How Kat Norton built a $2.9M online Excel training business

PROFILE

How Kat Norton built a $2.9M online Excel training business

Name

Kat Norton

Website

Miss Excel

What she does

Kat teaches Microsoft Excel (and related tools) through short video tutorials, online courses, bundles, and corporate/group training. Her business pulled in $2.9 million in revenue in 2024, growing rapidly from 2020 launch.

What’s her secret sauce?

She took something as boring as Excel and made it entertaining. Her TikToks mixed tutorials with music, dancing, and trending sounds, making them fun to watch and easy to share. Instead of waiting for perfect, she posted raw videos, studied what resonated, and turned the best ideas into paid courses and bundles.

How does she get traffic?

Kat’s audience comes largely from viral social media, especially TikTok and Instagram Reels. She shares daily Excel tips, tricks, and spreadsheet hacks that spread quickly. Those short videos direct viewers to her email list and free trainings, where she then promotes her paid courses. Webinars and media appearances add extra visibility.

Q&A

“How do I make my content stand out?”

Don’t compete on information alone - compete on presentation. Kat didn’t invent Excel formulas, but she made them memorable by adding music, dancing, and trends. Think: what’s the most unexpected or entertaining way you could deliver your topic so people actually remember it?

Also, lean into consistency. Going viral isn’t luck - it’s the result of testing 50+ posts until one hits. Track which topics and formats spark the most saves and shares, then double down. Patterns beat randomness every time.

TIP OF THE DAY

Pick one platform (TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn) and commit to posting 5 short tips this week in your niche. Don’t overthink—just teach one useful thing in each post. By Friday, you’ll see which style resonates most. That data tells you exactly what to keep producing.

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