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 whole 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 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 concept?
After 5 years managing Google Sheets into an enormous inner database and power equipment at a startup, I went off by myself. However what did I do?
I began a e-newsletter in regards to the Influencer Advertising trade. After which offered that. After which tried to start out 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? By no means. I by no means thought I’d be a Google Sheets Guru. I nonetheless don’t suppose I’m. However folks saved mentioning how my google sheets planners had been completely distinctive. I might do issues in Google Sheets folks might 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 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 nicely possibly I can present folks find out how 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 facet challenge. The launch in and of itself was successful. I began it on the time as a one-time cost and to today there’s nonetheless a lifetime cost possibility. It’s only a bit greater worth now, than after I had solely 8 movies whole.
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Describe the method of launching and rising the enterprise.
The launch within the first 24 hours is fairly boring. I simply made the movies. Put up a Gumroad gross sales web page and a Carrd website. That’s about it. I’m wanting again and pondering “wow did that actually take me a complete day?”
I feel that as a result of I could make a brand new carrd website 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 plenty of hours of the day.
Lately I open a google doc, begin writing, and I even launched a Google Doc as a website throughout the final week. SellingSpreadsheets.com was out there 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 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 it’s a must to 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 fairly 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. Up to now I’ve 6 Google Sheet Add-ons printed to the Google Workspace Market. Ones like Sheet Types and Tiny Sheets have carried out nicely with hundreds 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 replica url and a PDF Export url.
Additionally I’ve created Method Mills you possibly can simply clarify your difficulty and it’ll create a method. Some are particular to REGEXMATCH or Conditional Formatting, but in addition a normal Google Sheets method generator that you may 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 through AppSumo Market. And I make 85% of my income through 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 supplied 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 practically 100% of the purchasers. Truthful deal in my guide.
Prior 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 to get higher. As an alternative of spending cash on PPC advertisements, or influencer advertising, or paid advertising, or doing earned advertising on podcasts and newsletters, I’m getting primarily free site visitors.
And at occasions 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 proportion likelihood to need 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 longer term, and what are you at present engaged on?
Proper in the intervening time 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 probably 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 they usually 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” lately.
Everybody needs to be promoting spreadsheets. You have to be promoting spreadsheets.
It’s so easy to do and can assist folks in such a pleasant method.
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 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 needs 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 quite a bit and make a tutorial about it, I now take into consideration how I could make the result attainable 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 searching for increasingly alternatives to construct instruments lately
What instruments do you utilize for what you are promoting?
Google Sheets – to do all the things
Google Workspace – to internally manage
Gmail – to e mail
Loom – to document movies
Gumroad – to promote Instruments
AppSumo Market – to promote LTD
Descript – to edit movies
Do you might have any recommendation for different entrepreneurs who’re simply beginning out or need 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 fairly discovering the proper folks you need to be held accountable to. It could possibly be a writing group, or a advertising group, or a hacking group.
Meet them at the very least 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 feel 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 in addition it will get you very used to public critique. Displaying somebody one thing is usually 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’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 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 immediately. 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 vital.
You’ll be able to 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 prefer to make that” after which shared it at 9:30 am and Had it carried out by 4pm that day. Confirmed it. Then launched it to Higher Sheets members.
For those who 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 completely happy to learn any emails.
I feel this may be carried out on-line and could be completely happy to see it carried out remotely however there’s completely one thing magical about sitting down and doing the work, with others, in the identical room.
