Beyond Excel: The Heart and Hustle Behind 1.5M Subscribers

JinKwon Jeon

Founder of Oppadu Excel, a YouTube channel with 1.5 million subscribers and an active learning community

Official Microsoft MVP in the Microsoft Office category

Bestselling author of Real-World Excel for Practical Work, a hands-on guide for professionals

What began as one man’s effort to solve workplace challenges has grown into a trusted platform with over 1.5 million YouTube subscribers.

Oppadu Excel stands out not for flashy content, but for a clear purpose: to make real-world knowledge easy to understand and freely accessible.

In this interview, we explore how simplicity, generosity, and steady consistency became the core of a community—and a personal brand—that continues to shape how professionals learn, work, and grow.

Where Purpose Meets Practice: Why I Chose Excel, and Why It Still Matters

🎤 What made you decide to start a YouTube channel focused on Excel?

My first job was at a small startup that operated the Coffee Bean franchise in Hong Kong and China. With only three employees, I had to take care of everything—from IT management and inventory to store operations.

In an environment without a proper system in place, Excel became the most powerful tool at my disposal. I developed practical skills by solving real problems on the ground.

At the time, most Korean-language Excel content focused on certifications or formulas, with very little that could be applied directly to day-to-day work. In contrast, searching in English revealed a wealth of practical templates and real-world examples.

That’s when I thought,

“If I could simplify and present this kind of practical knowledge in Korean, it could really benefit a lot of people."

That idea became the starting point for the YouTube channel. After the company closed in 2017, I spent six months preparing—and then officially launched it.

🎤 What allowed you to explore such a wide range of topics through Excel?

I believe Excel’s greatest strengths are its versatility and scalability. It’s easy for anyone to start using, yet as you learn more, it opens up powerful possibilities for deeper analysis and automation.

While there are now other tools that support real-time collaboration, they often fall short when it comes to handling sensitive data or managing systems in a structured way.

Excel, on the other hand, offers greater flexibility across security, analysis, and automation—while still remaining intuitive. That’s why I see it as a tool that remains essential in real-world work environments.

To me, Excel isn’t just a spreadsheet—it’s a practical platform that empowers people to take control of their data and workflows. Helping more people use it effectively remains at the heart of my YouTube channel and community.

🎤 Why do Excel skills still matter in the age of AI?

There’s no doubt that AI has made many tasks significantly more convenient. But I believe that now—more than ever—a solid understanding of data and the ability to interpret user context are becoming essential.

AI excels at processing, summarizing, and analyzing data once it’s given. However, it still struggles to fully grasp the nuances behind report formats, desired insights, and practical use cases—all of which change depending on context and intent.

That’s why in the AI era, Excel proficiency is no longer just about knowing how to use a tool. It’s about having the ability to interpret and refine complex data within context. I believe this kind of depth will become an even more valuable skill moving forward.

Delivering a talk at the Microsoft Korea AI Tour as a featured speaker

The Power of Giving First: Building Value Before Profit

🎤 You’ve chosen to offer most of your content for free. What motivated that decision?

For me, it’s never been just about offering content for free. The real focus has always been on a philosophy of helping more people grow together through accessible learning.

When professionals tell me they’ve solved real workplace problems using my content, it reminds me that what I create is making a tangible impact.

Over the past two decades, we’ve seen three major shifts in how people learn:

First, the internet moved education from offline to online—today, even college entrance prep happens through YouTube or online lectures.

Second, video platforms enabled anyone to create and share content, broadening how information is delivered.

Third, AI has dramatically improved access to high-level information, accelerating the democratization of learning.

What I’ve come to realize is that sharing knowledge fuels personal growth. Publishing content brings feedback, which leads to better solutions and often sparks new ideas through meaningful connections.

Today, what matters most is how we apply knowledge in the real world and integrate it across disciplines.

That’s why I see knowledge-sharing not as a donation, but as a faster and more sustainable growth strategy.

🎤 How has sharing content for free opened doors to new opportunities?

From the beginning, I offered content for free because I wanted to share the challenges I faced in the workplace with others. Paid courses often come with limitations, but with free content, I could plan and experiment much more freely.

As I stayed focused on creating value, people who came across my materials—whether through YouTube or my website—began to reach out organically, leading to corporate lectures and collaborations.

Through those experiences, I realized that the trust built through content often translates into long-term brand equity.

Currently, my main revenue streams fall into three categories:

1. Corporate speaking engagements

2. YouTube ad revenue and membership support

3. Royalties from published materials

I believe all of this came as a natural outcome of creating content that genuinely helped people. I’ve learned that when you consistently create with sincerity, your work will eventually resonate with the right audience, and that trust will open the door to greater opportunities.

Excel users exchanging real questions and answers in a community-driven space

When Community Becomes the Creator: Growth I Never Planned, but Gratefully Received

🎤 How did the Excel community start, and what marked its turning point?

When I first launched the Q&A board, I personally responded to each question from members. But at some point, members began answering each other’s questions—and to me, that was the true turning point for this community.

