How Finance Professionals Can Grow with Excel, Avoid Automation Traps, and Build a Brand with Jon Acampora

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Jon Acampora to discuss the ever-evolving world of financial modeling, focusing on Excel. Jon shares about the importance of creating user-friendly models and the impact of Excel Esports on financial modeling skills. The conversation covers best practices for building efficient models, lessons from Excel competitions, and how new technologies like Power Query and AI are shaping the future of modeling.

Jon is the founder of Excel Campus, a Microsoft MVP, and an expert in helping Excel users simplify and automate their workflows. With over 600,000 YouTube subscribers, Jon is passionate about making Excel both fun and efficient. He’s also a regular commentator for Excel Esports competitions, where Excel professionals compete to solve complex modeling challenges in real time. Jon’s mission is to help people leverage Excel to boost productivity and creativity, making financial modeling more accessible and enjoyable.

Expect to Learn

• The importance of building financial models that are easy for others to understand and use.
• Jon's take on the role of Excel Esports in advancing modeling skills and fostering creativity.
• How Power Query can save you hours of data processing time in Excel.
• Why financial modelers should focus on simplicity and automation rather than over-complicating their models.
• Insights into the future of financial modeling with the integration of Python and AI tools.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• “AI is great at generating code, but it’s the human creativity that still leads the way.” - Jon Acampora
• “As an Excel professional, it's important to make models that others can easily work with, even if they don't have the same technical skills you do.” - Jon Acampora
• “If you want to be great at Excel, you have to understand that learning never stops. There’s always something new to discover.” - Jon Acampora

Follow Jon:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonacampora/
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/ExcelCampus
• Website - https://www.excelcampus.com/

Follow Paul:

• Website - https://www.thefpandaguy.com  
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thefpandaguy

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In today’s episode:

[03:45] - Horror Story

[08:50] - Defining Financial Models

[11:55] - From Accounting to Excel Business

[18:42] - Competing in Excel Esports

[21:27] - What Jon Enjoys About Announcing

[27:36] - Advice for Aspiring Excel Competitors

[37:43] - Memorable Teaching Moment

[42:43] - Favourite Excel Shortcut

[45:12] - Rapid Fire Section