PODCAST · business
MicroConf On Air
by Rob Walling
Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast!Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Episodes
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MicroConf Tactics: Stop Adding Lazy AI to Your SaaS
There are only 6 ways to actually use AI as a feature in your SaaS. After talking with hundreds of TinySeed companies, that's the number I kept landing on. In this talk from MicroConf US in Portland, I break down all 6, with real examples from companies you know and some you've never heard of....
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MicroConf Tactics: What SaaS Buyers Actually Want in 2026
Private equity firms have quietly raised the bar on what metrics they need to see in a SaaS before they’ll conisder putting in an offer. I sat down with Einar Vollset from Discretion Capital to break down the 6 moats buyers now require before they'll even consider a deal — and why it matters even...
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MicroConf Tactics: AI is Crushing Big SaaS
The "SaaSpocalypse" wiped $2 trillion from public SaaS markets — but the people panicking aren't building the kind of business you are. I break down why the math-terrifying enterprise SaaS giants don't apply to bootstrapped founders, and why the advantages that have always made small teams...
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MicroConf Tactics: Start a SaaS From $0 in 2026
No savings. No trust fund. No venture capital. Just nights and weekends. That's how most successful SaaS companies start — including mine. I walk through what it costs, what's free, how to build without cash, and how to find your first customers on a tiny budget. Links: Watch this video on…
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MicroConf Tactics: Is Mailchimp the Greatest Bootstrapped SaaS Ever?
This is the story of MailChimp. Welcome to SaaS Legends, a series where Rob Walling tells the stories of the founders who built the most iconic software companies, and what you can learn from them. In this episode I break down how Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius accidentally invented freemium, said…
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MicroConf Tactics: The Real Reason SaaS Customers Cancel (here's how to fix it)
Every time a customer cancels, you tell yourself a story about why. Most of the time, that story is wrong. Rob Walling break down the biggest churn patterns I’ve seen kill SaaS companies and how to figure out which ones you can actually fix. Links from the Pod Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube...
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MicroConf Tactics: The ‘Old Rules’ of SaaS Still Win
AI is changing SaaS, but not everything. Rob Walling breaks down the 5 fundamentals that still determine whether your business survives, and why ignoring them means no amount of AI will save you. Links from the Pod Watch this video on YouTube Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel Subscribe…
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MicroConf Tactics: Not Sure How to Market Your SaaS? Start Here
Rob Walling has seen 5 B2B SaaS marketing strategies work over and over, and in this video, he breaks down how AI is changing each one in 2026, what's different (and what's not), and how to prioritize based on your product. Links from the Pod Watch this video on YouTube Subscribe to the Rob…
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MicroConf Tactics: SaaS is Hard Until You Learn These 4 Skills
Most SaaS founders hit a wall and can't figure out why they won't grow. After working with thousands of founders and investing in over 230 SaaS companies, I've found the same root cause almost every time: a gap in one of four core skills every SaaS needs to survive. In this video I'll break down...
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MicroConf Tactics: AI Ads Will Be The Next Land Grab (Here's How I'd Play It)
Early Google and Facebook ads felt like a cheat code. Then the advantage disappeared. AI chat platforms are introducing ads now, and this might be another early window. The real challenge is timing. Today I’ll show you how to get that timing right and avoid the common traps I’ve seen across...
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MicroConf Tactics: Give Me 36 Minutes and I'll Teach You How to Find $1M SaaS Ideas
I surveyed 200+ founders making $1K-$100K+/month to find out how successful founders came up with their SaaS idea. In this video I break down the 8 proven methods they used—with real examples from dozens of founders. Spoiler: 72% found their idea through their work. Your next SaaS might be hiding...
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MicroConf Tactics: 9 Brutal Truths About Startups I Know After 20 Years in SaaS
SaaS is an incredible business model, with recurring revenue, high margins, and big exits. But there’s a dark side most founders don’t see until it’s too late. In this ep, I break down the uncomfortable truths every founder should know before they dive in. Links in the Pod: Watch this video on...
