Rob Walling

The TinySeed Millionaire Rate is 43%. Definition: Of @tinyseedfund companies no longer in operation (sold OR shut down), 43% of those founders are now millionaires.💰 This % will obviously change over time. It's still early, and the numbers are still small (~2% of companies have shut down. ~4% have sold). But this is yet another reminder of how resilient and insanely valuable SaaS companies are. Personally, I find this number incredible. Much higher than I would have expected, and it brings me nothing but joy knowing the lives that have been changed through entrepreneurship. (cc @einarvollset)

"I wish I could take a business vacation with 200 of my closest #SaaS founder friends," you say. "And I wish there could be a thermal lagoon involved." Wish granted: microconf.com/europe

@elvissun @helloitsolly It depends on why you’re plateau’d. There are only 7 reasons SaaS plateaus. Some require a pivot, others don’t. I cover all of them here: youtu.be/Sv1IO5mmTKY?si…

@robwalling @helloitsolly does breaking through the plateau require a major pivot? is it easier to do that or start something new?

My SaaS revenue and sign ups are flat I'm plateau-d at $1,000,000 a year A great achievement but a challenging spot to be in According to @robwalling only 5% of bootstrapped startups escape these types of revenue plateau The more complicated issue is that I am struggling to stay motivated The business is funding my lifestyle and that lifestyle is really good I travel constantly, see friends, train 5x week, give back, connect with other makers, spend time in nature, and fly business class The things that motivated me no longer do, and the idea of pushing through feels almost ridiculous At times, when things are flowing I feel capable and ready to keep going But my desire to move through tougher challenges (hiring, addressing technical debt) is decreasing I'm unable to cultivate urgency in the way I was before Maybe the lifestyle business I've built is enough

@helloitsolly Haven’t seen this yet. Maybe for a few months. But they always get bored. It’s like running a dry cleaning business instead of a startup. No learning. More like clocking a 9-to-5 than being an entrepreneur (except you’re hopefully getting paid better as an entrepreneur).

@robwalling This reply assumes most / all founders want to break through a plateau, right? Do you ever see founders who are accepting of it aka ‘I’m happy maintaining the status quo, and trying to return to growth is more work than I’m willing to undertake now’

@jackmuva 🔥

My favorite theme that @robwalling mentions in his podcast is "emotional runway." It's your motivation to continue working on a project. Users, paying customers, positive comments, they all add to that motivation, that runway We can build products faster with agents, but that doesn't change the importance of emotional runway. That project or feature I've spun up with just prompts arguably has less emotional runway: there's less time investment, less intrinsic motivation, less attachment. The lower barrier to entry is a tradeoff, because it's never been easier to start a project, but it's also never been easier to throw away a project

@andruyeung Maybe. Or maybe that’s just what it costs to hire a senior events person in SF. And they want to run some events for their devs.

Anthropic is paying up to $400,000 a year for an events role. They're looking for someone to own the execution of brand experiences that translate Anthropic's values into physical moments. This person will produce everything from intimate thought-leadership gatherings to large-scale industry activations. The top AI research lab in the world recognizes that to cross the chasm and reach everyday consumers, they need to lean into hospitality. They need to create visceral, unforgettable IRL experiences that make complex technology feel accessible and human. They understand that digital channels are getting increasingly saturated. Every feed is flooded with AI content... every inbox is overflowing. The massive opportunity now is offline, analog, in-person. The companies that win in the next decade won't just have the best product but the most emotional in-person presence and the most compelling storytelling. If you're in events, experiential marketing, or brand activations, this is your moment. The biggest tech companies in the world are betting on you.

@paulg “How did you build your wealth?” “Mostly by not asking founders to upload a utility bill and two forms of ID before I’d talk to them.”

I finally found the European auction house that defeated me. Before I can create an account I have to upload two forms of government id, an image of my credit card, a utility bill, an invoice from another auction house, and a form explaining how I "built my wealth."

@einarvollset Were you sick and tired of said snakes?

First time in Alaska, first time I flew with a snake on the plane.

@marcelfahle ✨✨

💯 - that's sort of how @robwalling opens his keynotes at microconf

@oakuzmenkov @MicroConf @robwalling microconf is basically therapy for solo founders

@frmbrice As a former chronic worrier, this framing helped me.

Read this in @robwalling’s latest newsletter right when I needed it. Sharing in case someone else needs it too: “Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe, except you’re paying it with your emotions.”

@HarryStebbings Was it a great offer? Like £18M all cash? Or mostly stock in a private company you would have been stupid to accept?

Four years into 20VC I got an offer to sell the media company for £18M. I had no investors. I owned it 100% and was 22 years old at the time. At the time, not selling felt like a great risk. Today it was the single best decision I have made to go long. The safe path is often less safe than you think, the risky is also less risky. Go long. Bet on yourself.

@Shpigford I LOVE AL

🚨 BREAKING: CLAUDE JUST MURDERED EVERY DESIGNER. THIS IS A GAME CHANGER. IT'S OVER FOR ALL DESIGNERS EVERYWHERE ON EARTH. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. HERE'S MY SYSTEM FOR SAVING YOUR CAREER: REPLY "ILOVEAI" + RT AND I'LL DM YOU.

A founder's VA dove into Claude Code, eager to learn. Within two days, she'd deleted all his leads. She wasn't careless — she was smart, motivated, and taught herself the tool. The tool just had full access to dangerous operations with no guardrails. I hosted a roundtable at @MicroConf on "Managing Cybernetic Organisms" — hiring and managing teams that are part human, part AI agent. The takeaway: job descriptions, onboarding, guardrails, feedback loops — same discipline whether the worker is carbon or silicon. The founders who treat agent management as an organizational design problem will build the most effective teams. The ones who treat it as an engineering problem will keep deleting their own leads. movingavg.com/essays/managin… #MicroConf #AIStrategy #FounderLife #Hiring

@marcelfahle @MicroConf @saasmakermac 🔥

Went from talking cac and churn at @MicroConf to standing in three feet of snow at mount hood. Proper debrief with @saasmakermac

@zackgilbert 🤜🤛

@robwalling Thanks for such a wonderful event, Rob!

What an amazing couple days at #MicroConf 2026. Here’s a video recapping some of the highlights 👇

@helloitsolly @MicroConf You are very welcome. It was good to have you back, sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat this time. I’ll see you in Iceland ✈️

My first sober conference! @MicroConf Portland was fantastic, and I enjoyed it without booze Last year in New Orleans I missed the second day of programming after a few too many cocktails and far too many shots This year I challenged myself to stay focused on my health goals - no alcohol, and training every day before the conference It was challenging and there were lots of temptations, but I am leaving today feeling proud of myself I also had some FANTASTIC conversations with folks like @asmartbear @harisenbon79 @oakuzmenkov @punchlinecopy @mynameis_davis and many many others I also got to hang out with my coach @TheCraigHewitt IRL If you're a bootstrapper, @MicroConf should be top of your list It's a place where smart, interesting, ambitious founders come together to connect, share, and lift each other up Everyone is equally valid and celebrated, whether at $1 or $1,000,000 MRR Every time I leave feeling connected, seen, and ready to hit my goals Thanks @robwalling for creating something so special

@AlexBoyd08 @TheCraigHewitt You have to be joking 🙃 I’m seriously going to try this out next week 😂

@robwalling @TheCraigHewitt @robwalling I have spoken with the eBay team and have confirmed that your listings will have improved detail ingestion in the near future 🙏🏼🫡

.@TheCraigHewitt takes the stage to close out #MicroConf 2026 talking about how to run a SaaS in a post-software / agentic world.