Who are you?
Hello to all of my Microsoft Excel friends and family out there. I wanted to write a post so you can get to know more about me. I also hope to get to know you well, so please let me know what you liked or didn’t like about my post and something about yourself 🙂 in the comments below.
Why do you use a code name?
You all know me as Steve=True, and as I am sure you have guessed, this is not my real name. Steve=True is my pen name or pseudonym for my Excel tutorial website, blog and videos.
I feel that sometimes others may find that my name is hard to write and pronounce, so I thought it would be easier to use a pen name/handle/alias/codename instead. Also, when I started exceldashboardtemplates.com, I didn’t want my previous employers to know about the tutorials I was creating in case they viewed it as a side business.
Why did you use Steve=True?
I thought that Steve=True was a clever Excel formula based nickname. My first name is in fact Steve and so it is a valid Excel formula as well. Also, the first 3 letters following the equals sign matches the first 3 letters of my last (or given) name.
More About Me…
Where do I live?
For my whole life, I have lived essentially in one place. I have lived no farther than 25 miles from the hospital where I was born in Denver, Colorado. This all changed this year when we decided to make a big move and I now live over 1,200 miles away in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I just didn’t move down the block or move to a new city, I changed countries. You can check out my math from this website: https://www.distancecalculator.net/
Why did we move?
Colorado
Colorado is a beautiful place with big mountains and blue skies, however, it is land locked and there is not much in terms of bodies of water as Colorado’s climate is very arid.
But it is not without its bad weather. Here is what I saw out the back of my house in Colorado during the summer and winter:
Cabo San Lucas
If you are not familiar with Cabo San Lucas, it is also a very beautiful place but in addition to blue skies, we are also surrounded by the blue water of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sea of Cortez to the east. Here is a picture from the back of my condo in Cabo San Lucas:
What do I do for work?
My day-to-day life is pretty normal. Like others, I have a day to day job as a Project Manager. Most of the projects I manage are I/T new application installations or customizations. My position is fun, but keeps me busy. The needs of my job can keep me from posting as much as I would like.
What do I do for fun?
Besides spending lots of time with my lovely wife, on my days off and sometimes in the evenings, I try and play golf as much as possible. If you are familiar with golf, I was able to get my handicap index from the high 30s down to a 9. I have been playing golf more regularly for the last 10 years.
Why I do create Excel articles?
I have been using Microsoft Excel for more than 20 years. I find Excel a cool puzzle that you love to use to solve problems. I think it is a GREAT tool. Excel does have its drawbacks. However, it is so flexible. I assume that is why Excel is so widely used, loved and hated. Also, I love to teach what I know to others and share how I conquered problems using Excel. I feel that there is always something to learn in Excel and I still have a lot to learn.
Do I Have Any Future Plans?
My long term goal would be to dedicate myself to Excel tutorials, full time if possible. I also have a few do-it-yourself Excel Project products coming soon. So hopefully I can grow the site and help more people learn spreadsheet techniques for fun and growth.
What Are My Favorite Articles?
Here are the articles that make me the most proud:
- Beer Goal Chart
- Grouping Chart Labels
- Clustered Stacked Column Chart
- IPAD / IPHONE Goal Chart
- Axis Issues
- UR Value Wall Chart
- Likert Chart
- Step Chart
- Project Status
- USA Today Pie Chart
- Honorable Mentions:
What About My Family?
I have been married to my beautiful bride Donna for over 20 years and have a wonderful daughter Whitney. Here are some pictures of my family:
Great Big Thank You!
I cannot express my extreme gratitude to all my fans and supporters throughout the years. You have all helped me grow the site to what it is today and I look forward to meeting more of my fans virtually and in person as soon as possible!
If you want to connect directly, please leave me a comment on my website or we can also connect via LinkedIn.
Finally, please leave me a comment down below with some details about yourself so that we can all get to know each other a little bit more, like where are you from? (Note that I review each comment and it may take a day for me to approve the comment if you don’t see it post directly onto the site)
Steve=True
Hi Steve
I have lived all my 51 years in London, UK and work in local authority in Newham an area of London.