Since the first post in December 2019, the forum has accumulated over 78,000 questions, most of which have been answered through voluntary participation.

Thanks to the ongoing contributions from members with real-world experience, the space has evolved from a simple message board into a practical knowledge hub for professionals.

What impressed me most was seeing multiple people offer different perspectives and solutions to the same question.

Since Excel rarely has just one right answer, the community began to resemble an open-source project, where ideas are refined and improved through collective input.

It’s a level of growth I could never have achieved alone, and I remain deeply grateful for it. Through this community, I’m reminded every day of the belief that “knowledge grows when shared.”

🎤 Can you share what it means to be a Microsoft MVP—and what this recognition means to you personally?

Each year, Microsoft selects professionals from around the world who have made significant contributions to the tech community, awarding them the honorary title of Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional).

The two key criteria are: technical expertise in a specific field, and meaningful community contribution.

These contributions are evaluated based on freely shared knowledge, so paid lectures or corporate training aren’t considered.

I’ve consistently shared Excel content through my YouTube channel, and I believe that commitment played a key role in the recognition.

I’ve also taken part in events hosted by Microsoft and its community partners, where I contribute talks and resources. While preparation isn’t always easy, it has helped me deepen my expertise and grow professionally.

Official Microsoft MVP profile of JinKwon Jeon

Creating with Intention: What Consistency Really Looks Like

🎤 What’s helped you stay consistent with creating content on YouTube?

Setting a goal like “I want to become a well-known YouTuber” can be a powerful motivator. But if you focus too much on that goal, it’s easy to lose your sense of direction along the way.

Rather than chasing subscriber counts, revenue, or viral reactions, I tend to upload when I feel, “This video will genuinely help someone.” That mindset has guided me from the start.

In the end, the more important question is:

“Do you truly enjoy the work itself?”

On YouTube especially, consistency is everything, but early videos rarely gain much traction. To get through that phase, it has to be something you genuinely enjoy.

I’m also not particularly active in direct engagement. Instead of replying to every comment or joining creator communities, I’ve focused on delivering thoughtful, high-quality content in a way that feels natural to me.

Ultimately, staying consistent comes down to channeling your energy into what you’re passionate about, and building a process that feels sustainable and true to your style.

🎤 What would you say to someone hoping to build real influence through YouTube?

The most important thing is to focus on creating content that genuinely helps people. Building trust over time leads to growth that lasts—far beyond short-term revenue.

What kept me going was the belief that a single piece of content can save time, improve efficiency, or build confidence.

For example, if a resource saves 10 minutes and 1,000 people use it, that’s over 160 hours of productivity gained. Small, meaningful improvements like that can create a ripple effect across teams and organizations.

Ideas are everywhere—from real-life questions, cross-industry insights, and subscriber feedback. I’ve recorded over 150 content topics, and new ones keep emerging as I stay engaged with my audience.

I believe knowledge grows when shared, and trust is built through consistency. That belief has made the work meaningful and, over time, became the foundation of real influence.

To anyone just starting out on YouTube: stay sincere, stay focused, and let your content speak with purpose—one video at a time.

Homepage of the Oppadu Excel YouTube channel

🎤 When it comes to creating content, what matters most to you?

“Learn it yourself first, then explain it in the simplest way possible.”

That’s the core principle I’ve always followed when creating content. Excel itself isn’t a difficult tool—but the way it’s explained can either lower or raise the barrier to entry.

That’s why I focused on creating clear, easy-to-follow videos, editing everything myself to ensure the explanation flowed naturally and the visuals made sense from the viewer’s perspective. I went through a lot of trial and error, but that process helped me shape the content style I use today.

So whenever someone asks me about starting a YouTube channel, I always say:

“Don’t try to showcase your knowledge—help others understand it.”

In the end, I believe great content isn’t defined by how much you know, but by how easily others can grasp and apply what you share.

Beyond the Spreadsheet: Designing a Life of Meaningful Productivity

🎤 How do you envision the next chapter of your content journey?

The next step is to move beyond basic Excel tutorials and build a platform that offers practical, real-world solutions for professionals in today’s changing work environment.

Excel is still one of the most widely used tools in the workplace, but with the rise of AI, automation, and collaboration platforms, the way we work is evolving quickly.

Going forward, I plan to expand into topics like intelligent workflows using Excel and AI, data analysis, automated reporting, and collaborative task management. I’ll also explore how tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot can be integrated seamlessly into daily work.

In the long term, I’d like to touch on broader themes of personal productivity and growth—such as self-management, time management, communication, and well-being. These will be shared through the lens of Oppadu Excel’s practical, grounded style.

I believe productivity isn’t just about working efficiently—it’s also about living intentionally.

Above all, one guiding question will remain at the center of everything I create:

“Is this genuinely helpful?”

With that principle in mind, I hope to help more people design their work and life with confidence and clarity.

Related Links

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/@Oppadu

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