Google Sheets Add-on. From idea to MVP (Story in pictures)
September 2024. Now I have an add-on in closed beta.
Here I’ll tell you (without GPT) how this project changed my life.
The result
I’ve spent 1.5 years on making MVP.
What a long time! Why do I waste that much time?
The idea
I dreamt of creating something good and mine.
I’d been a pro with Sheets and Scripts and wanted more.
It was the first time in my life I had a clear plan!
Learning
It was January 2023. 🎄
I had no idea how to develop modern front-ends. So I started learning.
The main source was YouTube. Plus I’ve been listening to some good motivational audiobooks.
For 3 months I did nothing with my idea, but learn.
New me
I was hired the same year 2023 to make an add-on. This helped me to boost my skills, and earn a lot, doing what I LOVE!
Many other things happened: bad and good. I gained new habits to help me be more productive.
Procrastination
March 2023. I’ve started work on 2 add-ons: for the client and mine.
Setup during the first months drove me crazy: editors, boundlers, npm, clasp, git…
But setup and bugs are nothing compared to my procrastination.
My useful time is less than 50% of the total time spent.
In my defense: nobody paid me, so it was hard to focus.
Earning for life
You see 570 hours for 18 months or 31 hours per month.
The rest of the time I had to do projects for my clients. Earn for a living, and have a joy too!
I tried different strategies to motivate myself working on the add-on:
- 1 hour a day — ❌could not concentrate,
- on weekends —❌ was too tired,
- when I can — ✅worked
2 Add-ons
Client’s. Due to my 3 months of learning, I could take a project of my dream. Made an add-on (for client) which I’m proud of!
My. The same time I started my work on Cooltables. The add-on I believe in!
Client’s. Work in team is so engahing! I’d love to thank Max, Volodymir, and our team for it!
My. With my add-on I did all with the team of 1 (if it counts).
I had 2 surprises with add-ons. The time it took to aprove add-ons with Safety :
Client’s. 6 months!!!
My. 6 days!!!
I am still shocked by that.
With love from Cooltables
September 2024. I have an MVP.
If you read this article, say in 2035, you may see how it grew so far.
Visit this page to find out about the results of my work:
Cheers!
Max
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PS. All charts for this article were made with 💚in Google Sheets.
