How to create your own formulas #️⃣

Say goodbye to repetitive calculations!

August 07, 2025

Hey! One of the best parts of building Miss Excel? All of you. Your feedback on our classes, workshops, and videos is what keeps all this running—thank you!

And? We heard you! Our last Excel Basics class was a bit too advanced. This September, we're thinking about hosting a slower paced, 3-day, beginner-friendly bootcamp focused on core Excel skills ($27).

Would you be interested in joining us?

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Create Your Own Excel Formulas #️⃣

I had a friend (let’s call her Tina!) who had a big Excel problem. 

Tina was managing a global team and drowning in repetitive work. The US manufacturing facility sent weekly temperature reports in Fahrenheit, while her German execs wanted everything in Celsius.

Tina had to convert dozens of temperature readings every single week, either doing the math by hand or Googling "Fahrenheit to Celsius converter" over and over again. 🫠

That’s when I introduced her to LAMBDA. This function allows you to create your own custom formulas and reuse them throughout your workbooks. Here’s how it works: 

Step 1) In your desired cell, write =LAMBDA(TEMPF,(5/9)*(TEMP-32))(A2) 

Here’s a close-up: =LAMBDA(PARAMETER 1, PARAMETER 2, CALCULATION)(VALUE 1, VALUE 2)

 

Step 2) Go to Formulas > Define Name 

Step 3) Write tempC in the Name box. The Scope automatically defaults to Workbook (no need to change it!) 

Step 4) In Refers to type =LAMBDA(TEMPO,(5/9*)(TEMPS-32)))

Step 5) Click Ok and voila! Now you can use =tempC like any other function.

 

What I love about LAMBDA is that it works for any repetitive calculation. Commission formulas, tax calculations, markup percentages, you name it. Build it once, use it forever. 💪

Can We Bring Some Magic to SXSW?

We need your help! I have an exciting opportunity to moderate a panel at SXSW 2026, but whether or not it makes it to the stage depends on your vote.

The session, “The New Rules of Content, Commerce, and Community,” brings together real-world strategies that creators and platforms are using right now to grow with intention. It also dives into how we’re using AI behind the scenes to scale without losing that human touch.

Please take a moment to vote for our session here: 🔗 Vote now!

Here's how:

  1. Click the vote now button and sign up for a free SXSW account.

  2. Navigate to your email to confirm your account.

  3. Once registered, come back to this email and click on the "Vote Now" button again.

  4. Tap the ❤️ on our session, The New Rules of Content, Commerce, and Community, and you're all set!

Voting is open until August 24th so be sure to cast your vote before then! Thank you so much—every vote truly makes a difference!

A Millionaire’s One Piece of Life Advice ❤️‍🔥

As someone who was looking for a change in her twenties and ended up building a business, I’ve listened to just about every piece of advice out there. 😅

But recently, I found a suggestion I’d never heard of from YouTuber and seven-figure business owner Ali Abdaal. When a university student asked for his best advice, Ali said this: “Listen to one audiobook every week for a year.” 

Pause. This isn’t your typical “work hard” and “network” advice. But I can vouch for it! In 2020, when I was building Miss Excel, I hit a mental block. I’d second-guess every decision and convince myself I wasn’t qualified (classic limiting beliefs). 🫠 

That’s when I started listening to Joe Dispenza’s Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself. That audiobook gave me strategies backed by science to rewire my thinking. And it worked! 

Here’s why audiobooks are so powerful: 

  • High effort-to-insight ratio. Books take years (sometimes decades) to research and write. Compared to a bite-sized TikTok or podcast, books deliver more “bang for your buck.” 

  • Pre-packed roadmaps. Learn from people who’ve already solved the exact problems you’re facing. 

  • “Idle time” becomes “productive time.” You can listen to audiobooks during your commute, chore time, or Excel busy work (I’ve been there 🙃). 

And there’s an audiobook for everything and everyone. Here are a few of my favorites! 

Here’s to leveling up one audiobook at a time. 📚

  • Do you prefer to cut/paste or drag and drop in Excel? 🧠

  • This post of Excel pros telling their “top secret” tips is a goldmine. 

  • Tired of Pivot Tables? Here’s how Excel can analyze data for you. 🙇

  • An Ivy League psychologist shares his No. 1 tip for success.

  • “My inbox saw this and sighed in relief,” says a comment on my Outlook video! 📨

Thanks for reading! A big thank you to everyone who chimed in re: our special surprise coming soon. We're working hard behind the scenes and can't wait to unleash some Excel magic onto your spreadsheets. 🧙‍♂️

Stay Exceling,

Kat