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 rather spiky income month to month however often averages round $5k and may peak round $10k for months like Black Friday and after I increase the LTD value.
Not too long ago I added a $9 a month membership after testing out another value factors. And my LTD value is now over $200 so I needed 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 provide you with the concept?
After 5 years managing Google Sheets into an enormous inner database and power package at a startup, I went off by myself. However what did I do?
I began a e-newsletter in regards to the Influencer Advertising and marketing business. After which bought 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? In no way. 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 may do issues in Google Sheets individuals may solely dream of.
In April 2020, through the top 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 thought of Higher Sheets was a Dribbble for Google Sheets. I needed to make a set of nice Google Sheets. However I couldn’t discover any.
So then I used to be like nicely perhaps I can present individuals the right way to make nice Google Sheets and finally there could be sufficient to showcase. I made 8 tutorial movies in 1 day. Put 4 up without cost, 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 aspect challenge. The launch in and of itself was a hit. I began it on the time as a one-time fee and to today there’s nonetheless a lifetime fee choice. It’s only a bit greater value now, than after 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 moderately 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 considering “wow did that really take me a whole 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 whole lot of hours of the day.
Nowadays I open a google doc, begin writing, and I even launched a Google Doc as a web site throughout the final week. SellingSpreadsheets.com was obtainable 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.
Throughout 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 must watch the movies in a selected order, and Subjects the place you possibly can watch movies in no specific order.
I had been making instruments in sheets that weren’t for Google Sheets customers however moderately for customers of different issues. Like Higher Letters is a collection of sheets to assist run a curated e-newsletter. 100 Twitter Templates is a sheet that will help you tweet.
However beginning 2022 I’ve constructed Google Sheet Add-ons, and internet primarily based instruments. To this point I’ve 6 Google Sheet Add-ons revealed to the Google Workspace Market. Ones like Sheet Kinds and Tiny Sheets have accomplished nicely with 1000’s of downloads. They’re all free.
In mid 2022 I began created internet primarily based instruments to assist do extra issues with Sheets like make a duplicate url and a PDF Export url.
Additionally I’ve created Components Mills you possibly can simply clarify your subject and it’ll create a system. Some are particular to REGEXMATCH or Conditional Formatting, but additionally a normal Google Sheets system 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 shoppers. 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 excellent 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 occasions. They’ve featured Higher Sheets in blogs and movies.
On {the marketplace} they’re taking round 30% of the income however they generate almost 100% of the purchasers. Honest deal in my e book.
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 out 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 primarily free visitors.
And at occasions you can also 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 proportion probability to need to get a device to do one thing higher, or study extra to get higher, or purchase a template to save lots of time.
What are your plans for the longer term, and what are you at present engaged on?
Proper in the mean time I’m constructing my course Promoting Spreadsheets. Making an attempt to distill my very own expertise of promoting spreadsheets for the previous 3 years. Whereas additionally incorporating different sellers’ views and determining what’s probably the most important steps for an individual who’s first beginning to promote vs somebody who’s seeking to promote extra.
I need to cowl each paths and so they can each profit from some fundamentals. However wholly they will each profit from simply considering in an abundance mindset. There are simply not sufficient “spreadsheet sellers” nowadays.
Everybody must be promoting spreadsheets. Try to be promoting spreadsheets.
It’s so easy to do and might help individuals in such a pleasant manner.
For many years we’ve needed to share Excel information like they’re some bodily product. And now Google Sheets are so collaborative, and on-line, cloud primarily based. For a $6 a month device 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 result potential with one click on.
I’ve made add-ons like Button Kinds 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 searching for increasingly alternatives to construct instruments nowadays
What instruments do you utilize for your online business?
Google Sheets – to do every little thing
Google Workspace – to internally manage
Gmail – to electronic mail
Loom – to report 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 moderately 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 at the very least as soon as per week and make one thing. Inform one another what you’re engaged on. Then go make it. Then present it to 1 one other. That’s it.
I’ve that group. A gaggle referred to as Hackagu and I believe the format is infinitely helpful. It’s helpful if you happen to’re launching. It’s helpful if you happen to’re doing advertising. It’s helpful if you happen to’re constructing options or new enterprise fashions.
Simply get collectively as soon as per week and say what you’ll do and do it. That’s it.
With 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. Exhibiting somebody one thing could be a very daunting activity 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’d do, it primes the pump of accountability.
You’ll have a greater understanding of what you possibly can say you’ll do and really do. You’ll even be freer to place extra of your self out on the earth.
If it’s tweet you need to do extra of, then host a weekly tweeters group at an area 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 at the moment. 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.
The complete course of is necessary.
You possibly can see many of the instruments that I’ve constructed over the previous yr have been constructed this manner. I had a query or a considered “oh I’d like to make that” after which shared it at 9:30 am and Had it accomplished by 4pm that day. Confirmed it. Then launched it to Higher Sheets members.
When 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 at some point after which electronic mail me what you made. I’m pleased to learn any emails.
I believe this may be accomplished on-line and could be pleased to see it accomplished remotely however there’s completely one thing magical about sitting down and doing the work, with others, in the identical room.
