Avoid These 5 Startup Mistakes by Building an Atlassian Marketplace App

Creating a product that people want is just step one for startup founders. The real test comes with nailing pricing and distribution—a make-or-break challenge right from the start. That’s where constraints can be really helpful.

Building a standalone product vs building in a marketplace

Ecosystems, like Apple's App Store, Google Play, or platforms like Salesforce and Shopify, offer distinct pros and cons. The Apple ecosystem, in particular, has been widely debated as of late. However, an often-overlooked benefit is how these marketplaces shield founders from typical mistakes they might run into when developing a standalone app. Let’s take the Atlassian marketplace as an example:

5 common mistakes

Mispricing your product

The Atlassian marketplace operates on a per-user pricing model. Customers pay a license fee for each Jira or Confluence user. This familiar model sets clear expectations for customers and vendors alike.

Vendors face one less decision: what to charge for. The marketplace's existing app prices and Atlassian's own products serve as a price anchor. As a result, vendors align their pricing with these norms. This can limit the marketplace's suitability for certain products. However, it does offer clear pricing parameters, reducing the risk of mispricing.

Of course, it's equally crucial to consider competitors outside the Atlassian ecosystem to ensure comprehensive market positioning.

Working with partners too late

Atlassian boasts a huge partner network. As a vendor in their marketplace, you have the chance to leverage this network. Naturally, every vendor wants partners to promote their app. However, with thousands of apps available, it’s important to be strategic about it. Seek out partners who specialize in areas where your app also offers solutions. When your app enhances a partner's ability to solve client problems, your app has a good chance to end up in the partner's list of recommended apps.

Waiting too long to go international

Atlassian is an international company. Selling on its marketplace means you're selling globally from day one. Because of that, it forces you to start planning for that international audience early on. This includes offering an internationalized user interface and preparing to support customers across various time zones.

Delaying to go up-market

Atlassian serves a wide array of customers, ranging from small startups to Fortune 500 giants. If your product appeals to both, expect larger enterprises to take interest quickly. Catering to both small and big customers is challenging. However, incorporating features and considerations for an up-market shift early is simpler than overhauling your product later. Plan ahead to accommodate the demands of larger clients without compromising service to smaller ones.

Lack of focus

Although the last one in the list, this might be the most important benefit of building within the Atlassian marketplace. You are building for a niche. It might seem limiting at first, but really is a benefit. Your target audience is well-defined and specific—it consists exclusively of Atlassian product users. This specificity can help you focus your efforts across multiple fronts.

Firstly, it simplifies your marketing strategy. Knowing that your audience is already familiar with Atlassian's ecosystem means you can tailor your messaging to speak directly to their experiences and needs, using language and concepts they are familiar with.

Secondly, this clarity enhances your messaging. You can craft communications that resonate deeply with your audience, whether it be through email campaigns, social media, or content marketing. Your narrative can be honed to address the pain points, aspirations, and use cases that are unique to users within the Atlassian ecosystem.

Lastly, such a well-defined audience informs and guides your product development. When you understand the specific challenges and workflows of Atlassian users, you can create features and functionalities that offer seamless integration and add real value. This alignment with your users' needs not only leads to a better product-market fit but also fosters customer loyalty and advocacy.

This seamless integration into people's workflows is what we found our users value the most about Released.

Conclusion

Whether building a standalone app or within an ecosystem like Atlassian's, it's important to keep the above mistakes in mind. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Simply keep asking the right questions and critically assess your priorities as your grow.