Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alan Murray, Founder of Computergaga, located in Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I deliver training in Excel and Power BI for businesses. I provide this on many different platforms, including classroom training, webinars, YouTube (@computergaga), and I am the author of multiple books. My customers are anyone who works with data, which is - everyone. However, if someone prefers to learn, whether it be face-to-face training, YouTube videos, or structured online courses - I have you covered.
Tell us about yourself
I started training more than 20 years ago with the National Health Service in the UK. I would teach all staff how to store, access, and work with patient data. I now teach business professionals how to use Microsoft Excel and Power BI. In today's world, data is everywhere. The need to analyze and communicate the data in a business is critical. I am motivated to help as many as I can to get the skills and confidence to work with their data. I also really enjoy what I do, and that helps so much. I meet different people every day, and it is very rewarding when you reduce the time it takes someone to perform a specific task and increase their productivity.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
There are a few accomplishments in my work that I am most proud of. Authoring two books is definitely one. My "Advanced Excel Formulas" book is over 800 pages of Excel formulas. It took more than 18 months to write and long nights. Very rewarding.
I organized a meetup group in London named the London Excel Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/london-excel-meetup-group/). This is a free group to join and attend. We meet once a month in London and once a month online for the international audience. There is a presentation from an expert; we learn new skills, network, share ideas and have fun. I am really proud to be able to provide this, and it has been my objective for years since I finally set it up.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me, it is keeping on top of the constantly evolving and developing software. Tech is changing so fast that learning new features and tools is challenging. There is so much to do as a business owner. On top of providing your service, there is communication with customers, administration, marketing, and so on. Good job, it is fun!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have fun. You need to enjoy what you do, or frankly, it is not worth doing.
- Don't wait for perfection.
- Make small daily goals/tasks. I used to write large lists of things I wanted to get done that day, week, or month. I never achieved everything on the list. It wasn't realistic. And I would stress myself.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.computergaga.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/computergaga1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/computergaga1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanmurray-computergaga/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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