I have been an analyst for many years but Excel apart from very basic operations has always escaped me and often the fear of failure has put me off exploring its full benefits. I recently attended a 1 day dashboard course and it has opened my eyes to what can be created although my mind is slower to follow .
My son moved to Denver a couple of years ago and we visited this summer beautiful place! Don’t fancy the winters though!
I read your posts with great interest and hope to actually start using and practising the art of Excel !!
Great to meet you Ellasheba! Thanks for the comment and good luck with the Dashboarding in Excel. Desire is the key!
Hello Steve,
What a pleasant surprise that you chose to review yourself! I have been wondering for quite some time as to why you have not been posting as frequent as you used to be!
My work requires me to work with Excel quite an awful lot. I take great pleasure in building Excel dashboard/diagrams that tell messages to my bosses and co-workers.
I am from Hong Kong btw!
Hi Sunny, thanks for you comment! We had a chance to go to Shanghai about 5 years ago and it was awesome. For our next trip, we are considering Hong Kong as it looks like a great place. Most posts coming soon!
Thank you so much for sharing – I have used your tutorials and LOVE them, so thank you. Good to meet you and your bride !!!
I grew up on a farm in Iowa, we still have the working farm, but I moved after college. Have lived all over the U.S. and Europe and now settled into the San Francisco Bay Area of California
Thanks for the reply! Great to meet you Simofish (are you really a fish 🙂 haha). Been to SF a few times and it is wild to see the clouds coming over the hills. A bit cold some times as Donna froze when walking downtown. Only ever been to Des Moines. It was also nice. Went to a Steak Joint there where the menu was on a match book cover and it was a TON of food (i.e. 2x7oz filets and salad and potato bar). Great to meet you. You are not to far from Cabo and I get contracts on the west coast sometimes, so maybe we will meet one day. So glad you love the tutorials. More to come.
Steve –
Steve, here, too… back in the day, I lived in Broomfield.. so, I know what you’re saying about the lack of water in Denver – still a great place! I appreciate you taking the time to mention a little about yourself and your family.
I really enjoy the tutorials.. I’m not an excel user much of the time, but when I do, I typically challenge myself with something a little more grand than I need to. I work with numbers, although typically in a rudimentary way. But, learning new tricks and methods to present the information is what I enjoy… I just don’t get the chance often. So, I found your sight because of a current project that I’m working – just helping out a co-worker make his huge task a little easier. I’m looking to merge your beer gauge and the thermometer into one chart… without the beer, unfortunately… It is the combination of the two, with a little speedometer, throwing in a little active-x dealios, and I think I’ll get the job done.
Again, I really appreciate the videos and the time you spent putting them together. I know how long those things take, and to do it part time (when the honey-do list is short), is challenging.
Best to you, and thank you again,
Gun
Thanks for the epic comment Steve! So glad you like this post and my tutorials. By the way, you didn’t state you live now, or did I miss it? Sounds like you are making a heck of a project. Good luck!
Afternoon Steve, I have come across your website from your youtube channel. I have a question and can’t seem to find an answer, and with you being the excel guru, I am hoping you can help. I am trying to create a quoted sales chart and an order chart, both of which will grow as I quote and sell. I have 3 distinct products by what we call an sp code, I want to be able to track the quotes by sp code and the value, the value I am hoping will be a running number as I quote and the value will increase. so in a sense if for instance I use sp1 as a target and as I add to that value the total sales number will increase, similar idea with the orders chart? is that something excel can do?
Hi Brian, i have sent you a file to review via email. Hopefully it will help you get your desired result. I may use it for an upcoming tutorial as well. Thanks!
steve,
Just like anyone’s commendation, I appreciate your tutorial especially on Step chart. I use excel alot on my job and I found that step chart would make my job more rewarding if I can implement it. I would like to send you information about the project 9 with examples).
Could you please send me an email and I will forward you the information as soon as possible and we can then go from there.
Again, thanks a lot.
Hi Charles, Sorry for the late reply. I, unfortunately, can’t help all so I recommend Excel Rescue for help.