Sumit Bansal did bachelor of technology in biotechnology from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology University and MBA in finance from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Over the years, he has worked with various companies including, Grail Research, The Smart Cube, IBM, and more. It was while working as a financial analyst, Sumit became passionate about using Microsoft Excel. Learning something new about Excel software every day, he felt the need to share that knowledge with everyone. In 2013, Sumit conceptualized TrumpExcel, which is an online platform to train people in Excel Spreadsheets.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
TrumpExcel.com is an online platform to train people in Excel Spreadsheets. You can find a lot of free tutorials, videos, and templates. You can also enroll for the paid courses that give you access to HD quality videos. Once you complete a course, you can request for a course completion certificate.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
I was learning something new in Excel every day and I could see people struggling with small things. So I thought of sharing what I know by creating tutorials and videos. Once I saw that there was a potential for courses, I created paid online courses.
What is your life mantra?
Help people first, money will follow.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
Technology – I had no clue how to build a website, get email subscribers, create and launch courses and manage to pay customers. When you log in to a website or access a course, a lot of things work together in the back-end, and it’s imperative that they work in tandem. It took me a lot of time and money to get the right technology and products that best suit my requirements.
How did you overcome those challenges?
By spending hours in research and connecting with the experts. Google and Facebook groups proved to be my best friend here. For every technology/product, I read hundred of reviews on forums and connected with people who were already using these. Once I had the knowledge of Pros/Cons, I could make an informed decision.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
While I have been contacted by many people/companies for partnerships, so far I have not considered any.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Ability to adapt – things change at lightning speed and you need to give your customers the best experience by choosing the best in the market. Perseverance – there are no overnight successes and quick wins. Networking skills – connect with people reach out for help whenever you need it.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
There are lot of online products I use. A couple of major ones are:
- Godaddy – website hosting.
- Thrive Themes – themes for website
- Convertkit – Email management
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
Working in chunks for 30-35 minutes with regular breaks. I have a POMODORO app installed on my phone and I try and stick to it.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
My inability to switch off from work.
Answer in less than 50 words
Be action oriented. If you think you have a good idea, try it out.
- One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Don’t ignore your health. Work hard, but don’t kill yourself.
- One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Listen to your customer – they know the best.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
In next three years, I plan to launch more courses and expand my customer and email subscriber base.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
I am pretty happy with how it panned out. I just wish I had started blogging earlier.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Kerala, Goa (off-season), Bhutan
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.” – Coco Chanel