Blog
Practical guides on charts, decks, and Google Workspace workflows for consultants, finance teams, and operators.
How to annotate charts in Google Slides (CAGR, deltas, level lines, axis breaks)
Google Slides charts have no CAGR arrows, difference arrows, reference lines or axis breaks. Here is what each annotation is for, which one fits which message, and how to add them without hand-drawn shapes.
How to automate monthly reporting in Google Slides, and when to buy Rollstack or Slideform instead
A reporting platform suits BI-connected, high-volume reports. For a pack one team owns, keep the deck in Google Slides with live Sheets-linked charts and saved layouts. Here is the setup, and how to choose.
Best AI tools for Google Slides in 2026, and what each one is for
Gemini, Plus AI, Claude and ChartKit sorted by job - deck generators, in-deck assistants, chart tools and rewriting - and which run on your own AI subscription.
How to make a clustered bar chart in Google Slides
When a clustered bar is the right chart, how to build one through Google Sheets and what that route can't do, and how to build one natively in Slides with ChartKit, including the ChartKit Chat.
How to make a line graph in Google Slides, and make it say something
When a line chart is the right choice, how to build one in Google Slides through Sheets, where the native chart runs out, and how to add a secondary axis, area fill, a dashed forecast and a CAGR callout.
How to save and reuse shapes in Google Slides
Google Slides has no library for the callouts, process chevrons and legends you rebuild in every deck. Here is what people do natively, where it breaks, and how to save shapes once and place them in any deck.
How agencies stop rebuilding client reporting charts in Google Slides
Agencies rebuild the same five charts for every client, every month. These are the charts a marketing report needs in Google Slides, and the setup that lets you build them once.
How to Make a Chart in Claude or ChatGPT (2026): From Chat to Google Slides
How to make a chart in Claude or ChatGPT in 2026, what the built-in charts are good for, and how to get an editable, on-brand chart from the same chat onto a Google Slides slide.
Think-cell vs ChartKit (2026): the honest head-to-head
Think-cell is the PowerPoint standard. ChartKit builds the same management-deck charts natively in Google Slides. The comparison is really a platform decision — here's how to make it.
ChartKit vs Vizzlo for Google Slides (2026)
Vizzlo brings 120+ chart types in its own polished editor; ChartKit edits charts directly on the slide with live Google Sheets sync. The real difference is where the chart lives — here's how to choose.
Best Google Slides chart add-ons, compared (2026)
ChartKit, ChartBuddy, Vizzlo, ChartExpo and more — an honest side-by-side on chart types, live Sheets sync, and pricing for Google Slides.
How to make a waterfall chart in Google Sheets
Build a waterfall chart in Google Sheets step by step — the native chart type, subtotal labels, negative values, and fixes for the problems every other guide skips.
How to make McKinsey-style charts in Google Slides
The seven design rules behind consulting-grade charts — and how to apply every one of them in Google Slides, where the native chart tools fight you on most of them.
How to Make a 100% Stacked Bar Chart in Google Slides
The composition chart every finance and strategy deck needs — what a 100% stacked bar is for, the native Google Sheets route, and the faster way to build one straight into Slides.
How to create charts in Google Slides (2026 guide)
Every way to put a chart on a Google Slides slide - the built-in tool, the linked-from-Sheets route, and the add-on path when the chart has to look board-ready and stay correct when the data changes.
ChartKit vs ChartBuddy for Google Slides (2026)
The two native charting add-ons for Google Slides, compared head to head. ChartBuddy's remaining edge is Gantt and funnel charts; ChartKit counters with live Google Sheets sync, axis breaks, and a lower price. Here's how to choose.
Google Slides chart not updating from Sheets? How to fix it
A linked Sheets chart in Google Slides only changes when someone clicks Update. Here is why, and three ways to make it refresh on its own.
New in ChartKit: your Slides charts now live-sync with Google Sheets
Connect a chart to a Google Sheet once and ChartKit keeps it current — when the numbers move, the chart on your slide re-renders. No copy-paste, no stale decks. Here's what shipped and how to use it.
How to insert a Google Sheets chart into Google Slides (2026)
The native way to add a Google Sheets chart to a slide, exactly where it stops being enough, and the cleaner path when the chart has to look board-ready and survive the next data change.
The 4 real think-cell alternatives for Google Slides
Four honest ways to get think-cell-style charts in Google Slides — native charts, the screenshot hack, ChartBuddy, and ChartKit. Which to pick, by use case.
How to add data labels to a chart in Google Slides
The native way to add data labels in Google Slides, why it falls apart on stacked bars and totals, and the faster routes for getting clean value labels on every chart.
How to make a bridge chart in Google Slides
What a bridge chart (variance bridge, ARR walk, revenue bridge) is, when FP&A teams need it, and the three real ways to build one in Google Slides.
How to make a waterfall chart in Google Slides
Build a real, editable waterfall chart in Google Slides or Sheets — the manual method, the stacked-bar hack, or a 90-second add-on. No PowerPoint screenshots.
Why think-cell doesn't work in Google Slides
think-cell is PowerPoint-only — its own docs tell Google users to screenshot charts first. Here's why it breaks in Google Slides, and the native fix.
The 8 Google Slides add-ons consultants actually use
The add-ons that actually survive a board-deck workflow — charts, diagrams, icons, and data links — ranked by what consultants and FP&A teams really use.
The ex-consultant's guide to surviving Google Slides after think-cell
You left MBB, joined a company that runs on Google Workspace, and lost your charting muscle memory overnight. Here's the survival playbook - shortcuts, workarounds, and tools.
Building board-ready charts in Google Slides: an FP&A playbook
Variance bridges, ARR walks, and burn waterfalls in Google Slides - the chart standards boards expect and a repeatable monthly workflow for finance teams on Google Workspace.
How to make a Gantt chart in Google Slides
The real options for roadmap and timeline slides in Google Slides - manual builds, templates, and add-ons - and which one survives ten rounds of review.
What is a Mekko chart — and how do you build one in Google Slides?
The consultant's favorite market-map chart, explained - what Mekko (Marimekko) charts are for, when to use them, and the honest options for building one in Google Slides.
How to make a waterfall chart in Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Slides (2026)
One chart, three platforms - step-by-step waterfall instructions for Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Slides, with the honest limitations of each and when to reach for a dedicated tool.