By Hiran de Silva
On a recent post by Marcus Syben, I asked a simple question:
How do you make money from Excel?
Marcus responded with a list of things you can do with Excel.
But that wasn’t really my question.
Because when people say “make money”, they rarely mean earning a normal, steady income.
They usually mean something else.
They mean:
How do you make more money than normal?
The One-Word Answer: Skunk Works
My answer was:
Yes — Skunk Works.
Now, that needs explaining.
The term Skunk Works originated at Lockheed Martin in the 1940s, around the time of World War II.
It referred to a small, autonomous unit tasked with solving difficult problems—outside normal corporate constraints.
But over time, it has evolved into something broader.
A principle.
A way of working.
What Skunk Works Really Means
Every organisation has:
- Rules
- Governance
- Structures
- Boundaries
These define what is possible.
But they also define what is not allowed to be imagined.
So what happens?
Management ends up operating within an invisible wall.
They only pursue solutions that fit within existing thinking.
Then something interesting happens.
Someone demonstrates:
Here is something you want… but didn’t think you could have.
At that moment, senior leadership recognises something critical:
The limitation wasn’t the business problem.
It was the system they were operating within.
The Skunk Works Move
So what do they do?
They don’t dismantle the organisation.
They don’t rewrite governance.
Instead, they quietly do this:
They appoint someone they trust.
- No rules
- No constraints
- No organisational box
- Direct line to the top
That person is given freedom to explore, build, test, and demonstrate.
That is Skunk Works.
It Doesn’t Even Have to Be a Team
It can be a single individual.
In fact, in many cases—it is.
But one thing is essential:
Trust.
Because this person operates outside the system.
The Invisible Role
Here’s where it gets interesting.
In true Skunk Works fashion:
Typically, you do not exist on the organisation chart.
I’ve lived this.
That’s Skunk Works.
Why This Exists
Because organisations have internal forces that suppress ideas, and therefore change:
- Lack of awareness
- Self-preservation
- Fear of exposing past mistakes
- Institutional inertia
None of this is necessarily malicious.
But it is structurally real.
Where Excel Comes In
Now we get to the real point.
If you understand Excel at an enterprise level:
- Client-server architecture
- Separation of data and interface
- GET/PUT models
- ADO and database integration
Then something becomes obvious.
You See What Others Cannot See
You look at “current practice” and realise:
Large parts of it are completely unnecessary.
Not inefficient.
Unnecessary.
Example: Account Reconciliation
You can have:
- One or two people working full-time
- Reconciling accounts continuously
Or…
You can set up Excel to:
- Reconcile 100–200 accounts
- In minutes
- Completely unattended, in the background
No human input.
Just configuration.
The Gap Management Cannot See
Here’s the key insight:
Top management does not know this is possible.
They don’t know:
- Real-time consolidation is possible
- Budgeting with Excel can outperform ERP systems
- Collaboration can happen without complexity
- Governance can be built into the model
So when you show them…
Something changes.
The Moment of Alignment
Because in Skunk Works:
- You and your sponsor share the same vision
- There is no dilution
- No committee interference
You build exactly what they want.
Something they:
- Could not get internally
- Could not get from vendors
- Could not get from consultants
This Is Where the Money Is
Now we come back to the original question.
How do you make money from Excel?
Not by doing Excel work.
But by doing this:
Delivering something that should not be possible—but is.
The Result?
You are no longer paid like:
- An Excel user
- A spreadsheet builder
- A report generator
You are paid like:
- A consultant with some intellectual capital
- A transformation specialist
Typically:
Three times the normal Excel rate.
Sometimes more.
And engaged indefinitely.
The Reality of Getting There
This is not a standard career path.
In my case:
- It initially happened by accident
- Through opportunity
- Through demonstration
Not through job applications.
The Pattern Across My Case Studies
Across multiple organisations:
- I was not hired to deliver the final solution
- I introduced something unexpected
- Something they wanted—but didn’t know existed
Examples include:
- Edexcel (Pearsons Education)
- GTA/Travelport
- WSP (Terminal 5, Elizabeth Line)
- Informa plc
In each case:
The engagement expanded because of what was demonstrated.
Not what was requested.
The Commercial Insight
This is the core idea:
You are not being paid to execute a known requirement.
You are being paid to:
Reveal a possibility that the organisation cannot access.
Final Thought
Skunk Works is not about rebellion.
It is not about breaking rules.
It is about:
Creating a space where truth can operate—
free from the constraints that normally suppress it.
And in that space…
If you truly understand what Excel can do at an enterprise level…
You don’t just make money.
You create super profits.
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