Perfect Wiki: Thriving in Microsoft Teams Marketplace - ListenHub

Perfect Wiki: Thriving in Microsoft Teams Marketplace

Apr 30

Fromhabr

Perfect Wiki: Solved slow Teams Wiki with a user-friendly knowledge base. Achieved $250k/year with a small team, focusing on simplicity and niche needs, now expanding integrations.

The Problem: The built-in Wiki in Microsoft Teams was slow and inconvenient, with no worthy alternatives fully integrated.
The Solution: Perfect Wiki, a fast, user-friendly knowledge base built directly into Microsoft Teams.
Key Features (Initially): Page creation/editing and full-text search (lacking in the built-in Wiki).
Tech Stack: Node.js + Express (backend), React (frontend).
Early Success: First paying customer within days of launching on the Microsoft Teams Marketplace by targeting the keyword "wiki".
Current Status: Over 500 companies use Perfect Wiki, primarily in the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.
Revenue: Steady income of $250,000 a year after five years.
Team Size: Only two people – one for development/product, one for user support.
Customer Feedback: Relies heavily on user communication (internal chat, demo calls, quarterly feedback requests).
Product Usage: They use Perfect Wiki internally for documentation, tasks, and their public Help Center.
Monthly Expenses: Modest, primarily on Google Cloud, Algolia, and other SaaS tools.
Key Lesson 1: Don’t be afraid to build niche products for a narrow audience.
Key Lesson 2: Simplicity wins.
Future Plans: Expanding integrations (Slack, ChatGPT, website chatbots) and improving search.
Origin Story: Founded after losing his job in May 2020. Saw opportunity in the increased demand for online communication tools during the pandemic. First attempt: A translator app on the Zoom Marketplace (failed). Then, translated app on Microsoft Teams Marketplace (success).
Microsoft Recognition: Featured at Microsoft Build as a top-rated app valued by Teams users.
Advantage over Competitors: Built specifically for Microsoft Teams, unlike Confluence or Notion.
Revenue breakdown: $25,000 per month.
Original goal: aimed for $70-80k annually.

Outline

Perfect Wiki: Solved slow Teams Wiki with a user-friendly knowledge base. Achieved $250k/year with a small team, focusing on simplicity and niche needs, now expanding integrations.

The Problem: The built-in Wiki in Microsoft Teams was slow and inconvenient, with no worthy alternatives fully integrated.
The Solution: Perfect Wiki, a fast, user-friendly knowledge base built directly into Microsoft Teams.
Key Features (Initially): Page creation/editing and full-text search (lacking in the built-in Wiki).
Tech Stack: Node.js + Express (backend), React (frontend).
Early Success: First paying customer within days of launching on the Microsoft Teams Marketplace by targeting the keyword "wiki".
Current Status: Over 500 companies use Perfect Wiki, primarily in the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.
Revenue: Steady income of $250,000 a year after five years.
Team Size: Only two people – one for development/product, one for user support.
Customer Feedback: Relies heavily on user communication (internal chat, demo calls, quarterly feedback requests).
Product Usage: They use Perfect Wiki internally for documentation, tasks, and their public Help Center.
Monthly Expenses: Modest, primarily on Google Cloud, Algolia, and other SaaS tools.
Key Lesson 1: Don’t be afraid to build niche products for a narrow audience.
Key Lesson 2: Simplicity wins.
Future Plans: Expanding integrations (Slack, ChatGPT, website chatbots) and improving search.
Origin Story: Founded after losing his job in May 2020. Saw opportunity in the increased demand for online communication tools during the pandemic. First attempt: A translator app on the Zoom Marketplace (failed). Then, translated app on Microsoft Teams Marketplace (success).
Microsoft Recognition: Featured at Microsoft Build as a top-rated app valued by Teams users.
Advantage over Competitors: Built specifically for Microsoft Teams, unlike Confluence or Notion.
Revenue breakdown: $25,000 per month.
Original goal: aimed for $70-80k annually.

Script

Mia: Okay, so I’ve been hearing whispers about this thing called Perfect Wiki. Apparently, it's like, a souped-up knowledge base that lives inside Microsoft Teams. I'm kinda clueless when it comes to Teams, honestly. What’s the deal? Why is everyone so hyped about it?

Mars: Right, so picture this: the built-in Teams Wiki is...well, it's kinda garbage, to be frank. Think of it as that dusty, old encyclopedia your grandma used to have. Super clunky, slow, impossible to find anything. Like, you’d spend half an hour just trying to locate a file from last week.

Mia: Oh, brutal.

Mars: Exactly! Perfect Wiki comes along and it's like BAM! Instant page creation, actual search that works – all right there in Teams. It's like upgrading from carrier pigeons to, I don’t know, a freaking teleportation device.

Mia: Okay, I’m starting to get it. So, turbocharged Wiki. Got it. But how did they even get this off the ground? I mean, launching anything these days is a nightmare.

Mars: That's the cool part. They laser-focused on the word wiki in the Teams Marketplace search. Seriously. Within days, BOOM! They got their first paying customer. It’s like opening a taco stand outside a concert arena--everyone's gonna be starving!

Mia: No way! Just like that? And it's only two people running this?

Mars: Yep, a dynamic duo. One's the builder, the other is the user whisperer. They're constantly chatting with customers in Teams, doing demos, even asking for feedback every three months. Keeps things tight. They are super lean. Monthly burn is peanuts: Google Cloud, Algolia for search, the usual SaaS suspects.

Mia: Peanuts? So, what's the reward look like? We talking ramen or steak dinners?

Mars: Well, after five years, they’re raking in around $25K a month, which is like, $250K a year. Not bad when they were shooting for maybe $70-80K. They're used by over 500 companies – US, Canada, UK, Germany...Mostly folks who want stuff built directly into Teams, not juggling Confluence or Notion, you know?

Mia: Damn, that's pretty solid. How did they even think of this in the first place? Did they just wake up one morning and go, Wiki needs a facelift!?

Mars: The founder actually lost his job in May 2020. Tried a Zoom translator app at first – total flop. Then pivoted to Teams, saw how bad the built-in Wiki was, and just started tinkering. And you know, the pandemic fueled demand for online tools. It was the perfect storm.

Mia: Love a good hustle story! So, what's next for these guys? World domination?

Mars: They’re looking at Slack and website chatbots, connecting with ChatGPT for smarter search... more integrations, all that jazz. I guess the moral of the story is, build simple, niche stuff, and do it really, really well.

Mia: Alright, so, find a tiny, hungry audience, keep it simple, listen to your users…and maybe you can turn a dusty notebook into something everyone loves. Sounds like a plan!

Mars: Exactly. Perfect Wiki nailed it.