Excel Education for the Masses: How Leila Gharani Redefined Learning in the Digital Age

Leila Gharani, Founder of XelPlus, embarked on a transformative journey when she left her corporate job to pursue freelancing and offer Excel seminars. 

What started as a leap of faith has since evolved into a thriving media education company. With her husband by her side, Leila ventured into online courses, reaching remarkable milestones such as $3 million in sales and teaching more than 400,000 professionals. XelPlus simplifies technical topics using real-life examples and emphasizes multiple skills for career advancement, including helping individuals achieve promotions and navigate the world of data analysis.

We asked Leila about the problem XelPlus solves, the achievements she’s most proud of thus far, and what’s next for her and her company.

Q: Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on XelPlus?

A: I left my corporate job at 36. I had no business plan and no intention of building a media education company. 

After my second child was born I went back to my job as project manager. I was on a part-time basis and I felt underutilized. My title was still project manager but I wasn’t working on any projects—just simple maintenance work. My husband and I joked that I had become the expensive assistant to the assistant. I was earning the same salary level as before but doing generalistic tasks. I told my husband I felt like I was getting dumber every day. Together we decided it was best I leave my job and start freelancing. 

Of course, my co-workers thought I was crazy for leaving a comfy secure job for something that was going to be lots of work. My plan was to freelance: offer Excel seminars and consulting to automate business processes.  

After I quit, the first few months were not easy. Losing my boring job was one thing, but with that I had also lost the social aspect of my job—chitchats with my coworkers, company events and the like. I’d been in this job for over 10 years and all my friends were work-friends. I felt lost and went into a dip for some weeks.

I was lucky that my first client was my previous employer. Slowly I got other clients through my LinkedIn connections; people who used to work at the company I had left. They knew I was good at Excel and they hired me for various smaller jobs. Some of them wanted me to teach their teams how to use Excel better. I always loved teaching. As I was putting my teaching materials together and researching online, I discovered the world of online courses. After some months I told my husband I wanted to turn my in-person teachings to online. My first online Excel course was not a success but it was a proof of concept that there was an earning potential there. I continued to freelance during the day and create online courses in the evenings. I also started a YouTube channel to get better at presenting and producing videos. Today, we are a team of seven people and brought in $3 million in sales last year. My husband left his chief financial officer job and we run our company together. Plus, I get to learn new things every day.

Q: What problem does XelPlus solve? 

A: We help business professionals master Microsoft Excel and other related tools to analyze and visualize data. We do this through free content on YouTube and paid content with our online courses.

Q: What are some of the most meaningful impacts XelPlus has had so far? 

A: Through my courses, I’ve  taught over 400,000 professionals to navigate the ever-changing world of data analysis and reporting. I’m thrilled when I receive messages and emails from people telling me how they got that promotion they were waiting for. Some of our members used the courses to help them change industries during Covid-19 times. 

We also share some of the proceeds of our courses with a charity on a monthly basis. I’m especially proud of this.

Q: What makes XelPlus different from other, similar companies?

A: There are three main differences. First, we teach technical topics in simple English so it’s easy to understand. Second, we use real-life examples. I come from the trenches of the industry. I know the day-to-day is chaotic and messy.  And third, we look at the big picture. We don’t just teach isolated features. We show our students how to pull multiple skills together to make their workday easier and to advance their career.  

Q: In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?

A: My dad’s work ethics rubbed off on me: the value of hard work, resilience, and resourcefulness. My experiences with different cultures made me more curious and open to exploring outside-the-box solutions.  

Q: Have you ever felt like you’re “different”? If yes, in what ways has this contributed to your journey as an entrepreneur?

A: Yes. I work in a male-dominated field. I always felt out of place. This didn’t stop me from pursuing my passion. If anything, it made me more determined.

Also, I don’t feel fluent in any language. People are supposed to be good in their mother-tongues, but I feel like there isn’t any language I’m really good at. We left Iran when I was 10. My Farsi stayed at that level. I lived in Austria but went to an English International school. So my English has an international influence and is imperfect. I lived in Canada for a while, then came back to Austria where I currently live. I’m bad at learning languages so my German isn’t that great either. I sometimes wonder if there are other people like me.

