Manifesto
I believe that makers and creatives are already strong learners and problem-solvers. Makers and creatives know what it is like to master a medium, to diligently pursue building their skills and expressing their vision. I believe that running a business well and confidently requires using numbers. I believe that spreadsheets are the best possible medium for experimenting with and becoming confident with numbers. I believe the world would be a better place if more businesses were run by makers and creatives who felt confident in their numbers. I believe I can help makers and creatives get confident with their numbers. I believe that if they want to, makers and creatives are uniquely suited to become spreadsheet people (even if they aren’t and/or don’t want to be numbers people). I believe I’m uniquely suited to teach spreadsheets as a creative medium for business problem solving.
Values
I want customers to feel…
- glad they visited
- badass captain-of-their-(entrepreneur)ship vibes
- empowered to use spreadsheets as decision-making tools
- excited to use spreadsheets as a creative medium
- safe and included, especially BIPOC, NB/GNC people, neurodiverse people, queer people, Deaf people, and people with disabilities.
This looks like…
- Captions when there is audio
- Image descriptions in text (or alt text) when there are words as still images
- In videos, audio descriptions of mouse navigation and other hard-to-see aspects of videos
- When documents/slides are used in videos, they’ll also be provided separately in screen-readable format
- Consistent discussion of keyboard shortcuts for screen-reader users (and others who need to skip the mouse)
- Prioritization of access requests/needs, including random cash prizes in thanks for the labor of explaining access needs
- Scholarships and discount codes for folks whose existence is subject to systematic economic discrimination
- Ready means of feedback and accountability for doing better when I mess up
Bio
The Friendly Spreadsheet LLC is currently just me, Kat Sklar, and as much automation as I can string together. I’m a lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon in the United States. I’m a knitter, hand letterer, and writer. After personal essays turned out to be an economically unreliable method for obtaining US health insurance, I switched career gears and got a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics and landed a job doing taxes at a public accounting firm. At this point, I met Excel and fell madly in love. I’ve approached every dilemma since with a spreadsheet, including:
- When can I afford a cat?
- How much yarn do I need to make this sweater longer?
- How much yarn is too much yarn?
- Which English-speaking country has the second-most confusing tax system?
- When will it be financially beneficial to be married?
- How do I organize disparate group activities so everyone invited to this family reunion gets a schedule they like?
- How much should I charge per hour when I switch from employee to freelancer?
I enjoy learning almost as much as teaching, and I’m curious about everything, especially about people and how they make their businesses work. I’m excited to meet you!
A note about pronouns:
They/them are the best fit for me. I will use them/them for you unless you specify otherwise.