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MicroConf Tactics: What's ACTUALLY Happening in SaaS Right Now
Rob Walling shares how he's seeing AI affect the SaaS landscape, explains why he doesn’t believe AI will ever kill SaaS, and outlines where the biggest opportunities are for ambitious bootstrapped founders today. Links from the Pod Watch this video on YouTube MicroConf Mastermind Matching…
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MicroConf Tactics: Coding in 2026 is STILL a Superpower (Even with AI)
Is learning to code still worth it in 2026? Rob Walling breaks down what’s actually happening in the industry, why coding is still one of the highest-leverage skills you can learn, and how he’d approach learning to code if he were starting from scratch today. Links from the Pod MicroConf…
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MicroConf Tactics: 6 Signs Your SaaS MVP Is Not Good Enough (nobody teaches this)
In this video, Rob Walling breaks down 6 real reasons your MVP flopped from solving the wrong problem to over-promising what your product can’t yet deliver, and shows you exactly how to fix each one. Links from the Pod MicroConf US - Portland - Use Promocode ROB50 for $50 off Watch this video on...
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MicroConf Tactics: You're Working on the WRONG Things - here's how to fix it
Rob Walling shares the Certainty vs. Uncertainty Framework, the system he’s used to build six companies and invest in over 250 startups to help you stop mistaking “busy” for “effective,” and focus on what truly drives progress. Links from the Pod MicroConf Europe Tickets are on Sale - Reykjavik,...
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MicroConf Tactics: I Obsessed Over Product-Market Fit - Here Are the 5 Stages of PMF
Rob Walling breaks down the five phases of Product-Market Fit, showing how founders can identify where they are on the spectrum and what specific actions will move them forward. Most founders think product-market fit is a switch that suddenly flips on, but it’s not! Links from the Pod TinySeed...
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There’s ONLY 5 Ways to Use AI in SaaS (prove me wrong)
Every founder is asking the same question: “Am I falling behind on AI?” In this video, Rob Walling breaks down the five ways startups are using AI and which ones actually work. He covers everything from using AI as your core product to leveraging it for growth and operations, including real-world...
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Hire Your First Developer (Avoid These 7 COSTLY Mistakes)
Hiring your first developer or engineer is a huge milestone and it’s easy to make costly mistakes. In this video, Rob Walling shares the seven most common pitfalls founders face when hiring a developer for the first time, plus expert tips to help you build your startup team with confidence. Can’t...
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MicroConf Tactics: The Silent Killer of Startups (And How to Prevent It)
In this episode, Rob Walling shares why building alone is dangerous, what your real options are, and exactly how to surround yourself with other founders who can help you navigate the chaos without losing your mind. Links from the Pod Watch this video on YouTube Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube...
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MicroConf Tactics: How TinySeed Helped Harris Grow His SaaS to $500k ARR (in 1 Year)
Rob Walling chats with Harris Kenny, founder of OutboundSync, about how he took a low-code MVP and, with seed funding from TinySeed, scaled it into a SaaS business generating over $500K in annual recurring revenue — all in just one year. Links in the episode: Watch this video on YouTube Subscribe...
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Perfectly Position Your B2B Brand in 34 Minutes
Unlock the most effective homepage positioning framework used by top-performing SaaS founders. In this video, Anthony Pierri of Fletch PPM breaks down how to craft a homepage that instantly communicates what your product does, who it’s for, and why it matters, boosting clarity, conversions, and...
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MicroConf Tactics: 5 BORING Decisions That Made Me a Multi-Millionaire
After 20 years building and exiting SaaS companies, Rob Walling looks back and pinpoints the 5 choices that made all the difference, from launching his first product to bootstrapping and exiting apps for life-changing money. Links from the Pod Watch this video on YouTube Subscribe to the…
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MicroConf Tactics: NEVER Make These 6 Mistakes (Lessons from 20 Years in Business)
Rob Walling shares 6 founder regrets that didn’t just cost him money, they nearly derailed his business. From invisible mindset traps to avoidable missteps in hiring and decision-making, each one reveals something most founders don’t realize until it’s too late. Links from the Pod MicroConf…
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MicroConf Tactics: The BEST Sales Funnel For Your SaaS (new data changed my advice)
In this episode, Rob Walling breaks down data-backed strategies to improve your trial funnel and explains why most SaaS founders should rethink freemium vs. free trial. Backed by insights from the nearly 700+ startups who participated in the State of Independent SaaS Report and 200+ of his own...
