A plumbing company with 12 employees needs: a place to chat (Slack, $8.75/user = $105/mo), somewhere to manage tasks (Asana, $11/user = $132/mo), file storage (Google Workspace, $12/user = $144/mo), and somewhere to take notes (Notion, $8/user = $96/mo). That's $477/month for basic collaboration tools — and the team has to learn four different apps. The owner just wants one place where everyone can chat, share files, and track tasks.
Enterprise has Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Startups have Slack + Notion + Linear. But small businesses with 5-30 employees fall between the cracks. They don't need enterprise governance or startup hipness — they need simple, cheap, and unified. The free tiers of each tool have limitations that force fragmentation. Paying for four tools at per-user pricing adds up fast.
Basecamp proved the unified workspace model at $299/mo flat (now $15/user). But Basecamp feels dated in 2026 — no real-time collaboration, limited mobile app, and a design philosophy from 2010. ClickUp tried to be everything and became overwhelming. The opportunity is a modern, simple team workspace at $5-10/user/month or $99/mo flat for small teams: real-time chat (channels + DMs), task management (simple kanban + lists), file sharing with permissions, and a shared calendar. Not project management software — team collaboration software. Think 'Slack + Notion + Asana lite' in one simple product.
What People Are Saying
Real voices expressing this pain point
I need help finding an app that has group chat, place for files with permissions, assignable tasks, calendars, contacts. 10-30 users. Preferably free or close to it.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
Up to 25 users, chat channels, task boards, file sharing (50GB), shared calendar
Unlimited users, 200GB storage, guest access, video chat, advanced permissions
SSO, compliance, unlimited storage, custom integrations, dedicated support
📊 Market Evidence
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | Free / $8.75+/user/mo | Chat only. Gets expensive at scale. Need other tools for tasks/files. |
| Notion | Free / $8+/user/mo | Docs + databases. Learning curve. Not great for chat. |
| Asana | Free / $11+/user/mo | Tasks only. Need other tools for chat/docs. |
| Monday.com | $9+/user/mo | Work management. Gets complex and expensive. |
| ClickUp | Free / $7+/user/mo | All-in-one but complex. Feature overload. |
| Basecamp | $15/user or $299 flat | Team workspace. Simpler but dated UI. |
| Teamwork | $10+/user/mo | Project management + chat. |
Chat only. Gets expensive at scale. Need other tools for tasks/files.
Docs + databases. Learning curve. Not great for chat.
Tasks only. Need other tools for chat/docs.
Work management. Gets complex and expensive.
All-in-one but complex. Feature overload.
Team workspace. Simpler but dated UI.
Project management + chat.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Real-time collaboration is table stakes. Simple UX that non-technical SMB employees can use. Mobile-first for field workers.
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "SMB Team Workspace Lite". ## Product Overview Affordable all-in-one workspace for small businesses: chat, files, tasks, calendars. Mobile-first, 10-30 users. ## Problem SMBs cant afford enterprise tools like Slack+Notion+Asana but need integrated workspace. Cobbling together free tiers is messy. ## Solution Build SMB Team Workspace Lite ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors Slack, Notion, Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, Basecamp, Teamwork ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.