It was also difficult to decide what language to speak to my children. Do I teach them broken Farsi, international English, or mediocre German? It started with broken Farsi and now it’s international English. 

I believe this imperfection ended up becoming one of our three pillars of success: the ability to explain complex topics in simple words. 

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

A: I always wanted to work independently but I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur; more like a teacher who runs an online education company.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception that others have around entrepreneurship? 

A: That there is a certain path you need to follow to create a business. The right path is the path that you feel is right. When I created my first online course, every piece of advice I got was to create a course that’s in-demand. I went the other way. I created the least in-demand course out there. Why? Because it was my first online course and I still had to figure out how to record audio, video, edit, and produce the videos. So I picked a topic that I loved and was the easiest for me to teach. I knew it wouldn’t be a hit, but I wasn’t looking for a hit. I was looking to see if I enjoyed the process and if I was willing to repeat it. Had I stressed myself out by selecting another topic that was in-demand but needed more research and setup, then I might have ended up hating the process. 

Q: Have you struggled with self doubt as an entrepreneur? How do you navigate this?

A: Self doubt is a constant struggle, especially when I experiment and want to try out new things. For example, when I first started uploading videos on YouTube, I noticed that all other channels with Excel videos were just showing the screen. There were no headshots; just someone talking over the Excel screen.

At first I did the same. But then I thought about all the other videos I personally enjoyed watching; topics like marketing, presentation skills, and business. All those channels showed the presenter on the screen. I took a risk. Even though I was so tense in front of the camera, I went on screen. I doubted myself. I slowly built a following. After a while, the other Excel channels started showing their faces too. And now practically every Excel channel does.  

Q: Have you felt like giving up? What made you persist?

A: Yes, I have; more than once. I realized that having my dream job doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy my work every day. Hard days will come. Sometimes they last for weeks. I just had to learn how to bounce back. What helps me is to remind myself of why I’m doing what I’m doing. That usually comes from  finding inspiration in the success stories of our students. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than knowing that our work is making a positive impact and helping people achieve their goals. 

Q: We dare you to brag: What achievements are you most proud of?

A: Leaving my comfy corporate job for the unknown. Bypassing 2 million subscribers on YouTube. Teaching over 400,000 people through my courses. Attaining the Microsoft MVP award for five straight years. Our last major course launch made $700,000 in one month. Monthly sponsoring 30 girls in developing countries through PLAN International.

Q: Has your definition of success evolved throughout your journey as a founder?

A: My understanding of success: doing work that feels meaningful to me. I find meaning in work that allows me to serve and help others. If I can help people get their work done with joy or help them advance their careers by getting a promotion, I feel that I’m making a positive difference in their lives. 

Q: Have you discovered any underappreciated leadership traits or misconceptions around leadership?

A: I used to think that being a good leader was a fixed trait that you either had or didn’t have; like being short or tall. I was a perfectionist doer who did not make a good leader. I had difficulty expressing my opinions and thoughts to my team. 

As a perfectionist I was always tempted to point out the mistakes with my team’s work. But because I wanted to be a good boss, I held back and sometimes complained to my husband. Yes, signs of a terrible leader. 

Down the line, I realized that good leadership is a skill that can be learned. And like any skill, the more you practice, the better you get at it. For some it comes easily, for others it doesn’t. We just need more practice and support from someone who can openly point out the glitches in our leadership. For me, that was my husband. 

Q: What have you learned about building a team and a support network around yourself?

A: At first I found it hard to delegate because I was used to doing everything myself. I had to learn to trust my team and to avoid micromanaging their work. Coaching helped me develop a more flexible leadership style. I also adapted my hiring criteria. I used to solely focus on the skill level of the candidates. Now I care more about how they fit in the team and if we share the same values.

Q: How would you describe the journey you’ve had in a few sentences? Would you do it all over again?

A: I never planned to start an online business. My business journey took a serendipitous path that started with me testing a concept and ended up with a successful brand that helps thousands of people. I wouldn’t change a thing about my journey.

Q: What’s next for you and XelPlus?

A: We will continue to help our clients to navigate this fast-changing world of data analysis by creating content that can support them. Our business environment is changing rapidly so we have to adapt to these changing conditions. I’d love to also explore mentoring new freelancers who want to start on their own. 

Leila is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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