If My Dad Could Learn Excel at 70, Accountants Can Learn AI
Roger Knocker • November 18, 2025
Once a month, our kitchen table turned into a finance war room.
My dad would bring home stacks of green and white computer printouts (the kind with
perforated edges) and spread them across the table like a general preparing for battle.
The first step was always the same: he’d grab the broom handle to draw perfect rows
and columns
across sheets of blank paper.
(The local witches probably wondered where their broom had gone that night, but Dad
was on his own witch hunt, chasing down every sales number.)
With coloured markers, he would capture totals from the printouts, building a hand-
drawn “spreadsheet” that summarized sales by product class and sales rep.
It wasn’t just about adding up numbers, it was about finding the big picture, the
insights that would shape Monday’s sales meeting.
His calculator clattered in the background, printing tiny rolls of tape as he checked and
double-checked the totals. By 9 p.m., he had built something no one else had: a clear,
visual story of how the business was performing and what action was needed next.
As kids, we loved it. It was messy, colourful, and fascinating to watch.
The Shift He Made at 70
Years later, when computers and Excel started taking over, my dad didn’t complain.
He saw the advantages:
speed, accuracy, flexibility, and he made the shift.
He learned Excel in his 70s, while others threw up their hands and said, “It’s too
complicated.”
The lesson?
It’s never about age.
It’s about mindset.
The AI Shift We Face Now
Today, accountants, finance managers, and CFOs are standing in the same place my
dad once stood.
The tools have changed again, this time it’s AI.
You can keep doing things the slow, manual way,
or you can see AI for what it is: the next broom, the next spreadsheet.
A tool to clear the grunt work
so you can focus on insight and leadership.
The Future Belongs to the Curious
If my dad could move from broomsticks and markers to Excel at 70,
we can move from spreadsheets to AI today.
The question is:
Are we willing to make the same mindset shift he did?
This article is inspired by my conversation with Andrew Brown on the FP&AI
Podcast - Episode 2: Finance, AI, and the Growth Mindset of the Future.
Running a business in South Africa can feel like riding a rollercoaster. The ups and downs of the economy, changes in regulations, and unexpected challenges make it tough to stay on track. But there's a way to turn these challenges into opportunities: smart financial planning and analysis (FP&A). Think of FP&A as your business's GPS. It helps you see what's coming, plan for it, and stay on course. In South Africa, where things can change quickly, having a strong FP&A process is not just helpful—it's crucial. This guide will show you where to start and what to keep in mind when it comes to your company's finances. Anthony Wilson, Operations Director of KPI Management Solutions weighed in with tips to help your business become more resilient and help you grow, no matter what comes your way.
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