How to Create Your First Fishgoo Spreadsheet from Scratch

There is something deeply satisfying about building a tool with your own hands. When you create your first Fishgoo spreadsheet from scratch, you do not just get a tracking system — you gain an intimate understanding of how every number connects to every other number. This tutorial walks you through the entire process, sheet by sheet, column by column, formula by formula. No shortcuts. No pre-built templates. Just you and a blank spreadsheet becoming a business command center.

By the end of this guide, you will have built a complete five-sheet system from nothing: Orders, Inventory, Suppliers, Profit Calculator, and Shipping Tracker. You will understand why each column exists, how each formula works, and how to customize every element for your specific business. Let us begin.

Sheet 1: Orders — The Heart of Your System

Open Google Sheets and create a new blank spreadsheet. Name the first sheet "Orders." In row 1, add these headers across columns A through M: Order_ID, Date, Status, SKU, Product_Name, Size, Color, Supplier, Cost_Price, Selling_Price, Platform, Tracking_Number, Notes.

Format row 1 as bold with a light gray background. Freeze row 1 (View → Freeze → 1 row). This keeps your headers visible while scrolling. Apply Data Validation to the Status column: Data → Data Validation → List of items → Pending, Processing, Shipped, Delivered, Cancelled, Returned.

Add a Profit column in column N with the formula =(J2-I2)/I2. Format it as Percentage. This calculates margin percentage for every order. Copy the formula down by selecting N2, grabbing the small square at the bottom-right corner, and dragging down to cover your data rows.

Sheet 2: Inventory — Knowing What You Have

Create a second sheet named "Inventory." Headers: SKU, Product_Name, Size, Color, Stock_Quantity, Reorder_Level, Last_Restocked, Supplier. The SKU column must exactly match the SKU format in your Orders sheet — this is how the two sheets will link together.

In Stock_Quantity, use this formula to auto-calculate based on your Orders sheet: =COUNTIF(Orders!D:D,A2)-COUNTIF(Orders!C:C,"Delivered"). Wait, that is not quite right. Let us use a simpler approach: manually track incoming stock in an "Add_Stock" column, then use =Add_Stock - COUNTIF(Orders!D:D,A2) where Orders status is not Cancelled. For beginners, manual stock entry with weekly reconciliation is perfectly fine.

Sheet 3: Suppliers — Your Vendor Database

Create a third sheet named "Suppliers." Headers: Supplier_Code, Supplier_Name, Contact_Email, Phone, Country, MOQ, Avg_Lead_Days, Last_Price, Rating. Use short codes for suppliers: SUP001, SUP002. These codes go in your Orders sheet instead of full names, keeping entries fast and consistent.

Add conditional formatting to the Rating column: 1–2 = red, 3 = yellow, 4–5 = green. This gives you an instant visual health check of your vendor relationships. A VLOOKUP formula in your Orders sheet can pull the supplier's full contact info automatically: =VLOOKUP(H2,Suppliers!A:E,3,FALSE) where H2 contains the supplier code.

Sheet 4: Profit Calculator — The Big Picture

Create a fourth sheet named "Profit." This is your executive dashboard. Layout: Row 1 headers: Metric, Value, Notes. Row 2: Total Revenue, =SUM(Orders!J:J). Row 3: Total Cost, =SUM(Orders!I:I). Row 4: Gross Profit, =B2-B3. Row 5: Order Count, =COUNTA(Orders!A:A)-1. Row 6: Average Order Value, =B2/B5. Row 7: Average Margin, =AVERAGE(Orders!N:N).

Format the Metric column bold and the Value column as Currency. Add a small chart: Insert → Chart → Select B2:B4 → Pie chart. Now you have a visual breakdown of revenue vs. cost vs. profit that updates in real time as you add orders.

Sheet 5: Shipping Tracker — Delivery Confidence

Create a fifth sheet named "Shipping." Headers: Order_ID, Carrier, Tracking_Number, Ship_Date, Est_Delivery, Actual_Delivery, Status. Use Data Validation on Status: In Transit, Out for Delivery, Delivered, Exception. Link Order_ID to your Orders sheet so you can use VLOOKUP to pull product details when a customer asks about their shipment.

Sheet Overview Comparison

Customization Checklist

• Add or remove columns based on your product categories (e.g., add Material for jewelry, add Season for clothing).
• Change currency formatting to match your primary market (Format → Number → Currency → select your symbol).
• Add conditional formatting to highlight your highest-margin items in green and lowest in red.
• Create a mobile-friendly Entry sheet with oversized rows for fast smartphone data entry while sourcing.
• Set your timezone and date format in Google Sheets settings for accurate timestamp tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions