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 extremely spiky income month to month however often averages round $5k and might peak round $10k for months like Black Friday and after I elevate the LTD worth.
Just lately I added a $9 a month membership after testing out another worth factors. And my LTD worth 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 provide you with the thought?
After 5 years managing Google Sheets into an enormous inner database and gear equipment at a startup, I went off alone. However what did I do? I began a e-newsletter concerning the Influencer Advertising and marketing trade. After which offered that. After which tried to start out constructing a SaaS. Hda a technical cofounder however we simply by no means bought 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 folks stored mentioning how my google sheets planners had been completely distinctive. I may do issues in Google Sheets folks may solely dream of.
In April 2020, throughout 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 thought of Higher Sheets was a Dribbble for Google Sheets. I wished to make a set of nice Google Sheets. However I couldn’t discover any.
So then I used to be like properly possibly I can present folks how you can make greate Google Sheets and finally there can 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 undertaking. The launch in and of itself was the success. I began it on the time as a one-time fee and to this present day there may be nonetheless a lifetime fee choice. It’s only a bit increased worth now, than after I had solely 8 movies complete.
Describe the method of launching and rising the enterprise.
The launch within the first 24 hours is slightly 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 assume the writing, the hand wringing, and the final insecurity of not doing this specific factor ever earlier than can take plenty of hours of the day.
Nowadays 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 obtainable and matches the identify 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 12 months 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 specific order, and Matters 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 slightly 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 based mostly instruments. Thus far I’ve 6 Google Sheet Add-ons printed to the Google Workspace Market. Ones like Sheet Kinds and Tiny Sheets have accomplished properly with hundreds of downloads. They’re all free.
In mid 2022 I began created internet based mostly instruments to assist do extra issues with Sheets like make a duplicate url and a PDF Export url.
Additionally I’ve created Method Mills you’ll be able to simply clarify your difficulty and it’ll create a system. Some are particular to REGEXMATCH or Conditional Formatting, but additionally a normal Google Sheets system generator that you may ask it something.
What has labored to draw new clients?
The primary factor that draws new buyer is being listed on AppSumo Market. As soon as I bought listed on there I’ve had tons and tons of consumers. 80% of my clients 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 supplied a package deal 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 shoppers. Honest deal in my ebook.
Up to now 12 months 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 and marketing, or paid advertising and marketing, or doing earned advertising and marketing on podcasts and newsletters, I’m getting primarily free site visitors.
And at occasions you may make the declare they’re paying me to search out new clients for me. As a result of everybody who takes any of my Google Sheets programs on Udemy have a excessive proportion likelihood to wish to get a device to do one thing higher, or be taught extra to get higher, or purchase a template to save lots of time.
What are your plans for the long run, 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 essentially the most important steps for an individual who’s first beginning to promote vs somebody who’s seeking to promote extra.
I wish to cowl each paths and so they can each profit from some fundamentals. However wholly they’ll each profit from simply considering in an abundance mindset. There are simply not sufficient “spreadsheet sellers” as of late.
Everybody needs to be promoting spreadsheets. You have to be promoting spreadsheets.
It’s so easy to do and may also help folks in such a pleasant approach.
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 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 an increasing number of instruments across the recommendation I give. If I give some piece of recommendation so much 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 on the lookout for an increasing number of alternatives to construct instruments as of late
What instruments do you employ for your enterprise?
Google Sheets – to do all the pieces
Google Workspace – to internally set up
Gmail – to e mail
Loom – to report movies
Gumroad – to promote Instruments
AppSumo Market – to promote LTD
Descript – to edit movies
Do you will have any recommendation for different entrepreneurs who’re simply beginning out or wish to get began?
Discover an accountability group. That could possibly 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 slightly discovering the precise folks you wish to be held accountable to. It could possibly be a writing group, or a advertising and marketing group, or a hacking group.
Meet them not less than 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 1 one other. That’s it.
I’ve that group. A gaggle known as Hackagu and I believe the format is infinitely helpful. It’s helpful in the event you’re launching. It’s helpful in the event you’re doing advertising and marketing. It’s helpful in the event 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. 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’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 wish 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 kind 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 12 months 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 e mail me what you made. I’m joyful to learn any emails.
I believe this may be accomplished on-line and can be joyful to see it accomplished remotely however there may be completely one thing magical about sitting down and doing the work, with others, in the identical room.
