On keeping score of what matters

A new year at KnowledgeOwl: thank you for the work YOU do

To begin this new year, I wanted to talk more reflectively to you, our readers.

There's a curious thing that happens when we're caught up in the daily work of making documentation better, fielding support tickets, and keeping knowledge flowing: we forget to notice what we're building.

Not just the features, content, or knowledge bases themselves—though those matter—but the relationships, small acts of care, and the accumulation of choices that add up to something larger than any single day reveals.

Joe Opio, a Ugandan comedian, has this philosophy that felt familiar and beautiful when I recently listened to him on a particularly delightful episode of Trevor Noah’s podcast: he sees his entire life as winning. Not in the hustle-culture, grind-until-you-drop way, but in the profound recognition that being able to do meaningful work, in community with others, is itself the prize. He doesn't sweat delays or disappointments because he's anchored in gratitude for what already is. His perspective is a more exuberant version of my own father’s, and one that I’ve spent my life working towards having.

I've been thinking about that a lot as I step slowly into this new year.

You're reading this because likely somewhere along the way, you chose KnowledgeOwl as your knowledge base partner. Maybe it was a careful evaluation, maybe a recommendation from someone you trust, maybe a leap of faith. Whatever brought you to us, you made a choice to invest your time, your team's energy, and your organization's trust in what we're building together.

As a fully bootstrapped company, that choice—your choice—is what makes everything we do possible. And last year, as KnowledgeOwl turned ten, we got to do what we love: building tools that actually help.

We built Owl Analytics so you could finally understand what your readers need without wrestling with GA4's existential confusion. We released AI tools designed to lighten your load, not replace your judgment. We kept our support team human, responsive, and genuinely invested in your success.

But here's what I really want you to take away: your choices matter more than you probably realize. All your decisions to invest in better documentation, to care about your readers' experience, to fight for clarity in a world that often settles for confusion add up to something meaningful.

Ari Weinzweig, who built Zingerman's into something remarkable by centering dignity in every business decision, writes about how we rarely stop to acknowledge what we've accomplished because we're too busy moving forward. He's right. That rushing-forward robs us of the very thing that would fuel us most: recognizing how far we've already come.

So let me offer you something practical that changed how I see my own work:

Before you get running full blast into 2026, write down what you're proud of. Not just the metrics or the projects that shipped, but the moments of care. The time you rewrote that confusing article because you knew someone needed it. The support ticket you answered with patience even though you were drowning. The decision to invest in documentation when others questioned its value.

Write down the professional wins and the personal ones. The way you showed up for your team. The knowledge you shared. The times you chose clarity over cleverness. The moments you trusted your own judgment even when you weren't sure.

This isn't corporate feel-good gobbledygook. This is essential work. Because remembering what you've already accomplished (your own track record of competence and care) is what gives you the foundation to do even better work ahead.

You chose well when you chose to care about documentation. You chose well when you chose KnowledgeOwl. And you chose well all of 2025 in the small decisions that don't make it into year-end reviews but absolutely shape the quality of work and life for everyone who depends on your knowledge base.

As we venture together into 2026, we're not slowing down. We're here to support you, to build tools that respect your intelligence and ease your burden, to be the kind of partner we'd want if our roles were reversed. We're excited about what we're building. But more than that, we're excited about what you're building—and grateful we get to be part of it.

Here's to the work that matters. Here's to the choices that accumulate into something meaningful. Here's to you!

With genuine gratitude and optimism for what's ahead,

Erica, Lead Customer Success Owl & Visu-owl artist

KnowledgeOwl’s list of “prouds” for 2025

• We turned 10 years old! 🎈
  
  

• We successfully rebooted The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast.
  
  

• We offered a full Summer Camp and an Information Architecture Master Class via Owl Academy.
  
  

• We released Owl Analytics, a 2+ year project.
  
  

• We released a number of thoughtful AI tools and an AI chatbot to help authors and readers.
  
  

• We grew closer as a team—professionally and personally.
  
  

• We supported our customers through difficult changes in their companies.
  
  

• We helped our customers create their first-ever knowledge bases and support sites.
  
  

• We continued giving voice to our community via our paid guest blog program.
  
  

• We maintained our commitment to 1% for the Planet.
  
  

• We donated to a different charity every month, chosen by a different owl each month.
  
  

• We sponsored Write the Docs in Portland and Berlin, as well as the TCUK 2025 conference.
  
  

• We donated to the Eden Reforestation Projects, the ACLU, the Best Friends Animal Society, The Trevor Project, and the Wounded Warrior Project, among others (thanks to your responses to our yearly survey).
  
  

• We volunteered in our communities, with time paid for by KnowledgeOwl.
  
  

• We fixed small bugs and made big feature improvements, improving quality of life for our customers.
  
  

• We learned new skills, spread our wings, and shared our knowledge with others.
  
  

• We shared not only knowledge, but also laughs, tears, advice, support, and encouragement with each other, our customers, and our communities. ❤️