher Letters is a collection of sheets to assist run a curated publication. 100 Twitter Templates is a sheet that can assist you tweet.
However beginning 2022 I’ve constructed Google Sheet Add-ons, and net based mostly instruments. To date I’ve 6 Google Sheet Add-ons revealed to the Google Workspace Market. Ones like Sheet Types and Tiny Sheets have completed properly with hundreds of downloads. They’re all free.
In mid 2022 I began created net based mostly instruments to assist do extra issues with Sheets like make a replica url and a PDF Export url.
Additionally I’ve created System Turbines you’ll be able to simply clarify your challenge and it’ll create a formulation. Some are particular to REGEXMATCH or Conditional Formatting, but additionally a normal Google Sheets formulation generator that you would be able to ask it something.
What has labored to draw new prospects?
The primary factor that pulls new buyer is being listed on AppSumo Market. As soon as I received listed on there I’ve had tons and tons of consumers. 80% of my prospects come by way of AppSumo Market. And I make 85% of my income by way of AppSumo Market.
They’ve been superb for me and to me. Helped me construct high quality hyperlinks to my work and distribute my work. I provided a bundle of 19 Google Sheets Templates on AppSumo and that’s been downloaded greater than 40,000 instances. They’ve featured Higher Sheets in blogs and movies.
On {the marketplace} they’re taking round 30% of the income however they generate practically 100% of the shoppers. Honest deal in my guide.
Prior to now yr I’m additionally pushing my programs on to course platforms like Udemy. It’s been very good to have the ability to entry a market of people who find themselves actively looking to get higher. As an alternative of spending cash on PPC adverts, or influencer advertising, or paid advertising, or doing earned advertising on podcasts and newsletters, I’m getting basically free site visitors.
And at instances you may make the declare they’re paying me to seek out new prospects for me. As a result of everybody who takes any of my Google Sheets programs on Udemy have a excessive share probability to need to get a software to do one thing higher, or be taught extra to get higher, or purchase a template to avoid wasting time.
What are your plans for the longer term, and what are you presently engaged on?
Proper in the meanwhile I’m constructing my course Promoting Spreadsheets. Attempting to distill my very own expertise of promoting spreadsheets for the previous 3 years. Whereas additionally incorporating different sellers’ views and determining what’s essentially the most important steps for an individual who’s first beginning to promote vs somebody who’s trying to promote extra.
I need to cowl each paths and so they can each profit from some fundamentals. However wholly they’ll each profit from simply pondering in an abundance mindset. There are simply not sufficient “spreadsheet sellers” as of late.
Everybody ought to be promoting spreadsheets. You have to be promoting spreadsheets.
It’s so easy to do and may also help individuals in such a pleasant manner.
For many years we’ve needed to share Excel recordsdata like they’re some bodily product. And now Google Sheets are so collaborative, and on-line, cloud based mostly. For a $6 a month software like Google Workspace, it’s a LOT of worth to everybody.
However the one factor that stays the identical is everybody desires to hoard their sheets.
Share your sheets extra. Study from one another. Let’s make spreadsheets superior! Not boring.
And I’m constructing increasingly instruments across the recommendation I give. If I give some piece of recommendation lots and make a tutorial about it, I now take into consideration how I could make the end result doable with one click on.
I’ve made add-ons like Button Types that make cool button-like cells in sheets. And constructed a Coupon Code Maker that generates 1,000 Gumroad Coupons in 1 click on. That is particularly for sellers to supply their merchandise on extra marketplaces.
I’m in search of increasingly alternatives to construct instruments as of late
What instruments do you employ for your corporation?
Google Sheets – to do every part
Google Workspace – to internally manage
Gmail – to e-mail
Loom – to file movies
Gumroad – to promote Instruments
AppSumo Market – to promote LTD
Descript – to edit movies
Do you may have any recommendation for different entrepreneurs who’re simply beginning out or need to get began?
Discover an accountability group. That might be a single particular person or heck, a rubber duck. It’s not about discovering the people who find themselves accountable to you or that maintain you accountable, however reasonably discovering the proper individuals you need to be held accountable to. It might be a writing group, or a advertising group, or a hacking group.
Meet them a minimum of as soon as every week and make one thing. Inform one another what you’re engaged on. Then go make it. Then present it to at least one one other. That’s it.
I’ve that group. A bunch known as Hackagu and I believe the format is infinitely helpful. It’s helpful should you’re launching. It’s helpful should you’re doing advertising. It’s helpful should you’re constructing options or new enterprise fashions.
Simply get collectively as soon as every week and say what you’ll do and do it. That’s it.
Having the ability to present another person the work you do does two issues. It makes you do the factor but additionally it will get you very used to public critique. Displaying somebody one thing could be a very daunting job for somebody simply beginning out.
By getting used to on a weekly foundation for saying what you’ll do and doing what you stated you’ll do, it primes the pump of accountability.
You’ll have a greater understanding of what you’ll be able to say you’ll do and really do. You’ll even be freer to place extra of your self out on the planet.
If it’s tweet you need to do extra of, then host a weekly tweeters group at a neighborhood espresso store.
If it’s writing weblog posts, host a weekly bloggers group.
9:30 AM Introduce your self, what you’re engaged on, and what you’ll do right now. Ought to take about 2 minutes per particular person.
Have lunch collectively and a break.
4:00 PM Demos. Present what you made/wrote/labored on. In any type it’s.
By doing this each week you’ll get within the behavior of determining what to do, what you are able to do. Specializing in that factor. Doing it. And sharing it.
Your entire course of is vital.
You possibly can see a lot of the instruments that I’ve constructed over the previous yr have been constructed this fashion. I had a query or a considered “oh I’d prefer to make that” after which shared it at 9:30 am and Had it completed by 4pm that day. Confirmed it. Then launched it to Higher Sheets members.
In case you can’t discover even one different particular person then make it a weekly behavior with your self. If anybody feels alone and they’re studying this. Do it sooner or later after which e-mail me what you made. I’m pleased to learn any emails.
I believe this may be completed on-line and can be pleased to see it completed remotely however there may be completely one thing magical about sitting down and doing the work, with others, in the identical room.
