MVP Insights: Amber Bell on Empowering Community Through Education, Hands-On Training with Academy Classes
Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.
In episode 52, Giuseppe Ianni is joined by Amber Bell, Chief Training Officer and Founder, Training Dynamo. Amber explains her passion for teaching and empowering the community through learning and training, as well as how this has lent itself to forming strong connections in the community. She also explores the importance of data clean-up ahead of a migration, which will be the focus on a 2-day Academy Class at Summit NA.
Agents & Copilots are defining the future of Dynamics, CRM, Power Platform, Azure, Fabric, and more. Register for Community Summit NA 2025, running October 19-23 in Orlando, FL, to explore and discover what this means to you.
Key Takeaways
- Empowering the community: Amber expresses her passion for teaching and the importance of making learners feel heard, especially when navigating complex topics. She emphasizes the value of adapting training to individual needs, recognizing employees’ deep business knowledge, and fostering meaningful learning experiences through empathy and flexibility.
- Connections through training: Early encouragement from peers in the Dynamics GP space led Amber to first present at Summit, sparking a realization of her unique ability to connect with people through training. This experience inspired her to build a company, Training Dynamo, driven by her passion for helping others learn and grow.
- Migration journey: Amber is currently working toward her Business Central (BC) certification and developing training agendas focused on bridging the transition from GP to BC. She emphasizes the importance of data cleanup and process review, especially for clients with decades of inconsistent data.
- Data clean-up: It’s important to start data clean-up in Dynamics GP early, rather than waiting for a switch to BC, to ensure smoother reporting and avoid costly rework if go-live dates shift. Amber notes how cleaner data enhances insights through tools like Power BI and AI, and how involving users in the process fosters buy-in and reduces resistance to change. She will be leading a 2-day Academy Class on this topic, “Mastering Data Clean-Up in Dynamics GP to Business Central,” running October 18-19. View the other sessions Amber is leading.
- Final thoughts: In closing, Amber encourages others to get involved through speaking, volunteering, or co-presenting, noting how rewarding and energizing the experience can be. She also highlights the value of Academy Classes as a hands-on training opportunity distinct from Summit, offering practical learning that participants consistently enjoy.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