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MicroConf Tactics: Break Through the 7 SaaS Plateaus
Plateaus are the death of SaaS; unless you know how to spot and beat them. In this talk from MicroConf New Orleans in 2025, Rob Walling shares real data from 192 startups and reveals how to break through the 7 SaaS growth plateaus- including leaky funnels, high churn, lack of leads, and losing...
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MicroConf Tactics: Why to Avoid B2C SaaS at All Costs
In this episode, Rob reveals why selling to consumers (rather than businesses) is so freaking hard. He shares the only B2C SaaS strategy he would ever bet on, after starting 6 companies, investing in 224 SaaS startups, and writing 5 books on building life-changing businesses. Links from the Pod...
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MicroConf Tactics: Responding to the Brutal Comments on My Recent Video
Rob read the comments. Every last one of them. 225+ and some were wild. He’s here to break it down, clear the air, and set the story straight. Watch the video that caused all this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rXXRdB3TJI&t=2s Links from the Pod MicroConf Masterminds Watch this video on YouTube...
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MicroConf Tactics: Designing the Perfect SaaS Business (Steal My Checklist)
Every founder dreams of building the next big SaaS success. But what separates the ideas that just sound good from the ones that truly take off? In this video, Rob Walling shares his personal checklist for the perfect SaaS idea. The more boxes you can check, the higher your chances of success....
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MicroConf Tactics: 7 Tempting Startup Ideas I’d NEVER Build (And Why)
If you're an early-stage founder or just dreaming about launching your own startup, you want to maximize your odds of success. But here’s the thing: not all ideas are created equal. Some are so tempting, so popular, that you'll see them everywhere—but they're actually traps that have burned more...
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MicroConf Tactics: 99% of Beginners Don’t Know the Basics of SaaS
Want to know the real truth about SaaS? In this video I cover 5 critical SaaS fundamentals that can help you grow 7-figure businesses. There are harsh realities to building a SaaS, but knowing these principles can save you from beginner mistakes. Links in the episode: MicroConf Connect Watch this...
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MicroConf Tactics: 33 Minutes of No BS Tactics I Used to Build a $6.6M/Year SaaS
Join Peldi Guilizzoni from the MicroConf stage in Dubrovnik, as he details his 7-step journey from maker to entrepreneur. Peldi is the CEO of Balsamiq, and his talk is loaded with tactics that will help you grow business beyond what you can achieve as a single maker. Links in the video: Watch…
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MicroConf Tactics: Which Business Buyers Will Pay the MOST for YOUR Business
Don't leave millions on the table when you sell – finding the right buyer is crucial for maximizing the value of your life's work. In this video, Rob Walling describes the 6 different types of business buyers and where you can find them. Watch this video on YouTube Links in the episode: Exit...
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MicroConf Tactics: AI Agents vs SaaS - Who Wins the Future of Software?
Are AI Agents going to kill SaaS? In this video I explain why SaaS businesses are so resilient, even through times of great disruption. In fact, there are a few ways you can take advantage of the latest AI trends to grow your business stronger. Links in the episode: Watch this episode on YouTube...
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MicroConf Tactics: The Dark Side of Venture Capital (Too Much Money is Bad???)
Venture Capital can be a great tool for explosive growth, but it's not a fit for all startups. In this video I explain the downsides of VC, and share how most companies should approach their growth and funding. Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uc85Kg70_Ng Links in the video…
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MicroConf Tactics: LOW COST Marketing Strategies That Actually Work (from 3x SaaS Founder)
You need to be systematic and focused to find growth channels that actually move the needle as a bootstrapper. In this video, I'll cover some of the best, low cost SaaS marketing strategies that have worked in my businesses, and in the businesses I've invested in. Links in this episode: SaaS...
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MicroConf Tactics: Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake)
Incorrectly pricing your SaaS product is the easiest way to accidentally kill your business. I'll tell you how to fix your pricing, how founders fall into the trap of charging too little, and why charging more can catapult your business's growth. Links in the episode: MicroConf Remote | May 21:...
