MicroConf On Air

By Rob WallingBusiness Entrepreneurship Careers Management

MicroConf On Air episodes

October 07 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.
Links in the episode:
Get Your Ticket for MicroConf US- April 18-20, 2027 in Austin, Texas
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube channel
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
53 min
September 23 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 if you never plan to sell.
Links in the episode:
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
TinySummit
TinySeed SaaS Institute
Discretion Capital
The SaaS Playbook
Episode 836 | The 5 A.I. Moats Acquirers Value Most
16 min
September 09 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 dangerous are getting stronger in an AI-driven market.
Links from the Pod
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube Channel
MicroConf Europe | Iceland, Sept 21–23, 2026
Tinyseed Portfolio
Senior Place
Mawi
10 min
August 26 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 YouTube
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube Channel
Join Idea To Traction Waitlist - New book launches in October
The 9-to-5 Audit
Startups for the Rest of Us Podcast
MicroConf Connect
The SaaS Playbook
15 min
August 12 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 no to VCs for 20 years, and built one of the most valuable software companies ever created, without following anyone else’s playbook.
Links from the Pod
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube channel
Watch this video on YouTube
Join MicroConf Connect
Watch the full Ben Chestnut interview
24 min
July 29 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 Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
The SaaS Playbook, Free Sample Chapter
TinySeed Accelerator
13 min
July 15 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 to the Rob Walling YouTube Channel
MicroConf Mastermind Matching Program (Applications are open in the Fall)
Senior Place
7 min
July 01 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 Walling YouTube Channel
MicroConf Connect
Grab a free sample chapter of the SaaS Playbook
The SaaS Playbook
18 min
June 17 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 what those skills are and what to do if you're missing one.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube Channel
Subscribe to Rob Walling's Essays
Episode 807 | The “Core Four” SaaS Skills and Knowing When You Should Find a Co-founder (A Rob Solo Adventure)
Episode 811 | When to Delegate the “Core Four SaaS Skills,” Freemium Retention Rates, and More Listener Questions (A Rob Solo Adventure)
Episode 728 | Bootstrapping Gymdesk to a More Than $32.5M Exit
TinySeed Portfolio
17 min
June 03 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 hundreds of SaaS companies.
Links from the Pod
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the Rob Walling YouTube Channel
MicroConf Europe September 21-23, 2026 in Reykjavik, Iceland
SaaS Institute
13 min