The Answer to Janek’s Question: Why Should Anyone Buy Into This Approach?

The starting point for this discussion is Excel Hell. This is illustrated by my sketch of Tim and his colleagues working in a point-to-point collaboration process—a chaotic, inefficient system that defines the vast majority of spreadsheet use today.

Most spreadsheets exist in this ‘pie chart’ state, representing about 90% of the spreadsheet demographic. Typically, these spreadsheets are created and managed in Excel, leading to fragmented, manual processes that are prone to errors and inefficiencies.

The Conventional Answers to Excel Hell

The standard industry solutions to Excel Hell include:

• ERP Systems
• FP&A Tools
• Cloud-based FP&A platforms
• Excel Power features like Power Query and Power Pivot

These solutions are heavily promoted by vendors, consultants, and the broader Excel influencer community. The general response to Excel Hell is a shift toward client-server architecture, which is marketed as the optimal answer to the problem.

This approach is well demonstrated in the client-server hub-and-spoke model. However, for middle and senior management, these solutions are often unattractive due to:

1. Massive budget requirements
2. Years of disruption to implement
3. High risk—many ERP projects fail to deliver significant improvements
4. Evolving business needs that may outpace the implementation process
5. Persistent gaps that spreadsheets continue to fill, even after an expensive implementation

A Better Alternative: Agile, Affordable, and Excel-Based

The same, or even a better result, can be achieved through an agile, cost-effective, and accessible approach using Excel in a structured architecture. Unlike ERP systems or cloud-based FP&A tools, this methodology can be:

• Tested and proved quickly—prototypes can be built in a matter of days.
• Implemented without massive disruption—organizations don’t have to overhaul their entire system.
• More adaptable—evolving business needs can be accommodated without a complete system rebuild.

I have demonstrated this in multiple real-world cases, including:

• Accounts Review (financial accuracy and consolidation)
• Ridge Call Handler Demonstration (operational efficiency)
• Non-business illustrations: Eurovision Scoreboard and Airline Seat Booking Model

Who Can Exploit This Opportunity?

From the perspective of senior management, three main solutions to Excel Hell appear available:

1. ERP system replacement (as suggested by IT departments)
2. FP&A tools (Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning, DataRails, and other vendors)
3. Excel-based solution (which management is often unaware of)

Management does not typically recognize the third option because it is not widely marketed. What works—and what has worked for me—is when a clever individual inside the company demonstrates a proof of concept or prototype using this Excel-driven methodology.

Once management sees the difference, they realize:

• They don’t have to spend millions on an ERP overhaul.
• They avoid lengthy disruptions.
• They retain the flexibility that spreadsheets provide, but in a structured, scalable way.
• They don’t get locked into an expensive software ecosystem.

The Hidden Value: The Key Person in the Organization

Once this proof of concept is recognized, the individual who implemented it becomes indispensable. This person is now seen as the key to unlocking enterprise-wide productivity. It’s not the technology itself—databases, cloud computing, and architecture concepts have existed for decades—but rather the ability to apply these technologies effectively in an Excel-driven environment that makes the difference.

The transition from the chaotic, point-to-point Jackson Pollock mess to the structured, Mondrian-like hub-and-spoke model is the real transformation. The individual who enables this transition becomes gold dust to the organization.

For management, it’s a no-brainer to hire this person at premium consultant rates. The investment is minimal compared to the cost and hassle of an ERP implementation.

The Stealth Approach: Zero Disruption, Maximum Value

Unlike an ERP implementation, which requires massive attention and coordination, this Excel-driven transformation can be developed under the radar. As Tom Bauer describes, it can create tremendous value without any major fuss. Users work within the existing IT framework, maintaining corporate governance while improving efficiency and scalability.

Answering Janek’s Question: Who Benefits from This?

For senior management, this is a way to eliminate Excel Hell without spending millions and dealing with large-scale disruptions.

For Excel professionals, the opportunity lies in identifying these inefficiencies and demonstrating a structured alternative.

This leads to my biggest market opportunity—training and enabling itinerant Excel professionals to develop these skills and recognize these opportunities.

The Business Model: Selling the Know-How

The best way to scale this methodology is to train Excel professionals who are currently working on short-term projects. If they understand this methodology, they can introduce it to their clients or employers, significantly increasing their value.

Key benefits to Excel professionals:

1. Higher pay—by providing a unique and highly valuable skillset.
2. Job security—by positioning themselves as indispensable assets.
3. Career advancement—by moving from low-value spreadsheet work to strategic, enterprise-wide solutions.

Many of these professionals are hired for mundane, traditional Excel tasks. However, once they introduce a game-changing methodology, they are no longer replaceable. Companies would rather hire them than anyone else—simply because they can’t find anyone else with these skills.

The Challenge: There’s No Established Hiring Path

Current recruitment systems do not cater to this methodology because it is not widely recognized. This makes it an exclusive skill set—one that professionals can leverage to triple their pay and take control of their career trajectory.

Conclusion: A Blueprint for Success

To summarize:

• Excel Hell is a real and costly problem.
• The industry’s conventional solutions (ERP, FP&A tools) are expensive, risky, and slow to implement.
• A structured Excel-driven methodology achieves the same results, faster, cheaper, and with greater flexibility.
• The key to adoption is proof-of-concept demonstrations by Excel professionals within organizations.
• Those who develop and apply these skills become invaluable to their companies.
• My business model is to sell this knowledge to ambitious Excel professionals who want to replicate my success.

For those who understand and adopt this methodology, the opportunity is massive. The question is not just why should anyone buy this?—the real question is who will seize this opportunity first?