A painfully familiar Excel problem became a product
Jake Shimota’s finance career confronted him with a common problem: mandatory Excel training was excruciating. Long, passive video courses failed to hold his attention, leaving him with little practical knowledge. He needed a better way to learn.
His solution, Excel-Exercises.com, is a “Duolingo for Excel.” Instead of watching videos, users learn by doing. The platform features an in-browser spreadsheet simulator where learners practice formulas and keyboard shortcuts through interactive exercises.
This hands-on approach resonates with a diverse audience. It serves:
- New college graduates hoping to substantiate "proficient in Excel" on their resumes
- Career changers preparing for technical interviews
- Employees needing to quickly acquire practical skills after perhaps "exaggerating their abilities a little bit" on their applications
The site’s success lies in its focus on active learning, making it a powerful tool for anyone serious about mastering Excel.
The first $50 mattered more than a perfect launch
Shimota began building ExcelExercises.com as a side project, dedicating nights and weekends to learning to code while juggling a full-time finance job and grad school. This early version was, by his own admission, "scary" and "really ugly," looking like "Russian hackers are going to steal your identity."
Despite the rough aesthetics, a pivotal moment arrived: "I woke up one day and had a notification that someone had paid me $50." This unexpected payment, followed by a few more sales trickling in over weeks, provided the crucial validation. Strangers were willing to pay for the underlying solution, even before the design was polished.
This proved Shimota’s core hypothesis: genuine demand for a better Excel training method existed, regardless of a perfect launch. The lesson is clear for any aspiring founder: put a working version in front of users early. Their willingness to pay—or not—provides far more valuable feedback than endless tinkering behind closed doors.
That initial $50 was more significant than any hypothetical market research. It demonstrated that users valued the core concept of interactive, hands-on Excel exercises over passive video lessons. This early, raw feedback became the foundation for iteratively improving the product based on real behavior, not assumptions.
How SEO—and a long homepage—brought the traffic
Early growth wasn't about clever viral loops or social media wizardry; it was about SEO. Shimota, ever the pragmatist, understood that people searched for Excel help. He began publishing articles focused on specific Excel functions and packed his homepage with roughly 1,500–2,000 words of relevant, keyword-rich copy.
This approach defies conventional wisdom about sleek, minimalist web design. Shimota proved that dense, useful content—even on a landing page—can be a powerful engine for discovery. When you’re solving a clear problem, search engines and potential customers reward clarity and utility over superficial aesthetics.
With organic traffic established, Shimota layered on paid advertising, scaling revenue to its current $30,000–$35,000 per month. But the most compelling growth came from individual users. Impressed by the hands-on learning experience, they recommended Excel Exercises to colleagues, sparking university and corporate deals. For further exploration of the platform, visit Excel Exercises: Fun, Hands-On Excel Practice Problems.
This word-of-mouth validation underscored the product’s core strength: it works. The site’s "boring" utility made it indispensable, turning satisfied users into an unpaid sales force.
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A simple business still needs disciplined math
Shimota’s ExcelExercises.com now generates $30,000–$35,000 in monthly revenue, attracting about 50,000 visitors over four weeks. Roughly 2,500 active paying subscribers drive this income through a freemium model.
The freemium approach offers free lessons, demonstrating the interactive experience. This crucial step allows users to grasp the platform’s unique, hands-on teaching method before encountering a hard paywall for advanced training. Without this initial taste, many wouldn't understand the value proposition.
Shimota’s advice for aspiring founders is refreshingly practical:
- Build around a problem you genuinely understand.
- Ship your product before striving for perfection; early validation is key.
- Rigorously track customer acquisition costs and customer lifetime value when buying traffic.
His journey confirms that a simple, well-executed solution to a pervasive problem can yield substantial returns. The website's success isn't about complexity, but about disciplined execution and a clear understanding of user pain points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Excel Exercises?
Excel Exercises is a web app where learners practice Excel formulas, shortcuts, and projects through interactive, hands-on exercises.
How much revenue does Excel Exercises make?
Founder Jake Shimota reported monthly revenue of about $30,000 to $35,000 in his Starter Story interview.
How does Excel Exercises make money?
It offers some lessons for free, then places paid lessons and training behind a paywall; the founder also described university and corporate deals.
How did Excel Exercises attract its first customers?
Early sales arrived before the site felt polished. Later, SEO became its main organic growth driver, followed by paid advertising and institutional sales.