Curated for your stage · Updated June 2026The short list of MicroConf resources for $1M+ ARR founders.
You've crossed the threshold that most bootstrapped founders dream of. Fewer peers, more strategic decisions, and a different set of problems than what the typical SaaS content addresses means that it’s hard to get help at your level. That’s where MicroConf comes in. Here's everything in our network built for folks at your level.
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17,743
1-2
founders on the listemails per week90+
countries reachedlisten · Startups for the rest of us Advice and information aimed at your level from the longest-running bootstrapped SaaS podcast.
Rob Walling, MicroConf’s co-founder, has hosted Startups For The Rest Of Us since 2010. If you're past $1M ARR, you've already figured out the stuff most founders are still stuck on. Hiring people more experienced than you, deciding whether to raise, figuring out if you actually want to sell — the problems all get harder from here.
Selected episodes of SFTROU we think you should listen to:
The Founder’s Guide to Selling Your SaaS for What It’s Actually Worth
Rob Walling · April 2026 · 40:17
How to Find, Hire, and Work with Owner-Level Thinkers
Rob Walling · March 2026 · 31:47
Breaking Through Plateaus, Zero-Click Marketing, and More from MicroConf 2026
with Derrick Reimer · April 2026 · 34:44
Hosted by Rob Walling since 2010
→ 15M+ downloads.
→ 800+ episodes.
watch · MicroConf + robwalling YouTubeConference talks and interviews for $1M+ ARR founders
@MicroConf
Our newer channel posting recordings from recent events. At your stage, the most useful ones are the advanced tracks, scaling-stage talks, and founder interviews.
@RobWalling
Rob's personal channel. Skews earlier-stage tactical, but his deep-dives on pricing, hiring, and exit-stage thinking apply at any scale.
Every MicroConf talk we've recorded is on YouTube, plus interviews and content from Rob's channel. These three are where we'd send a founder at your stage first:
Exit Data · State of indie SaaS reportWhat does running a real bootstrapped business actually look like?
Every few years, we survey hundreds of bootstrapped founders about revenue, team size, churn, and what's working. At your stage, the State of Indie SaaS reports answer the questions you can't ask anywhere else; particularly around exits.
20%
of bootstrapped SaaS exits happen at $1M–$3M ARR. Only 11% wait until $7M+.
2024 State of Indie SaaS, p.60 — Run rate prior to company being sold
29%
of bootstrapped SaaS acquirers are other companies. Only 10% are funds; 21% are individuals.
2024 State of Indie SaaS, p.59 — Entity that purchases previous company
60%
of exits price at 1x–3x forward-looking ARR. 7x+ multiples are the exception, not the rule.
2024 State of Indie SaaS, p.61 — Previous company exit multiple
37%
of founders sold with teams of just 2–5 employees. Only 10% had 51+ at exit.
2024 State of Indie SaaS, p.62 — Previous company number of employees
Exit figures pull from the 21% of respondents who have sold a company, not the $1M+ ARR cohort specifically. Data collected late 2023; refresh when the next report is released.
Read · rob Walling's books Rob Walling co-founded MicroConf and TinySeed, and before that he bootstrapped and sold his own SaaS (Drip.com, you might have heard of it!). He's written the books he wishes he'd had when he was starting out.
The problems you're working through now (building a team, deciding whether to sell, what your company is actually worth) are the ones he's written about from experience. Start with these two:
The same person who built MicroConf wrote the playbooks
Rob Walling The full guide to bootstrapping a SaaS, covering pricing, positioning, hiring, marketing channels and more. The second half is the most relevant to $1M+ ARR founders, covering building teams, fixing bottlenecks, and avoiding founder burnout.
sherry walling, Phd and Rob Walling Thinking about selling in a few years (or less)? This boo covers what selling actually looks like, when to start preparing, what makes a business sellable, and what founders wish they'd known. Today's decisions shape what's possible later.
find your peers · microconf private communityNetwork and problem-solve with current bootstrapped and indie founders
Every MicroConf conference recording, private Connect-only events, local meetups, and a multi-topic forum. All hosted on Circle.
The questions you're working through (when to take outside capital, how to structure a leadership comp plan, whether to entertain that acquisition conversation, when to push for a price increase that might cost you 10% of your customers) are questions most founders never get to ask, and the peers who can answer them are rare.
MicroConf Connect is our private community of bootstrapped SaaS founders with over 40 members operating at $1M ARR and above. All applications are hand-vetted by the MicroConf team.
$49
/month, or $499/year
“I’ve gotten more actionable advice in Connect than I ever expected — it’s like having a mastermind group on demand.”
— Josh, SaaS founder & Launchpad alum
MicroConf Mastermind MatchingA mastermind is a small group of founders at similar stages who meet regularly. At the $1M+ ARR stage, the value of a mastermind isn't accountability; it's being in a room with three or four other operators running similar companies, talking through the strategic decisions you're each making.
The MicroConf Mastermind Matching Program pairs you with founders at your stage and in compatible time zones, so you don't have to find them yourself.
A small group of peers running companies your size.
Next matching session starts in Fall 2026; join the waitlist to be notified when applications open.
community + Coaching + mentorship
The TinySeed SaaS Institute: A coaching program built $1M+ ARR founders.
Direct coaching from Rob Walling, structured peer cohorts of operators at the same scale, and access to expert sessions on advanced sales, executive hiring, exit preparation, and the topics that actually come up at $1M+ ARR.
Smaller, higher-touch than anything else MicroConf offers.
Andrei N
Founder, Texting Betty
“Working with Rob through the SaaS Institute gave me a ton of clarity and focus on where to direct my energy next. The strategy sessions helped me cut through the noise and double down on what actually moves the needle.”
M&A Advisory · PartnerWhen the conversation turns to selling, we have trusted partners.
Most bootstrapped founders eventually face the question of whether to sell, when to sell, and who to sell to. It's a process most founders go through exactly once, with very little prior experience.
We partner with Discretion Capital, an M&A firm focused specifically on bootstrapped SaaS exits. Founded by Einar Vollset (General Partner at MicroConf), they've worked with founders in our network through deals from sub-$10M to nine-figure exits.
If you're starting to seriously think about a sale, or if you want to understand your options before you need to, they're a useful first conversation.
"We worked with Discretion Capital for nearly two years on the sale of our company. Even after an unexpected pause following a cease and desist, they stayed fully supportive, waited for the right timing, and later restarted the process from scratch with the same professionalism and commitment. They were consistently helpful, supportive, and reliable throughout a long and demanding journey. I'm very grateful for their dedication and would absolutely recommend them."
Pierre de Wulf
Cofounder, ScrapingBee
Come together · MicroConf flagship conferences2.5 days in-person with bootstrapped and indie founders across the spectrum
MicroConf events are intentionally small, limited to a few hundred bootstrapped founders, no enterprise sales reps, no VCs hunting for deals. At your stage, the value is the density of high-level operators in one room — 32% of our attendees at MicroConf US were at $1M+ ARR and above.
upcoming:
September 21-23, 2026MicroConf Europe 2026: Reykjavik, Iceland
Already in the network?
Many founders at your stage are already in Connect, in a mastermind, or in SaaS Institute. If that's you, this is the page to bookmark for everything else — the books, the podcast back-catalog, upcoming events, and the M&A partner.
Want to see our other pages for other revenue levels? Choose below:
($0 MRR)($0-833 MRR)($8,333-83,333 MRR)($833-8,333 MRR)$1M+ ARR
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