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MicroConf Tactics: The Future of SaaS | 2025 Trends You NEED to Know
Rob Walling shares 5 predictions for the SaaS and broader startup market in 2025. Some of these represent great opportunity, and others will be big hurdles. Let us know what big disruptions that you see coming that he might have missed! Links from the Pod: MicroConf Remote MicroConf Growth…
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MicroConf Tactics: 6 SaaS Ideas To Build in 2025 (Before Someone Else Does)...
In this video, Rob reviews six SaaS ideas sourced from Reddit threads. These ideas are unlikely to be worth billions of dollars, but they could grow into your next profitable SaaS business and let you walk away from your day job. Links from the Pod: MicroConf Connect Applications are closing…
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MicroConf Tactics: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Hiring Guide for SaaS Founders
Rob Walling speaks from the stage at MicroConf US 2023 to share how to hire your SaaS team. He covers job titles & incentives, hiring paths, and how to fire yourself - all with a focus on bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped companies. Episode Sponsor: As a founder, it’s easy to get caught up in...
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MicroConf Tactics: Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake)
Incorrectly pricing your SaaS product is the easiest way to accidentally kill your business. I'll tell you how to fix your pricing, how founders fall into the trap of charging too little, and why charging more can catapult your business's growth. Links from the Pod: Apply to MicroConf's…
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Find PROFITABLE Micro SaaS Ideas in 2025
In this video, Rob interviews Snir Alayof about his stair-step approach to building a portfolio of Micro SaaS apps for the monday.com marketplace. Snir reveals how he explored users' needs and validated potential solutions. He then details how his team launched, refined, and supported these apps…
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MicroConf Tactics: 9 Signs It’s Time to SELL Your Business
When do you know it's time to sell your company? After speaking with hundreds of founders, Rob and Dr. Sherry Walling identified 9 signs that it may be time for an exit. If you've dreamed of selling your business, pay attention to these signs, and strategize your exit. Links from the Pod…
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MicroConf Tactics: Startup Founders, Do THIS to Beat Imposter Syndrome
Many founders struggle with Imposter Syndrome and wonder how to get past it. It often shows up in different forms at the various stages in their founder journeys. Rob shares some of the forms that imposter syndrome takes and offers actionable advice if you are feeling like a fraud. Episode…
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MicroConf Tactics: STOP Building Your Audience (Do THIS Instead)
If you want to build an amazing SaaS product, building an audience is almost never the best use of your time. Rob shares what to do instead, giving practical tips on how to build a network and the benefits that it can provide your business. Links from the Pod: MicroConf Connect Applications are...
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MicroConf Tactics: If I Started SaaS in 2024, Here’s My B2B Content Strategy for $1M ARR
Rob Walling takes the stage at MicroConf US 2024 in Atlanta to share his framework for B2B SaaS content marketing. After wasting thousands of dollars taking the wrong approach in marketing Drip in the early days, Rob shares how he would apply the 5 stages of customer awareness to B2B SaaS. Links...
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Make SaaS Enterprise Sales (5 SIMPLE Steps)
One of the biggest growth levers in your SaaS business is to embrace enterprise sales. Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, shares how to drive sales so that you're not leaving revenue on the table. Links from the Pod: The SaaS Launchpad – Start Free with “The DNA of a Great SaaS Idea” Watch this…
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MicroConf Tactics: This Pricing Strategy is DISASTROUS (unless...)
Choosing the right pricing strategy for your bootstrapped SaaS is critical. Freemium can be alluring, but it's not a pricing strategy – it's actually a marketing strategy. In this video, I'll explain why freemium is so tricky, and why you should almost always avoid it. Links from the Pod…
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MicroConf Tactics: 6 Lessons From My MOST SUCCESSFUL Investments in B2B SaaS
In this video, I look at my investments across TinySeed to distill six lessons that you can use to inform decisions in your own B2B SaaS. If it sounds like I'm describing your company and you're looking for the right amount of funding and mentorship, apply for TinySeed's Fall 2024 batch. Episode...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast!Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
HOSTED BY
Rob Walling
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does MicroConf On Air have?
MicroConf On Air currently has 288 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is MicroConf On Air about?
Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast!Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
How often does MicroConf On Air release new episodes?
MicroConf On Air publishes regularly with 288 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to MicroConf On Air?
You can listen to MicroConf On Air on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts MicroConf On Air?
MicroConf On Air is created and hosted by Rob Walling.
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